Advanced Search
Home View dashboard introduces Advanced Search, allowing you to filter documents and tasks with precision using custom queries.
This guide will help you understand how to build and use advanced search queries effectively.
Warning:
By default Basic Search is enabled and is very different from Advanced Search. Basic Search is the normal global fuzzy search you expect, while Advanced Search is its own query language. This article will focus on the latter.
If you’re looking for info on regular Search, check out the separate article: 9.3 Find Data In The Data Views Screen
What is Advanced Search?
Advanced Search lets you combine different fields, values, operators, and logic to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Use it when simple keyword searches aren’t enough—for example, when you need to find all tasks created by a specific person, in a specific location, or with a certain status.
Searchable Fields
Basic Query structure: <Field> <Operator> <Data>
You can combine multiple queries using AND, OR, and parentheses () for grouping. For example: <Query> AND <Query>.
Note:
All text values must be wrapped in quotes (" "), except for pure number-types.
You can search by many fields, including:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
name, description |
Text in the document or task title/description | name = "Inspection Report" |
type, state |
Task/document type or current state (quoted text only) | type = "task" |
creator |
Who created the item | creator = "user@example.com" |
version |
Document or task version | version = 3 |
archived |
Boolean values (true/false) |
archived = true |
contextId, dataId, taskId |
Unique identifiers | contextId = "abc-123-xyz" |
dateCreated, dateModified |
Date filters | dateCreated >= "2024-01-01" |
nameForForm, idForRootContext |
Context-related names/IDs | nameForForm = "Fire Report" |
location |
A document’s place in the hierarchy | location = "North/Zone A" |
search |
Full-text fuzzy search across all fields | search ?= "electrical inspection" |
value.X |
Searches specific metadata or answer values (replace X with the elementId) |
value.district = "adjumani" |
Field:
type
Valid values are:
"task""activity""answer""entry""context"
Make sure to use quotes when specifying the type.
Operators
Use these to compare values:
=(exact search)!=(exclude)?=(fuzzy search)<,>,<=,>=(numeric or date comparisons)IN(check if value exists in a list)?IN(fuzzy check if value exists in a list)
Logic Operators
AND– All conditions must be trueOR– At least one condition must be true()– Use parentheses to group conditions and control logic
Examples
1. Simple search:
type = “task” AND state = “new”
2. Search by metadata:
value.district = “adjumani”
3. Find by creator and context:
creator = “user.demo@email.com” AND contextId = “02cae49e-8958-4aba-a84e-08d8f11b7252”
4. Complex query with OR logic:
(type = “task” OR state = “new” ) AND (creator = “user1” OR creator = “user2”)
5. Fuzzy text search across all fields:
search ?= “zegeba”
💡 Tips
- Use value.someField to search inside metadata or form answers.
- Always wrap text values in quotes, like “some text” or “status”.
- Pure numbers-types can be written without quotes (e.g., value.count = 5).
- Use the Home View’s search bar to enter your advanced query.
There is a difference between a field containing numbers and it being a number type.
If a text field contains numbers, it still has to be wrapped in quotes.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to match exact text in searches?
A: No. Use the search field for fuzzy full-text matching across all fields: value.fieldName ?= “Title”. For exact matches, use the specific field like: value.fieldName = “Exact Title”.
Q: How do I search for metadata or form answers?
A: Use value.someField = “yourValue”. Replace someField with the actual metadata key or answer name.
Q: Can I search by date?
A: Yes! Use fields like dateCreated or dateModified with comparison operators: dateCreated >= “2024-01-01”
Q: How do I filter by multiple values?
A: Use IN with square brackets: value.status IN [“open”, “pending”]
Q: What if I get no results?
A: Double-check your field names, values, and quotes. If needed, simplify your query and build it up step-by-step.
Q: Can I combine multiple queries?
A: Absolutely. Use AND, OR, and () to build complex logic: (type = “task” OR type = “form”) AND creator = “john.doe@company.com”
Q: What does ?= mean in search?
A: ?= is used to perform a fuzzy search, which finds results that contain or are similar to what you typed — not just exact matches.** Note that basic search is fuzzy by default.
Q:Can you give an example of a fuzzy search?
A: Sure! Searching with name ?= john will match:
JohnJohnnyJohnsonmy name is John
