User Manual: Advanced Search Operators (>v5.3)

Field Constraints

Field constraints are used to locate records based on values in a record’s fields.

To create a field constraint:

Click the + Field button. Select a field using the dropdown. Once selected, choose a search operator, and enter a search value. The operators available depend on whether or not the field is controlled, and the data type of the field.

All field constraint operators, with the exception of is blank, imply that the field is not blank. For example, Color is not red will only find records where Color has a value, and it is not red; it will not find records where Color is blank. A search for Color is not red or Color is blank will find both.

If a search operator expects a value, but the value field is left blank, the constraint is ignored.

Non-controlled Fields

For non-controlled fields, the operators available for each data type are:

Text

  • contains - The text in the field contains the search value. Case insensitive. The search value may be a pattern: an asterisk in the value (*) matches any text in the field.

  • does not contain - The text in the field does not contain the search value.

  • matches - The text in the field matches the search value. Case insensitive. The search value is a pattern: an asterisk in the value (*) matches any text in the field. Field contains value is equivalent to Field matches *value*.

When a search value is known to occur at the beginning of a field, Field matches value* is much faster than Field contains value.

  • does not match - The text in the field does not match the search value.

  • is between - The text in the field is alphabetically between two search values, inclusive. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at least value. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at most value.

  • is not between - The text in the field is not alphabetically between two search values. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is less than value. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is greater than value.

  • is greater than - The text in the field alphabetically follows the search value. Case sensitive: uppercase letters directly follow their lowercase counterparts, so a < A < b < B < c < C, etc.

  • is at least - The text in the field alphabetically follows, or is the same as, the search value. Case sensitive.

  • is less than - The text in the field alphabetically precedes the search value. Case sensitive.

  • is at most - The text in the field alphabetically precedes, or is the same as, the search value. Case sensitive.

  • is - The text in the field is exactly the same as the search value. Case sensitive.

When a search value is known to be the exact content of a field, Field is value is much faster than either Field contains value or Field matches value.

  • is not - The text in the field is not exactly the same as the search value.

  • is blank - No value has been entered in the field.

  • is not blank - Any value has been entered in the field.

Number

  • is between - The number in the field is numerically between two search values, inclusive. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at least value. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at most value.

  • is not between - The number in the field is not numerically between two search values. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is less than value. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is greater than value.

  • is greater than - The number in the field is numerically greater than the search value.

  • is at least - The number in the field is numerically greater than or equal to the search value.

  • is less than - The number in the field is numerically less than the search value.

  • is at most - The number in the field is numerically less than or equal to the search value.

  • is - The number in the field is numerically equal to the search value.

  • is not - The number in the field is not numerically equal to the search value.

  • is blank - No value has been entered in the field.

  • is not blank - Any value has been entered in the field.

Date

  • is between - The date in the field occurs between two search dates, inclusive. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at least date. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at most date.

  • is not between - The date in the field does not occur between two search dates. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is less than date. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is greater than date.

  • is greater than - The date in the field occurs after the search date.

  • is at least - The date in the field occurs after, or is the same as, the search date.

  • is less than - The date in the field occurs before the search date.

  • is at most - The date in the field occurs before, or is the same as, the search date.

  • is - The date in the field is the same as the search date.

  • is not - The date in the field is not the same as the search date.

  • is blank - No value has been entered in the field.

  • is not blank - Any value has been entered in the field.

Timestamp

A timestamp field holds a specific moment in time, to the millisecond. In CollectionSpace records, the Created Time and Last Updated Time fields are stored as timestamps.

  • is between - The timestamp in the field is between two search dates, inclusive. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at least date. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is at most date.

  • is not between - The date/time in the field is not between two search dates. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is less than date. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is greater than date.

  • is greater than - The timestamp in the field is after the time 23:59:59.999 on the search date.

  • is at least - The timestamp in the field is after, or equal to, the time 00:00:00.000 on the search date.

  • is less than - The timestamp in the field is before the time 00:00:00.000 on the search date.

  • is at most - The timestamp in the field is before, or equal to, the time 23:59:59.999 on the search date.

  • is - The timestamp in the field is a time between 00:00:00.000 and 23:59:59.999 on the search date.

  • is not - The timestamp in the field is not a time between 00:00:00.000 and 23:59:59.999 on the search date.

  • is blank - No value has been entered in the field.

  • is not blank - Any value has been entered in the field.

Structured Date

Structured dates represent a date range. All constraints on structured dates operate on the earliest date and latest date of this range. These earliest and latest date fields are automatically computed from the values entered into the structured date’s earliest/single and latest year, month, day, and era fields.

  • is between - The date range in the field overlaps the range specified by the two search dates. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is greater than or contains date. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is less than or contains date.

  • is not between - The date range in the field does not overlap the range specified by the two search dates. If only the lower search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is less than date. If only the upper search value is entered, the constraint is interpreted as Field is greater than date.

  • contains - The date range in the field contains the search date.

  • is greater than - The earliest date of the date range in the field is after the search date.

  • is greater than or contains - The earliest date of the date range in the field is after the search date, or the date range in the field contains the search date.

  • is less than - The latest date of the date range in the field is before the search date.

  • is less than or contains - The latest date of the date range in the field is before the search date, or the date range in the field contains the search date.

  • is - The date range in the field is a single day, and it is the search date.

  • is not - The date range in the field is not a single day, or if it is, it is not the search date.

  • is incomplete - No value exists in either the earliest date or the latest date of the date range in the field. This means that the earliest/single and latest year, month, day, and era fields of the structured date have not been adequately entered to calculate a range. This may also occur in data imported into CollectionSpace, where the import process did not calculate the earliest and latest dates. Since both the earliest and latest dates are required for the other search operations on a structured date field to work properly, the is incomplete operator finds structured date fields that can not otherwise be found.

  • is complete - Values exist for both the earliest date and the latest date of the date range in the field.

Boolean

A boolean field holds a true/false value, and is usually represented by a checkbox.

  • is - The value in the field is the same as the search value.

  • is blank - No value has been entered in the field.

  • is not blank - Any value has been entered in the field.

Controlled Fields

Controlled fields include those that are bound to static option lists or dynamic term lists (using dropdown menus) and to authorities (using autocomplete inputs).

For controlled fields, the following search operators are available:

  • is - The value in the field is exactly equal to the search value.

  • is not - The value in the field is not exactly equal to the search value.

  • is blank - No value has been entered in the field.

  • is not blank - Any value has been entered in the field.