The Search Field, found in the Navigation/Search Bar of the Content Library pane, allows you to construct expressions that are used to perform advanced filtering operations when the Search Type is set to Advanced. These expressions consist of 4 distinct elements:

1. A Scope Selector, which [optionally] tells the application which data the filter should be evaluated against.
2. A Scope Modifier that is [optionally] used to modify the selected scope.
3. A Query Pattern, which represents the value or expression to match.
4. An Expression Modifier that is [optionally] used to modify the preceding expression.

A properly constructed expression is formatted as¹⁾:

[1::[2::]]3[ && (4::)]

Scope selectors and scope modifiers both consist of predefined alphabetic character sequences followed by two colons; e.g., “abc::”. Which characters a query pattern consists of depends on which of the other elements in the expression are [or are not] declared.

Within any given expression, only one scope selector can be declared. Depending on the scope selected, an expression may also contain a scope modifier that is used to further refine the set of information that is to be filtered.

As an example, consider an expression that matches the assets created in the month of January 2025 that are in the Lost and Found category :

Scope Selector
  |
  |  Scope Modifier
  |     |
  |     |     Query Pattern
 _|__  _|_  _________|___________
/    \/   \/                     \
date::crd::[2025-01-01,2025-01-31]

In the example above, we first select the Date (Time) scope. Then, we indicate that we want to use the Created modifier. We then indicate the date range that the asset must be created within.

With the exception of the Expression Modifier section, when the parser that translates the expression in the Search Field into database queries encounters an unquoted space character, that character is interpreted as a logical OR. If we apply this to the sample expression Genesis 9, and the column of data being evaluated matches either “Genesis” or “9”, the matched record is displayed in the Results View.

To evaluate both words as a single entity (a phrase), encapsulate the words with quotation marks; i.e., "Genesis 9".

Except for the Expression Modifier section, when the parser that translates the expression in the Search Field into database queries encounters the character sequence && (space, ampersand, ampersand, space), the sequence is interpreted as a logical AND. If we apply this to the sample expression Genesis 9, the column of data being evaluated must match both “Genesis” and “9” (separately) before the record is displayed in the Results View.

Scope selectors tell the application which column of data the filter should be evaluated against. If explicitly declared, scope selectors are always declared at the beginning of the expression.

The key scope selector is assumed if no other scope selector is declared. Use this selector to signify that the query pattern portion of the expression should be evaluated against the keywords assigned to an asset.

Scope Modifiers:

• None

Query Pattern:

• Single words are simply entered as the character sequence of the word
• Partial words are followed by a colon and an asterisk (i.e., :*) to indicate “starts with”
• Phrases (multiple words treated as a single entity) are enclosed between quotation marks
  • The marks should be placed such that they encompass the scope selector (if specified) and the value together (i.e., "key::word1 word2" or "word1 word2")

Examples:

• Genesis
• Gen:*
• "Genesis 9"
• key::Genesis
• "key::Genesis 9"

Use the name scope selector to signify that the query pattern portion of the expression should be evaluated against the name of an asset.

Scope Modifiers:

• None

Query Pattern:

• Single words are simply entered as the character sequence of the word
• Phrases (multiple words treated as a single entity) are enclosed between quotation marks
  • The marks should be placed such that they encompass the scope selector (if specified) and the value together (i.e., "name::word1 word2" or "word1 word2")

Examples:

• Genesis
• "Genesis 9"
• "name::Genesis 9"
• name::Gene

Use the group scope selector to signify that the query pattern portion of the expression should be evaluated against the Group of an asset.

Scope Modifiers:

• None

Query Pattern:

• Single words are simply entered as the character sequence of the word
• Phrases (multiple words treated as a single entity) are enclosed between quotation marks
  • The marks should be placed such that they encompass the scope selector and the value together (i.e., "group::word1 word2")

Examples:

• group::New
• group::None
• "group::Custom Group"

Use the date scope selector to signify that the query pattern portion of the expression should be evaluated against a Date of an asset.

Scope Modifiers:

• Updated
• Created

Query Pattern:

# = ISO 8601 extended format datetime string; i.e. YYYY-MM-DD for dates or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss, YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssTZD (e.g. 1997-07-16T19:20:30+01:00) for combined dates and times.

• Use the # pattern to display packages for a single date(time)
• Use the #,# pattern to display packages for an explicit list of dates(times)
• Use the [#,#] pattern to display packages for a range between two dates(times)
• Use the [#,#],[#,#] or #,[#,#],# patterns to display packages for an explicit list of dates(times) and/or date(time) ranges

An additional set of dynamic keywords, enclosed between a pair of % symbols, used in the place of the # symbol above, are also supported. When these keywords are used independently, a range starting at the beginning of the specified duration and stopping at the end of the specified duration is implicit. When used explicitly within a range, the value of the datetime that will be substituted for the keyword will be either the beginning or the end of the specified duration, based on its position in the range.

n = A zero-based numeric value indicating the offset, into the past, from the current datetime.

• %n_DAYS%
• %n_WEEKS%
• %n_MONTHS%
• %n_YEARS%

Examples:

• date::crd::[2016-01-01T00:00:01,2016-01-31T23:59:59]
• date::upd::[%0_WEEKS%,%0_WEEKS%]

Scope modifiers are used to modify the selected scope. If declared at all, scope modifiers are always declared immediately following a Scope Selector, or in some cases another scope modifier.

Use the upd scope modifier to signify that the query pattern portion of the expression should be evaluated against the Updated date.

Modifies:

• Date (Time)

Examples:

• date::upd::[%0_WEEKS%,%0_WEEKS%]

Use the crd scope modifier to signify that the query pattern portion of the expression should be evaluated against the Created date.

Modifies:

• Date (Time)

Examples:

• date::crd::[2016-01-01T00:00:01,2016-01-31T23:59:59]

The query pattern represents the value or expression to match.

Expression modifiers tell the application which additional types of data the filter should be evaluated against. Expression modifiers are declared at the tail of the expression, enclosed by a single pair of opposing parentheses. If the expression being modified is not empty, this single pair of parentheses is preceded by a logical AND; i.e., the character sequence && (space, ampersand, ampersand, space). If the expression being modified is empty, a preceding logical AND is unnecessary.

Similarly to scope selectors and scope modifiers, expression modifiers consist of predefined alphabetic character sequences followed by two colons; e.g., “abc::”.

Consider the following modification of the expression from the previous example:

Scope Selector
  |
  |  Scope Modifier
  |     |
  |     |     Query Pattern   Logical AND   Expression Modifier
 _|__  _|_  _________|___________  |_  ______________|_____________
/    \/   \/                     \/  \/                            \
date::crd::[2025-01-01,2025-01-31] && (cat::/Default/Lost and Found)

Within this section, when the expression in the Search Field is translated into database queries, the character sequence || (space, pipe, pipe, space) is interpreted as a logical OR.

(cat::/Default/Figures/People || cat::/Default/People)

When the expression in the Search Field is translated into database queries for this section, the character sequence && (space, ampersand, ampersand, space) is stripped/ignored. In this section, a logical AND is declared with the use of two colons and the predefined alphabetic character sequences that precede them, preceded by a space character.

(cat::/Default/Figures/People cat::/Default/People)

Use the cat expression modifier to signify that the expression should be filtered against the category of an asset.

Examples:

• (cat::/Default/Lost and Found)
• (cat::/Default/Figures)

Use the compat expression modifier to signify that the expression should be filtered against the compatibility of an asset.

Examples:

• (compat::/Genesis 9/Base)

Use the type expression modifier to signify that the expression should be filtered against the content type of an asset - see Content Types for a list.

Examples:

• (type::Actor/Persona)