The Content Search view is a combination function and view - allowing users to find things in the system, then use the results like any other item listing with standard content actions and tools. The search capability operates on all items including folders and can be triggered from either the content manager itself of from the home menu on the Home page.
Content Search Workspace
To access the content search tools and view, user can either start a simple search from the home menu (red arrow below) or opening up the simple search view itself in the content manager.
Simple Search
The content simple search workspace has these elements:
- Search Terms (red box above) - here a user can supply the text they wish to search on. The system will search names and descriptions for a match. The match is driven by a search type of "contains" by default. To clear search terms click the "X" button (teal arrow).
- Content Type Filter (blue arrow above) - this allows the user to narrow down the types of content to search and return: Model, Discover, Formulate, Present, Publish, Illustrate and folders.
Once a search is run, the tally of results is shown (blue box). To refine the search, use the advanced search capabilities (orange arrow), as described next.
Advanced Search
The advanced search panel offers far greater control over the content search engine. At any time, users can switch back to the simple search by clicking the link at the top of the panel (yellow arrow).
.The following search options are available in the advanced search:
- Match Type: this allows the user to change the type of match performed on the search terms.
- Content Text to Search: this allows the user to narrow what content meta data to search - names of items, descriptions of items, any tags attached to items.
- Content Type Filter - this allows the user to narrow down the types of content to search and return: Model, Discover, Formulate, Present, Publish, Illustrate and folders. (same as simple search)
- Data Model Filter - this allows the user to narrow down the search by finding only those content types that are attached to certain data models. Use the drop down to pick a data model from the list.
- Date Filters - this allows the user to narrow down the search based on create date and last modified date of the content items. Choosing the "between" option will expose 2 date pickers for choosing a from and to date.
- Filter by User: this allows the user to find items that were either created or modified by the designated user. The "user" term should be provided as the username.
- Filter by Rating - this allows the user to find content based on its ratings as set by all users on the platform.
Using Content Search
As described above, the search can be triggered from the home menu or from inside the content search view.
- If the home menu approach is used, the application prompts the user to first supply a search term after which it shows the results in the content search view using a basic term search with a "contains" match type - ignoring all other filter options.
Using the search bar in the content search view, the user can supply as many or as few elements of the search mechanism. Typically, the search term is supplied, after which the user clicks the search button. The results are shown in the item listing with a mini summary count of the items returned in the bar (blue box).
Supplying no details will, in effect, return the entire data repository. THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
Users can change the way the result listing looks (like in all content views) by changing the display types. Once rendered, the items can be used like in any other view - this includes actions for both content items and folders.