User & Admin Guide: Search & Field Settings
This guide helps you understand how the setup of your fields changes the way you find information. By adjusting simple toggles, you can go from "messy" search results to laser-focused data retrieval.
Understanding Field Settings
When creating or editing a field, Admins have access to several toggles that define "Search Behavior."
| Setting | Who is it for? | What does it do? |
|---|---|---|
| Searchable Field | Admin | If this is Off, the system ignores this field entirely during a search. Turn this off for sensitive data or technical IDs to speed up the system. |
| Exact Word Search | Admin | On: Matches whole words only. "War" will not find "Forward."
Off: Matches any part of a word. "War" will find "Forward." |
| Include in Facets | Admin | If enabled, this field appears in the left-hand sidebar of the search results as a filter (like "Categories" on a shopping site). |
How Search Works (The "War" Example)
The biggest frustration in searching is finding things you didn't ask for. Our system uses two different engines depending on the Exact Word Search setting:
Standard Search (Exact Word: OFF):
The system scans every letter. If you type "cat", you will get results for "cat", but also "category", "vacation", and "certificate".
Intelligent Search (Exact Word: ON):
The system treats text like a dictionary. If you type "cat", it looks for the discrete word "cat". It will ignore "vacation" and "category" because those are different words.
Advanced Search Shortcuts (Boolean Logic)
For fields that have Exact Word Search enabled, you can use "Power User" shortcuts directly in the search bar.
1. The "Must-Have" Search (+)
If you need multiple words to be present, put a plus sign before each word.
Example: +budget +2024
Finds records that contain BOTH words.
2. The "Exclude" Search (-)
If you want to find a term but exclude a specific sub-topic.
Example: Jaguar -car
Finds the animal, but ignores the vehicle.
3. Exact Phrase Search (" ")
Use double quotes to find a specific set of words in a specific order.
Example: "Annual General Meeting"
Finds that exact sequence; ignores records that just have the words "Annual" and "Meeting" scattered apart.
4. The Wildcard Search (*)
Use an asterisk to find variations of a word stem.
Example: arch*
Finds "archive," "architect," "architecture," and "archery."
Pro-Tips for Admins
Large Text? Go Exact: For long description fields or Richtext, always enable Exact Word Search. This keeps the system fast and prevents irrelevant "partial word" matches.
Short Codes? Standard: For internal reference codes (like REF-123), keep Exact Word Search disabled. This allows users to find the record by typing just 123.
Clean Sidebar: Only set "List" or "Category" fields as Facets. Setting a "Name" field as a facet will make the sidebar too long and hard to use.