In this article, we cover how to use the search function.
Topics covered here:
- Before FORGE 16.3.0 (legacy) - See tabs below
- Available from FORGE 16.3.0 onwards - See tabs below
Note: Depending on your settings, you might see either the old or new story list UI when you start using FORGE 16.3.0. The new UI has better search options and a modern look.
Topics covered here:
Note: In FORGE 16.3.0, the new search is only available in the story list. For searching all the other entities, refer to the legacy search. The next releases will make the new search progressively available for all entities.
In FORGE 16.3.x + FORGE BO UI 1.0.1, the sorting by System Default is available, where System Default means By Ranking and Last Update Date.
Note: In FORGE 16.4.0, the new search is also available in the photo grid. For searching all the other entities, refer to the legacy search. The next releases will make the new search progressively available for all entities.
In FORGE 16.4.x + FORGE BO UI 1.1.1, sorting by System Default is available, where System Default means By Ranking and Last Update Date.
Note: In FORGE 16.6.0, the new search is also available in the editorial selection list. For searching all the other entities, refer to the legacy search. The next releases will make the new search progressively available for all entities.
In FORGE 16.6.x + FORGE BO UI 1.2.0, the sorting by System Default is available, where System Default means By Ranking and Last Update Date.
Note: In FORGE 16.10.0, the new search is also available in the albums and documents list. For searching all the other entities, refer to the legacy search. The next releases will make the new search progressively available for all entities.
Tip: All the filters you set are stored in the URL. That makes it possible to:
- Store the URL with filters within your bookmarks, and easily use it again.
- Navigate back to the page with filters, without losing applied filters.
Customizing columns
Select Details on the top-right to select which columns you want to see. Your selection is stored as a user preference, so you won't lose it once you return to the list.
Note for administrators: In Administration → Configurations → Entity Property Visibility, administrator users can edit which columns are available for your selection.
Only properties that show the vertical three dots can:
- Be either shown or hidden
- When available, have a customized icon
Using the basic search tool
Across FORGE, editors can use the search box to search for text in content, slug, entity codes, or last contributor.
Note: When you type in the search box, there's neither type ahead (suggesting how to complete what you're typing) nor automatic search. Once you have typed in the search criteria, press enter to run the search.
Moreover, there are two kinds of filters that you can further apply:
- Filters of built-in fields.
- Filters of extended fields.
Tip: In both cases, when a filter is active, the UI shows the filtered value; hover over it to view the filter value:
Built-in filters include:
-
Language (single selection): Filters entities per language.
Tip: Every time you land on the story list page, the Language is pre-filtered with the system's language, even if you changed it in a previous navigation. E.g.: if your system's language is English (United States), the Language filter by default is English (United States). Instead, if you enter details of a story and return to the list, the default language isn't applied again. No matter what language you set in the filter, it will stay the same.
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Title only: It limits the search of the search box to searching into titles.
Tip: Every time you land on the story list page, the Title only filter is on.
That behavior is in place from FORGE 16.4.0 onwards.
Instead, if you go into a story detail and return to the list, the default is not applied again, and your Title only filter is still as you set it. - Status (single selection): Status of the story.
- Last updated by me: It only shows the stories that you — as the current user — updated.
- Tags (multiple selection): Filters entities by tags.
Note: Extended field filters are not available for editorial selections.
Note: An extended field (a string, a list of options, or a boolean) can be a filter if an administrator user enables it as a filter by adding "filter": true in its JsonSchema definition (Administration → Configuration → Extended Fields).
Note: Extended field names are case-sensitive; for example, values "My Value" and "My value" are different.
Using the advanced search tool
Editors can use the Advanced Search tool to find content in the Content Manager by selecting the filter icon next to the search box:
Selecting the filter icon opens the advanced search window:
Note: If you close the advanced search window without applying your changes by selecting the Search button, applied filters do not persist.
The advanced search allows filtering by:
- Title: Automatically enables the "Title only" basic filter
- Slug: Filters by the slug of the story
- Language: Automatically synchronizes with the "Language" basic filter
- Status: Automatically synchronizes with the "Status" basic filter
- Last updated by me: Automatically synchronizes with the "Last updated by me" basic filter
- Last updated, Creation date, Content date: It filters update, creation, and content date in a time window
- Tags: Automatically synchronizes with the "Tags" basic filter
Note: Tags filter is not available for editorial selections
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Context: Filters by the property story Context, which clusters stories together
Note: Context filter is not available for editorial selections.
- List availability: Filters stories based on their availability for being listed in the front-end
- Authorization groups: Filters stories based on authorization groups required to see/edit them
- Featured: Filters stories based on their Featured property (see Editorial lists and featured content for more information)
Topics covered here:
Using the global search tool
Across FORGE, editors can use the search tool within all sections to find what they need.
Editors can use the global search tool to do the following:
- Search for content using key words or the content title.
- Search for content by language.
- Search for content based on what they last edited.
- Order content by System Default, Latest Updated, Latest Created, Latest Content Date.
Using the advanced search tool
Editors can also use the Advanced Search tool to find content in the Content Manager.
Editors can search for content by:
- Slug, e.g., andy-murray-wins-wimbledon
- Date range, e.g., past week
- Stage, e.g., not published
- Tags
- Context
- Featured, e.g., Any
- List availability, e.g., Unlisted
- Authorization groups, e.g., Available for all users
How the ordering of the search results works
Given the list of entities that is the result of a search, each entity gets a ranking that determines its ordering position based on:
- How many times the search criteria meets the value of some entity's fields
- Which fields of the entity meet the search criteria
- The entity type
Based on the entity type, each met field assigns the entity a corresponding score based on how often the search criteria are met. The following table shows the score that each field assigns per entity type:
Note: In the case of imported entities, fields, DataSourceReference.Id and DataSourceReference._Id contain the id of the entity in the import source.
Example
Suppose you're searching for stories that contain the word "champions":
Suppose the result contains three stories:
- Story A: The Title field contains champions once. The ranking is 5
- Story B: The Parts.Body.Content field contains 4 occurrences of champions. The ranking is 2x4=8
- Story C: The Headline field contains 2 occurrences of champions, and field slug contains 2 occurrences of champions. The ranking is 3x2+5x2=16
The search results are ordered as in the following list:
- Story C (ranking 16)
- Story B (ranking 8)
- Story A (ranking 5)