Full-text search is the new default search experience for Requests, Jobs, and Assets (coming soon). You can take advantage of full-text search by selecting the search bar on a manager page and starting to type.
You will notice a new dropdown appears to give you immediate access to the best results for your query. It will provide you with the name, status, and matching field for each result. You can click on any result in this list to immediately open it in the edit screen.
Tip! A result can match multiple fields at once. If you hover over the match field in the list, you will see the other fields that it matched on.
If you were familiar with the previous search function, you may know that it only allowed you to search for the name or reference number of a record. With full-text search, you have much more freedom to search for just about any details or form data on the record in the exact same way!
While filters will continue to be a robust mechanism for finding a specific subset of data, full-text search will allow you to much more conveniently search for records based on fields like Customer Reference and equivalent ID-like fields in form data. You will even be able to search for entries that no longer exist in your form datasets - something that was previously not possible on the manager page.
We are sure that you will love the new search experience, but as it is an important part of our platform we can understand that you might have some questions. We’ll answer what we can here.
Will this change impact my reference number and name searches?
Now that the search function can match many more fields, it is understandable to be concerned that your search results for simple searches could be negatively impacted. However, you can rest assured in knowing that we have paid great attention to ensuring that the quality of matches is a priority over quantity. As part of this, the search engine will prioritize matches on reference numbers, names, and customer references.
What if I want to see more results?
While the dropdown is a very convenient mechanism for quickly identifying a specific result, if you want to see more than what is offered you can! Simply press ‘enter’ once you’re done typing (or click the ‘Search’ button) and your results will appear on the manager page itself as they did before.
If your search returns a lot of results, we may limit how many appear on the manager page to avoid overcrowding from low-relevance matches.
What if I want to apply filters to my search?
If you want to further refine your search by applying additional filters, that's still possible too! Much like above, you just need to press ‘enter’ or click the search button for your results to appear on the manager page. Then, you can apply filters as normal. Note that any filters you had set before the search will be cleared to ensure that the results you see are not interfered with. You must reapply them manually if you wish them to be taken into consideration.
What if I want to see my results on a map?
Again, when viewing search results on the manager page (by pressing ‘enter’ or clicking ‘search’), this functionality will be available. Just like before, the map will zoom to show all of the requests that match your search. You can continue to pan and zoom that map to explore the results further.