Searching a Vault

The search system indexes tokens instead of whole property values. Tokens are individual chunks of a property value that allow the system to locate files based on pieces of information. This type of searching allows for quicker search results and reduces the impact to the system when searching vaults containing thousands of property values.

How Property Values are Broken into Tokens

All adjacent characters of like type are grouped into a single token. Like type is alphabetic (A, B, C, ...Z), numeric (0,1,2,..9), or special punctuation (-,_,@...$).

Only six punctuation characters are searchable:

Dollar sign ($)
Dash (-)
Underscore (_)
At sign (@)
Plus sign (+)
Pound sign (#)

All other punctuation are not searchable and are not contained in tokens.

This table shows how three different file names would be broken down into tokens.

File Name	Tokens
A-055401-321.ipt	A - 055401 - 321 ipt
Great White Shark.doc	Great White Shark doc
Gr8work.xls	Gr 8 work xls

Search with Tokens

In previous editions of Autodesk Vault, search strings were automatically appended with a wildcard to ensure that any property values beginning with the specified search string were returned. For example, a basic search for DES would bring back a file named Design00.idw and any files with DES as the author's initials.

Knowing how property values are broken down into tokens allows users to search for tokens only. This reduces the impact to the system when returning multiple results by letting users refine their search. Now when a user performs the same search for DES, only the files with the author's name of DES are returned. The results do not include the Design00.idw file because the first token is Design, whereas the author's initials of DES are a complete token.

This ability to specify search values based on tokens allows more latitude when constructing searches. A user can append a wildcard for broader searches or specify a token for more refined returns.

Search with Wildcards

You can use wildcards and boolean operators when specifying search criteria. Boolean operators are only available in the Advanced tab of the Find dialog and work only within a single search criterion. You cannot use a boolean operator between search criteria.

Note: Leading wildcards are supported.

Wildcards

*	Represents any number of characters within a string.
?	Represents a single character within a string.

Boolean Operators (case insensitive)

and	Searches for x AND y in any order. The search granny AND smith returns anything containing both words.
or	Searches for either x OR y. The search granny OR smith returns anything containing either word.
not	Searches for documents that do NOT contain x. The search NOT granny returns anything which does not contain granny.
" "	Searches for the phrase contained within the quotation marks. Note: Tokenized search rules are still applied to the string within the quotation marks but special operators (AND, OR, NOT) within the quotation marks are treated as text.

Perform Basic Searches

The basic search searches a specified set of properties for a text string. Use the basic search field to locate any file item, CO or folder based on simple search criteria. When a search is performed, the main view displays the results of the search. Clear the search field to display the main view in its entirety. The Search field can be expanded to add criteria to the search using the query builder.

Note: Only the file properties that are set to Searched in the File Property Management dialog are searched when using the basic search. The settings in the File Property Management dialog apply only to the basic search and not to the query builder. See Manage File Properties for more information on managing file properties.

You can also save a search, create a search folder, or access the Find dialog from the basic Search field.

Perform a Quick Search

The Search field is located in the title bar for the main view.
In the Search field:
- Enter a text string for which to search and then click Search.
Click Search. Click Stop to halt the search at any time.

The search results are displayed in the main view.

Click Clear to display the entire contents of the main view again.

Add Search Criteria Using the Query Builder

With the query builder, you can create more detailed queries by adding properties and values to the search criteria.

Expand the query builder.
To search across all available properties, enter a value in the Multiple Properties field. This is the same as using the basic Search field without using the query builder.
When searching for files, the query builder contains Multiple Properties, File Name, and Comment by default. When searching for items, the query builder contains Multiple Properties, Number, Title, and Description by default. The default properties can be changed and more properties added to the query.
- To add a property in the query builder, click Add Criteria and then select a property to add to the search criteria.
- To change a property already listed in the query builder to a different property, click the property name in the query builder and then select a new property. The selected property replaces the existing property in the query builder.
- To remove a property from the search criteria, click the property name in the query builder and then select Remove.
Note: The properties selected in the query builder are retained from session to session.
Enter a value for any or all of the properties listed in the query builder.
Note: The search condition when using the basic search and the query builder is "contains". To perform searches using conditions other than "contains", use the Find dialog.
Click Search. The results matching all the combined search criteria are displayed in the main view. Additional refined searches can be performed on the results until the results are cleared.
Click Clear to remove the property values from the query builder. When a search is cleared, the main view no longer displays the search results.

Using a Parameterized Search

Using the Advanced tab in the Find dialog, you can create and save a parameterized search folder. A parameterized search folder is a saved search for which you are prompted for values when the search is initiated.

From the navigation pane, select a parameterized search folder from My Search Folders. The basic search is expanded to show the query builder displaying the search criteria for the parameterized search.
Enter values for the search criteria.
Click Search.

Basic Search Options

Depending on whether you are searching for files or items, different options are available for the basic search.

Click the drop-down menu next to the Search field.
Or
In the query builder, click Options.

Recent Searches	The 10 most recent search strings are saved for quick access. Select Recent Searches and then select a search string from the list.
Search Subfolders	You can specify whether or not subfolders are also searched. Select Search Subfolders from the Options menu to exclude or include subfolders when searching. Subfolders are searched by default. This option is only available when searching for files.
Search File Content	By default, only file properties are searched for the specified text string. To expand the scope of the search to include file content, select Search File Content from the Options menu. This option is only available when searching for files.
Save Search...	Select Save Search to save the current search criteria. By default, it is saved as a search folder.
Find...	Select Find to display the Find dialog and perform a more complex search.

Save a Search

You can save the search criteria entered in the Quick Find bar or in the Find dialog box so that you can perform the same search again. The criteria are saved but the results of the search are not. Searches are saved per user account, so your saved searches are accessible only to you. A saved search can only be opened in the Find dialog box.

A search folder is similar to a saved search. Each search folder is associated with a saved search. Search folders are listed in the navigation pane. When a search folder is selected, the saved search associated with it is automatically performed and the results are displayed in the main view. Search folders can be created from existing saved searches or directly from the Find dialog box.

When the results of a search folder are displayed in the main view, the Quick Find bar can be used to perform a search within the search results to further narrow the field. The combined search can then be saved, resulting in a saved search that consists of the search folder criteria AND the Quick Find criteria.

Perform an Advanced Search

The Property list contains the properties associated with the files stored in the current vault and the items in the item master as well as the properties associated with change orders.. From the Property list, select a property for which to search.
- If Any is selected from the Look For list, all properties are listed.
- If Change Orders is selected from the Look For list, only change order properties are listed.
- If Files is selected from the Look For list, only file properties are listed.
- If Items is selected from the Look For list, only item properties are listed.
Select a conditional statement from the Condition list.
Enter a value for the selected property that corresponds to the condition set for the search.
Click Add to include the search in the list of search criteria. If more than one search is added to the criteria list, the search combines the criteria and performs an AND search.
You can replace one search criteria with another. Specify the property, condition, and value for the new criteria. Select the existing criteria to replace and then click Replace.
To eliminate search criteria from the advanced search, select the criteria from the list and then click Remove.