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Find what you need

What you'll learn​

We'll search a whole collection, sharpen the search with operators, and narrow the results with filters. We'll also search inside one document to find an exact passage. By the end of this tutorial, we'll have found a specific entity and jumped to the matching page in its document.

Prerequisites​

  • A link to a live Uwazi instance that already holds some content
  • A username and password, if the instance is private

Part 1: Search the whole collection​

The Library is your home base. It lists every entity you can see. The search box at the top looks across the whole collection at once.

  1. Type a word in the Search box, such as detention.

    Nothing happens yet. The Library still shows every entity.

  2. Press Enter.

    The Library shrinks to entities that match. Each card shows a short snippet and marks your word inside it. The closest matches sort to the top.

  3. Find a card with several matches and select Show more.

    Show more appears only when a card has more matches than its snippet can show. Cards with a single match don't display it, so scan the results for one that does before you continue.

    The entity's side panel opens on the Search text tab. It groups every match by field and document text, so you see them together. We'll jump from a match into the document itself in Part 4.

  4. Select the clear (×) button in the search box.

    The search clears, and the full collection returns.

Part 2: Sharpen the search with operators​

One word can return too many results. Operators help you match more entities or fewer, so you reach the right ones.

  1. Select Search Tips near the search box.

    A small window opens. It lists operators for wildcards, exact phrases, and word combinations. Close it when you're done.

  2. Type detain* in the Search box and press Enter.

    The * stands for any ending. The results now include detain, detained, and detainee together.

  3. Type "arbitrary detention" with the quotation marks and press Enter.

    The quotation marks ask for that exact phrase. The results drop to entities where both words sit together in that order.

Part 3: Narrow the results with filters​

Filters trim the list without a search word. The filters panel sits beside the results, and the filters stack on each other.

note

If you've opened an entity, its details cover the filters panel. Close that panel to bring the filters back.

  1. Look at the filters panel beside the results.

    The panel shows entity types at the top and property filters below it. It stays in place as you browse, so your filters are always within reach.

  2. Select an entity type, such as Case, under the types filter.

    The list narrows to that type. Each filter option shows a count of matching entities next to it.

  3. Select a value in a property filter, such as a country or a date range.

    The results narrow again. The counts on the other filters update to match what's left.

  4. Set a list filter's And / Or switch to And.

    The results now show only entities that carry every value you picked, instead of any one of them.

  5. Copy the page address from your browser's address bar.

    The address holds your search and every filter. Send it to anyone with access, and they'll open the same results.

  6. Select Clear Filters at the bottom of the panel.

    Every filter resets, and the full collection returns.

Part 4: Search inside one document​

Many entities hold a PDF. The Search text tab links each match to its page, so you jump straight to the spot you need.

  1. Select the View button on a card that has a document.

    The document opens in the viewer. Its pages fill the main area, and the side panel sits on the right.

  2. Open the Search text tab, type a word such as witness in its box, then press Enter.

    Uwazi searches the text of this one document. Under Document contents, it lists each match with its page number. If nothing matches, you'll see a short No text match message.

  3. Select a match under Document contents.

    The viewer jumps to that page and marks your word in the text. You've now found an exact passage inside the document.

What you've done​

  • Searched a whole collection and read the matching snippets
  • Sharpened a search with a wildcard and an exact phrase
  • Narrowed the results with stacked filters
  • Shared a search through its web address
  • Searched inside a document and jumped to the matching page
tip

Type a search word and set filters at the same time. The word and the filters work together, so you reach a small, precise result set fast.

Next steps​