Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- rdms:webapp:search [2025/08/18 13:58] – [More Advanced Search Syntax] periodic check giulio
+++ rdms:webapp:search [2025/08/19 14:22] (current) – [More Advanced Search Syntax] no caps for advanced jelte
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 The search functionality in the RDMS is available in two distinct options:
   - **[[rdms:webapp:search#general_search|General search]]:** This option allows you to find a file or folder based on various criteria. It uses both file metadata and metadata added by the user to search the system for files and folders fitting the desired parameters. This option does allow you to search for files using metadata entries you created, but if you wish to combine multiple metadata entries into one search, then you need to use the next search option.
-  - **[[rdms:webapp:search#search_using_metadata|Key-Value-Extra (KVE) search]]:** This search option is specifically designed for querying using **multiple metadata entries simultaneously**. You can access this search option via the {{:rdms:webapp:wiki_search_avu_1.png?nolink&20|}} button at the top of the search interface.
+  - **[[rdms:webapp:search#search_using_metadata|Key-Value-Extra (KVE) search]]:** This search option is specifically designed for querying using **multiple metadata entries simultaneously**. You can access this search option via the {{:rdms:webapp:wiki_search_avu_1.png?nolink&30|}} button at the top of the search interface.
 You can switch between these search options by selecting the respective tab from the top of the search interface. Further below in this page you will find more examples demonstrating how to utilize these search options for both simple and more complex queries in the RDMS.
@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 To perform the most basic form of searching for data, you can specify the search term in the top-right box in the search engine and then execute the search by clicking on the {{:rdms:webapp:search_icon.png?nolink&25|}} icon (see screenshot).
-{{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_search_simple_1.jpg?direct&900 |}}
+{{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_search_simple_1.png?direct&850 |}}
 This method of searching makes the RDMS look for the specified term in any part of the metadata attached to your files and folders. In other words, it does not matter if the term is contained in the file name, the file path, or any of the metadata entries attached to the file. As long as the term is contained somewhere, the file will be shown as a result in the search.
@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 If you want to target a specific metadata entry in your search, you can adjust the search criteria by directly searching for a specific metadata value, key, or extra value. You can modify the path where the search needs to be performed, and you can also indicate whether you want to search for files and folders, or only for one of the two. Other options as to what you can adjust in the search are visible in the screenshot above and explained in the text below.
-{{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_search_simple_2.png?direct&900 |}}
+{{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_search_simple_2.png?direct&850 |}}
 In the screenshot above, you can see the three different areas where you can specify the search criteria in the main search view:
@@ Line 133: / Line 133: @@
 **Note:** Please consider that the fast search will perform an ''Exact Match'' search for a term and look for the term in all four fields of the general search window. This function has been developed mainly for users with a long file list to check, that would otherwise have to wait for an unreasonably long time for the search results to appear. The fast search is thus not a "fast access to the search function", but rather a "search performed fast". If you do not have long waiting times when performing searches, it is better to navigate to the search window and perform a search as described in the previous sections to obtain more meaningful results.
-==== More Advanced Search Syntax ====
+==== More advanced Search Syntax ====
 In previous sections, we already anticipated some of the special characters that you can use in the input fields to signal to the RDMS that you want to perform a special operation during the search. When you specify a search term in the field, it is important to know that you can also use additional wildcard characters in your query. These wildcard characters are:
@@ Line 161: / Line 161: @@
 **Note:** As seen above, you can use wildcards to further fine-tune your search results. With other settings that are available in the search interface together with the possibility to use metadata, these advanced search techniques offer a lot of capability to obtain precise results tailored to your specific requirements.
-==== Filtering Your Search Results ====
+==== Filtering your Search Results ====
-In some cases, your search parameters might return a pool of results that is too large to find what you are looking for. As shown in the figure below, the RDMS Web interface also warns you when the number of results exceeds 10.000:
+In some cases, your search parameters might return a pool of results that is too large to find what you are looking for. The figure below shows you that the RDMS Web interface also warns you when the number of results exceeds 10.000.
 {{ :rdms:search:sfilter_1.png?direct&850 |}}
-To fix this, you might want to redefine your search parameters, as the Web interface suggests. However, this can sometimes result in having to wait a long time for a search to run again. Alternatively, you might want to filter the results you have already obtained. To do so, type an additional keyword in the bar highlighted by the red box in the figure below.
+To fix this, you might want to redefine your search parameters, as the Web interface suggests. However, this can sometimes result in having to wait a long time for a search to run again. As an alternative, the RDMS allows you to filter the results you have already obtained by typing in an additional keyword in the bar highlighted by the red box in the figure below.
 {{ :rdms:search:sfilter_2.png?direct&850 |}}
@@ Line 175: / Line 175: @@
 {{ :rdms:search:sfilter_3.png?direct&850 |}}
-**Note:** You are filtering the results rather than redefining the search parameters. This means that should you save the search and run it again, you might encounter too many results again. Each time you run that specific search, you will need to manually filter the results. We recommend that for frequently performed searches, you redefine the parameters once you have identified the optimal keyword combination through filtering.
+**Note:** What we have shown here is used to filter the search results. You are not redefining the original search parameters. This means that should you save the search and run it again, you will need to type in the filter manually, again. And this will be true each time you run that specific search. We recommend that for frequently performed searches, instead of doing this, you redefine the parameters once you have identified the optimal keyword combination through filtering.
 ==== Exporting Search Results (Report Generation) ====
-The RDMS also comes with in-built functionality to export search results in formats suitable for report.
+The RDMS also comes with built-in functionality to export search results in formats suitable for report. To access this feature, first execute your search. Once the search results are displayed, you can select one of the available report functions:
-To do so, first execute your search. Once the search results are displayed, you can select one of the available report functions:
   * **Create report**: This function creates a set of JSON files containing the search results. From these files, you can then create the final report.
@@ Line 191: / Line 189: @@
 === Using the Create Report Function ===
-If you select "Create report", a dialog window will open. Here you can specify a name for your report and select if the intermediately created JSON files should be encrypted. Since the JSON file also contains the metadata of the search results, along with your search parameters, you might want to choose to encrypt it to protect potentially sensitive information.
+If you select ''Create report'', a dialog window will open. Here you can specify a name for your report and select if you want to encrypt the JSON file created as an intermediate step. A reason to encrypt the JSON file would be, for example, if your search parameters or the metadata of your results contain sensitive information. Since the JSON file contains and displays both, you might want to choose to encrypt it to protect potentially sensitive information.
 {{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_report_new_1.png?direct&400 |}}
-After confirmation, you can find your report by selecting the report button ({{:rdms:webapp:rdms_report_button.png?direct&25|}}) from the left navigation bar. From within the report view, you can now select to either create your final report in CSV format, view/download the JSON files containing your search results/parameters, or to delete one or more reports.
+After you confirm your choices, your report will be visible if you click the report button ({{:rdms:webapp:rdms_report_button.png?direct&25|}}) in the left-hand Menu bar. Please keep in mind that depending on your screen resolution, this button might be hidden. If you do not see it, then press the {{:rdms:webapp:more_menu_button.png?nolink&25|}} button to reveal all hidden Menu items.
+From within the report window, you can now manage reports you have saved. You can choose to either create your final report in CSV format, view or download the JSON files containing your search results and parameters, or delete one or more reports (see screenshot below).
 {{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_report_new_2.png?direct&850 |}}
-If you select the option to create your final report for export, a new window will open. The first option in that window will ask you for the place to save your report file. That location is where you will be able to retrieve the final report from. The rest of the window asks you to select which part of the results you want to be included in the report (data, metadata, and/or permissions).
+If you select the option to create your final report for export, a new window will open. The first option in that window will ask you for the location to save your report file. This will be an RDMS location where you will be able to retrieve the final report by downloading it from the web interface (the file size should be small enough to allow this). The options below in the same window ask you to select which part of the results you want to include in the report (data, metadata, and/or permissions), in what format you want the report, and what metadata to include.
 {{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_report_new_3.png?direct&650 |}}
-After confirmation, you can download your report in CSV format from the specified RDMS location.
+After you give confirmation, the RDMS will save the report in the specified location and you can download it in CSV format from the web interface.
 {{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_report_6.png?direct&850 |}}
 **Notes**:
-  * While it is not mandatory to select encryption for the created JSON files with your search results/parameters, it should be done if exported results contain sensitive data. Also in other cases, having encryption selected is recommended as good practice.
+  * While it is not mandatory to select encryption for the created JSON files with your search results and parameters, we advise you to do it if the exported results contain sensitive data. Having encryption selected is also recommended as simply good practice.
-  * If you did not have any user-defined metadata, there will still be a set of system defined metadata which are added by default ("Data type", "Size", "Creator", "Modified").
+  * The report will contain system-defined metadata added by default ("Data type", "Size", "Creator", "Modified"), even if you did not add any user-defined metadata.
 === Using Export Search Results As Function ===
-The "Export search results as..." function allows you to directly create an exportable CSV from your search results. If you select this option from the search view, you will be asked where your exportable CSV should be saved. Afterwards, you are asked to select the export type (data, metadata and/or permissions), and to specify a name for your export (a default value is automatically filled in).
+The ''Export search results as...'' function allows you to directly create an exportable CSV from your search results. If you select this option from the search view, you will be asked where your exportable CSV should be saved within the RDMS. Afterwards, you are asked to select the export type (data, metadata and/or permissions), and to specify a name for your export (a default value is automatically filled in).
 {{ :rdms:webapp:rdms_report_new_4.png?direct&500 |}}
-Afterwards, you can download your report in CSV format from the selected RDMS location.
+Clicking on ''Export report'' will generate a CSV file in the specified location. You can retrieve the report by navigating to the specified RDMS location and downloading the report from the web interface.
 **Notes**:
-  * The "Export search results as..." function is **a shortcut way** to generate an exportable CSV of your search results, and as such, **it does not allow you to directly select which metadata to extract** if metadata is included in your report. Instead all metadata is exported by default.
+  * The ''Export search results as...'' function is **a shortcut way** to generate an exportable CSV of your search results, and as such, **it does not allow you to directly select which metadata to extract**, if metadata is included in your report. Instead all metadata is exported by default.
-  * Choosing the "Export search results as..." function will also create JSON files in the background. These files contain your search results and parameters. You can access them via the report button ({{:rdms:webapp:rdms_report_button.png?direct&25|}}) in the left navigation bar. By doing so, you can create further reports from these intermediate JSON files, and you can fine-tune the export parameters (e.g. which metadata to include in the CSV).
+  * Choosing the ''Export search results as...'' function will still create a JSON file in the background. These files contain your search results and parameters. You can access them via the report button ({{:rdms:webapp:rdms_report_button.png?direct&25|}}) in the left Menu bar. By doing so, you can create further reports from these intermediate JSON files, and you can fine-tune the export parameters (e.g. which metadata to include in the CSV).
-  * The "Export search results as..." will automatically use encryption for the intermediate JSON files that are created.
+  * The ''Export search results as...'' will automatically use encryption for the intermediate JSON files that are created.
 === Importing Report Files in Spreadsheet Tools ===
-The exported CSV reports can be important in spreadsheet tools (e.g. MS Excel, LibreOffice) for visualization and further processing.
+The CSV reports you download from the RDMS can be imported in spreadsheet tools (e.g. MS Excel, LibreOffice) for visualization and further processing. It is important to note that the CSV reports in the RDMS use **tab as field delimiter**! Please be sure that you select this during import in your spreadsheet tool, as it will otherwise break the formatting of your import and the data will be hard to read.
-It is important to note that the CSV reports in the RDMS use **tab as field delimiter**!
-Please be sure that you select this during import in your spreadsheet tool as it will otherwise break the formatting of your import.
-Also note that RDMS metadata fields can be multi-line fields. In cases where this causes problem when exporting the CSV to another tool and where it is desired for other reasons, it is possible to automatically replace newlines in the exported CSV. To do so, simply select a replace character during report creation.
+Another important aspect to consider is that the RDMS metadata fields can be multi-line fields. In cases where this causes problems when importing the CSV into another tool, you can choose to automatically replace newlines in the exported CSV by simply selecting a replacement character during report creation (see screenshot below).
+{{ :rdms:webapp:report_linebreak.png?direct&500 |}}