A key feature of a collection management system (CSM) is the ability to effectively search your collection for research and administrative purposes. CatalogIt enables you to perform simple searches with free-text search and complex queries with structured search.
For an in-depth look at searching your collection in CatalogIt, check out our MasterIt article below.
MasterIt Resource - Using Free-Text and Structured Search in CatalogIt
To perform a structured search, click on the "+" symbol on the right side of the search bar, and begin compiling your search criteria. Clicking "Advanced" after selecting the first level of search enables you to add more criteria to your search.
Simple Structured Search
A simple structured search expression consists of three parts:
- Property
- Operator
- Value (optional)
Executing a simple structured search will find all Entries that match the search criteria expressed via the property/operator/value combination. Different property types use different sets of operators (i.e. string vs. number) and most operators require a value (the "Missing" or "Has" operators do not require a value).
Compound (Advanced)
Compounds searches are simple searches that are joined by AND and OR logic to express more detailed and precise searches. You can make compound searches as arbitrarily complex as required, but it can quickly become confusing and complicated.
“All must match” is the label used for AND. “At least one must match” is the label used for OR.
Click the “Advanced…” button on the Search Builder popup after you've entered your first level of searching to open the compound search builder and create compound searches.
Searching by Classification
Classifications in CatalogIt are hierarchical and form a tree. For example, many classifications are descendants of Object/Artifact, and therefore are a branch of Object/Artifact, such as Basket, Furniture, Firearm. The Art classification and its descendants are another robust hierarchy: Art, Painting, Work on Paper, Drawing, etc.
You can search by Classification in two ways:
- equals (i.e. exact)
- is-kind-of
Equals
Searching using equals (=) will only match Entries that are classified as the exact Classification specified. For example, searching on Art will only find Entries classified as Art and will not match any descendant classes (i.e. sub-classes) like Painting or Work On Paper
Is Kind Of
The “Is Kind Of” operator will find all Entries that match the specified classification or one of its descendant classes (i.e. sub-classes). If you “Is Kind Of” search on Art it will find anything classified as Art, Painting, Work On Paper, Drawing, Sculpture, etc.
Searching by Location
Locations are repeating, hierarchical fields and have the concept of current, or most recent. The Location field maintains a history of where an object has been, and when it was there. If more than one Location exists, the “current” Location is the one with the most recent date. When displayed, Locations are sorted by date. so the current Location will always appear first.
Locations are also hierarchical and searching will semantically honor the hierarchy. For example, if an Entry is located in “Shelf #1” and “Shelf #1” is located in “East Gallery”, then searching on either “Shelf #1” or “East Gallery” will find the Entry.
You can search locations in two ways:
- current ("is currently in")
- equals (“has ever been in”)
Currently In
Use the “currently equals” operator to find all Entries that are currently in the specified location either directly or via a direct or indirect parent relationship (i.e. hierarchically)
Has Been In
Use the “equals” operator to find anything that has ever been in the location — i.e. it has a location in its history that matches the specified location.
Searching Properties
Has or Missing Value
With structured search, you can easily find all Entries that are missing a value for a specific property.
Missing
For example, let’s say it’s important that all Entries have a “Date Made.” To find all properties that don’t have a “Date Made” use the “Missing” operator.
Has
In contrast, to find all Entries that have a “Date Made” use the “Has” operator.
If having a value for a property is only important for specific kinds of classifications, then create a compound (Advanced…) search and include the Classification in the expression.
No Media
To find all Entries that are missing some kind of media attached (i.e. have no image, PDF, etc) then search “Media Count = 0”. The “Media Count” property is near the bottom of the list below the update/create properties.
Not in Folder
To find all Entries that have not been assigned to a Folder (i.e. are only in All Entries) then search “Folder Count = 0”. The “Folder Count” property is near the bottom of the Property list below the update/create properties.