Use operators and parameters to find components

If you need to use multiple criteria to find components, you can build queries. Queries can search one or more folders, and use fields, operators, and values to target specific components by ID, tag, component name, component type, and more.

Tips and tricks

  • If the content you need to run an advanced query on is split up across different folders with different sets of permissions, and you don't want to search all folders, you can select the individual components to perform an advanced search on. Follow the steps in Use advanced search on components instead of folders.
  • To create a query that finds topics being followed, follow the steps in Search for topics being followed.
  • To create a query that finds elements, follow the steps in Find elements using advanced search.
  • To find components that have Labels you created when you used a Save option (Save as copy, Save as branch, Save as snapshot), follow the steps in Search for labels.
  • Using parenthesis. Inspire recognizes a parenthesis character ( ) as something that indicates a grouping of search items. If you want to search for a text value that actually contains a parenthesis character ( ), you must tell Inspire to interpret it literally. To do that, use a slash \ before any parenthesis character ( ). For example, if you want to search for the following value: Chapter1_Intro(with_endnotes), in the Search for box you would enter Chapter1_Intro\(with_endnotes\).

If you use an XPath statement, it must be the last criteria. If it is not last, you will see errors.

To use operators and parameters to find components:

  1. Click Components.
  2. In the Folders pane, select the specific folder that you want to search.
    If you want to search multiple folders, select the parent folder that contains all the folders.
  3. On the Components pane, in within, choose one of the following folder options.
    • Current Folder
    • Current and Subfolders
    • All Folders
    • Selected Components

  4. In the Components pane, click the advanced search magnifying glass .
  5. To add or verify search parameters:
    1. In the Field list, verify or select one of the following the search parameters:

      If you use multiple criteria:

      • You can only have one field with the Advanced Content option selected.
      • The Advanced Content containing the XPath statement must be the last row in the list of search parameters.

      If the XPath statement is not last, you will see an Application error telling you that you used incorrect syntax.

      To resolve the error, move the Field with Advanced Content to the last row in the list and re-run the query.

    2. In the Operator list, verify or select the operator.
    3. In the Value list, verify or enter the value for this parameter.
    4. Click Add add_clause to add another search parameter.
    5. Click Remove remove_clause to remove a search parameter.
    6. If you have multiple parameters in the query, choose the appropriate criteria from the And/Or list.
    7. To group search parameters, select the checkboxes for two or more consecutive parameters and click Group selected clauses.
    8. To ungroup search parameters, click Ungroup clauses ungroup_clauses.
  6. Verify the search parameters for your query and then click Search search_button.
    Note: The filtering status bar displays at the top of the Components browser and includes the sort and filter criteria that was used for the search. You can click Clear to remove the search criteria and refresh the Components browser.
    A list of components that match the search parameters appears.
  7. To save the list of components that match the search as a CSV file, click Save as CSV ExportCSV.