Search Commands

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Search commands are special characters that can be used in a KanBo Search query. They are useful for finding results that match a particular pattern, or for dealing with spelling variations or incomplete information.

Unlike the usual search, capitalization matters when you use search wildcard operators.

Special characters are: ?, *, ” “, ~, +, , AND, OR.

?

Wildcard searches can be run on individual terms, using “?” to replace a single character

Really helpful when you are not sure about spelling. Instead of looking twice or more, try to replace an uncertain letter with a question mark. You can use it multiple times in one query.

Examples: 

  • m?n?ger
  • organi?ational 
Group 96

*

If there are more characters (or even zero) you need to replace, use “*”. It works when you know only the beginning or the end of the phrase.

Examples:

  • construct*
  • *ision

" "

Use quotation marks to exclude synonyms and get exact phrase you need to find.

Example: “KanBo is”

~

You can run fuzzy queries using the “~” operator. It helps to find an answer even if the search term is inaccurate or misspelled.

Example: Shwarc~

+

With a plus sign, you can specify those words that must necessarily be included in the search results.

Example: event +meeting

-

In the same way, using the minus sign, you can specify words that cannot be found.

Use boolean operators before the search word. All words without boolean operators are optional.

Examples: 
user guide -new

AND

When you are interested only in outcomes containing both words. 

Example: important AND meeting

OR

Use it to get results related to the first, the second, or both phrases.

Example: CV OR resume

Proximity search "x y" ~z

Useful when you want to narrow down your query. After the “~” operator, specify the space between words. Proximity limitation helps to avoid search results with words spread in unrelated documents, notes, comments, etc.

The word order doesn’t matter.

Examples:

  • “digital conference” ~2
  • “leaflet logos” ~4

If you need to use any of the special characters in your query itself, you should remember about escaping them with a leading backslash mark "\".

Example: to search for the phrase (1+1)=2, you have to write your query as \(1\+1\)\=2.

The reserved characters are: + - = && || > < ! ( ) { } [ ] ^ " ~ * ? : \ /

FAQ

Try to use search filters to narrow down your search results. You can use search commands to precise your query. Change search sorting if the date is significant in this query.

Yes, you can limit your scope to the current space by ticking the box on the right.

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