---
title: "Quick Search Syntax"
slug: "quick-search-syntax"
updated: 2025-09-14T14:37:55Z
published: 2025-09-14T14:37:55Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.encodify.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Search Syntax

## Understanding the Search Syntax

---

Quick Search in Encodify is powered by the **Lucene library**, meaning that the syntax rules of Lucene apply when performing searches.

> [!WARNING]
> **Note:** You can search for all characters except certain **special characters**, which the Data Grid interprets as spaces. These include: `+ - = && || > < ! ( ) { } [ ] ^ " ~ * ? : /`Tosearch for special characters, use a backslash (`\`) before the character in a **field-level search**.

### Quick Search Operators and Examples

| **Search Term** | **Description** | **Example** | **Results** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `?` | Replaces a single character | `appl?` | `apply`, `apple` |
| `*` | Replaces zero or more characters | `appl*` | `apples`, `applied`, `apply` |
| `/…/` | Regular expression match | `/[mb]oat/` | `moat`, `boat` |
| `~` | Fuzzy search (similar spelling) | `roam~` | `foam`, `roams` |
| `OR`, ` |  | ` | Matches either term |
| `AND`, `&&` | Matches both terms | `apple AND pear` | `apple pear` |
| `NOT` | Excludes a term | `apple NOT pear` | `apple` |
| `+` | Requires that the following term exists | `+jakarta lucene` | `jakarta lucene`, `jakarta` |
| `()` | Controls boolean logic | `(jakarta OR apache) AND website` | `jakarta website`, `apache website` |
| `\` | Escapes special characters | `(1``+1\)\:2` | `(1+1):2` |
| `FilesContent:` | Search within file fields only | `FilesContent: ubuntu.png` | Items with file `ubuntu.png` |
| `FieldObjectId:` | Search by item ID | `FieldObjectId: 3333` | Item with ID = 3333 |
| `""` | Exact phrase search | `"apple pear"` | `apple pear` |

---

### Field-Specific Searches in the Users List

| **Field** | **Example** | **Results** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Name | `Name:"David Blane"` | User with name "David Blane" |
| Email | `Email:db@test.dk` | User with email "db@test.dk" |
| Address | `Address:"Test street"` | User with address "Test street" |
| City | `City:"Test"` | User with city "Test" |
| Country | `Country:"Test"` | User with country "Test" |
| Department | `Department:"QA"` | User with department "QA" |
| Title | `Title:"QA"` | User with title "QA" |
| Region | `Region:"New"` | User with region "New" |
| SubRegion | `SubRegion:"New 1.1"` | User with sub-region "New 1.1" |
| SystemAccess | `SystemAccess:"Admin"` | Users with access right "Admin" |
| Fax | `Fax:"444"` | User with fax "444" |
| Login | `Login:"davidBlane"` | User with login "davidBlane" |
| Phone | `Phone:"555-55-55"` | User with phone "555-55-55" |
| UserGroups | `UserGroups:"QA"` | Users in group "QA" |

---

For more detailed information and advanced syntax options, please refer to the full [Lucene documentation](https://lucene.apache.org/core/8_2_0/queryparser/org/apache/lucene/queryparser/classic/package-summary.html#package.description).