How search works
Every search box in Kompass follows the same rules: the search box above each list, the search bar at the top of the screen, and the search inside dropdowns and pickers. Once you know them, they work the same everywhere.
Tip: If you have used Google, you already know most of this. Separate words, quotes for an exact phrase and a minus sign to leave something out all work the same way.
Quick reference
| You want | Type this | What it finds |
|---|---|---|
| Results containing several words | harbour smith |
Everything that contains both "harbour" and "smith", in any order and in any of the searched fields |
| An exact phrase | "harbour road" |
Only results that contain "harbour road" exactly as typed, with the words together and in that order |
| To leave a word out | harbour -bridge |
Results containing "harbour" but not "bridge" |
| To leave a phrase out | harbour -"site visit" |
Results containing "harbour" but not the phrase "site visit" |
| Part of a word | harb |
"Harbour", "Harbourside" and "East Harbour" |
Searches ignore upper and lower case, so Harbour and harbour give the same results.
Words are searched separately
Each word you type is searched on its own. A result is shown only when it contains every word, but the words can appear in any order and in different fields. On the projects list, harbour smith finds a project called "Harbour Road" for a client called "Smith Surveys", because "harbour" is in the project name and "smith" is in the client name.
A word also matches when it is part of a longer word. Searching tr finds "TR Construction", but also every other result with "tr" anywhere in it, such as "Construction" or "Trent". Type more of the word, or use quotes, to narrow the results down.
Commas work like spaces: smith, john is the same as smith john .
Quotes search for an exact phrase
Put text in double quotes to search for it as one phrase. "TR Construction" finds only results that contain "TR Construction", with the words together and in that order.
- Quotes typed on a phone or a Mac (“curly” quotes) work too.
- If you forget the closing quote, the phrase runs to the end of what you typed, so a search keeps working while you are still typing it.
- Single quotes and apostrophes are treated as ordinary characters, so
O'Brienfinds "O'Brien".
A minus sign leaves results out
Put a minus sign directly in front of a word to leave out every result that contains it: survey -topographic finds surveys that do not mention "topographic". To leave out a phrase, put the minus sign in front of the quotes: -"site visit" .
A minus sign only leaves something out when it starts a word and is followed straight away by the word or the quotes. Hyphens inside words are searched as typed, so Smith-Jones and P-100 work as you would expect. To search for something that starts with a minus sign, put it in quotes: "-5" .
Closest matches come first
While you search a list without choosing a column to sort by, the closest matches are shown at the top:
- Results where a field is exactly what you typed
- Results where a field starts with what you typed
- Results where a field contains what you typed as one piece
- Results where your words only match separately
So searching TR Construction on the organisations list shows "TR Construction" first, followed by other construction companies. If you click a column heading while searching, the list sorts by that column instead and keeps that sort when you clear the search. If you did not pick a column, clearing the search brings back the sort order the list had before.
Diary entries and quote items keep their usual order while you search.
Classic design: the search boxes above lists follow the same rules for words, phrases and the minus sign, but the list keeps its sort order while you search instead of showing the closest matches first. The search inside dropdowns and pickers matches the text exactly as you type it, without the rules on this page.
What each search box looks in
Each list searches the fields that matter for it. The grey text inside the search box names them, for example "Search by name, phone or ID" on the organisations list or "Search by reference, name or organisation" on the projects list.
The search bar at the top of the screen
The search bar at the top of every page searches projects, quotes, organisations, contacts and staff at once, using the same rules. It needs at least three letters before it starts, not counting words you leave out with a minus sign. Results are grouped by type, with the closest matches first and up to 20 per group. If what you are looking for is not shown, type more of it.
Keyword searches on projects, quotes and invoices
The search boxes on the projects, quotes and invoices lists also accept keywords such as price:>5000 or phase:accepted , which you can combine with the words, phrases and minus signs described here. See Power search box for projects and Power search box for invoices.
Any search on those lists can be saved as a Filter Set so you do not have to type it again.