Search Data

• Oct 26, 2021
• 3 minutes to read

The built-in Search Panel allows users to find information within the GridControl. Users can show and hide the Search Panel when required. To display the Search Panel, a user should press CTRL+F. To hide the Search Panel, press the ESC key (the first press clears the search box; the second press closes the Search Panel).

API	Description
DataControlBase.ShowSearchPanelMode	Specifies whether to display the Search Panel.
ColumnBase.AllowSearchPanel	Specifies whether the column data is taken into account when users search data.
DataControlBase.SearchPanelFindMode	Specifies whether a search starts automatically, or must be started manually by pressing ENTER.
DataControlBase.SearchDelay	Specifies the wait time, in milliseconds, before a data search is initiated (in an automatic search mode).
DataControlBase.SearchPanelCriteriaOperatorType	Specifies the logical operator type (AND or OR). Without quotation marks, words separated by the space character are treated as individual conditions.
DataControlBase.SearchPanelFindFilter	Specifies the type of the comparison operator used to create filter conditions.
DataControlBase.SearchString	Gets or sets the search string specified within the Search Panel.
DataControlBase.SearchColumns	Specifies the field names against which users can search data.
DataControlBase.SearchPanelHighlightResults	Specifies whether to highlight the search strings within the matched records.
DataControlBase.SearchPanelAllowFilter	Specifies whether the grid displays only those records that match the search criteria.

Search Syntax

In its simplest form, a search criterion consists of a single word. To search for a string containing a space character, specify this string in quotation marks. Without quotation marks, words separated by the space character are treated as individual conditions (using the logical OR operator). To specify the logical operator, use the DataControlBase.SearchPanelCriteriaOperatorType property.

To search against a specific column, precede a search string with the column’s display name plus a colon character.

ColumnDisplayCaption:SearchString

The DataControlBase.SearchPanelCriteriaOperatorType is not in effect when searching against specific columns. If the search criterion contains conditions for which search columns are specified, the AND logical operator is used.

Precede a condition with + to select records that match this condition. Other records will be excluded from the result. The + specifier allows you to implement the logical AND operator.

Precede a condition with - to exclude records that match this condition from the result set.

Examples:

Search Criteria	Description
register	Selects records that contain the “register” string in any search column.
check register Dave	Selects records that contain the “check”, “register”, or “Dave” strings in any search column.
"check register"	Selects records that contain “check register” in any search column.
screen +"Richard Fisher"	Selects records that contain both “screen” and “Richard Fisher” in search columns.
data +entry -mark	Selects records that contain both “data” and “entry” in search columns, excluding records that contain “mark”.
menu mask -file	Selects records that contain “menu” or “mask”, excluding records that contain “file”.
From:Roller +Subj:"currency mask"	Selects records that contain “Roller” in the column that starts with “From”, and also contain “currency mask” in the column that starts with “Subj”.
import -From:Steve	Selects records that contain “import” in any search column, excluding records that contain “Steve” in the column that starts with “From”.