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Flexible search terms

Searching item attribute data​

Alloy lets you search for items based on the data they hold. After entering your search term(s), Alloy searches every attribute value of every item, and lists the items containing a full or partial match.

By formatting your search term appropriately, you can search for different data types:

  • Alphanumeric - type three or more characters to search the Text attributes of items. Matches are case-insensitive and can appear anywhere within an attribute value (e.g. searching for baker will match 221b Baker Street). If your search term is under three characters, only exact matches will appear.

  • Numeric - type three or more digits to search the Number and Text attributes of items. Matches can appear anywhere within a Text attribute value (e.g. searching for 944 will match Unit 944). If your search term is under three characters, only exact matches will appear.

    When searching for decimal numbers, Alloy automatically adjusts to your locale, e.g. searching for 3,14 will match 3.14 and vice versa.

  • Dates and times:

    • Dates - use the format DD/MM/YYYY (or MM/DD/YYYY where relevant) to search for items containing a matching Date attribute. Alloy automatically adjusts to your locale, e.g. 10/01/2024 is interpreted as "10th January 2024" in day-first locales and "1st October 2024" in month-first locales.

    • DateTime - use the format DD/MM/YYYY hh:mm (or MM/DD/YYYY hh:mm where relevant) to search for items containing a matching Date Time attribute. While all DateTime values in Alloy are stored in UTC, Alloy automatically adjusts to your local time zone, e.g. searching for 22/01/2024 9:00 in New Zealand automatically searches for the UTC equivalent 21/01/2024 20:00.

    • Time - use the format hh:mm up to hh:mm:ss:sss to find items containing a matching Time attribute (or a Date Time attribute matching today + your search term), e.g. 12:40:59. You can also include AM/PM in your search, e.g. 4 PM or 3:15pm. You must include a colon between the hours and minutes, e.g. 3.15pm is not valid.

    • Seasonal - use the format DD/MM (or MM/DD where relevant) to search for items containing a matching Seasonal attribute. Alloy automatically adjusts to your locale, e.g. 10/01 is interpreted as "10th January" in day-first locales and "1st October" in month-first locales.