Introduction
Wildcards and operators are tools that help refine search results when locating information in the Laserfiche Repository. A wildcard represents unknown characters in a search term, while an operator combines or limits search criteria.
This article explains how wildcards and operators work and how to use them effectively.
Prerequisites
To use the Laserfiche Repository, your supervisor must submit a Laserfiche Account service request. Once approved, you will be granted access to the repository and its search features.
Wildcards
Wildcards can be used in search bar searches, search filters, and search syntax queries. They are helpful when searching for word variations or when the exact spelling is unknown.
| Symbol |
Description |
Example |
| * |
Represents zero or more missing characters. |
govern*s finds “governors,” “governments,” and “governs.” |
| ? |
Represents any single character. |
gr?y finds “gray” and “grey.” |
| [ ] |
Represents a single character from a defined set. |
gr[ae]y finds “gray” and “grey.” |
| - |
Indicates a range of characters. |
b[a-i]tter finds “batter,” “better,” and “bitter.” |
| [0-9] |
Represents any single numeric digit. |
[0-9][0-9] finds any two-digit number. |
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Wildcards may be combined. For example, br[a-o]ke* returns “brake,” “braked,” “broke,” “broker,” and “broken.”
Operators
Operators allow you to combine or restrict search results and are primarily used in search syntax queries.
| Symbol |
Description |
Example |
| & |
AND – results must match both criteria. |
Criteria1 & Criteria2 |
| | |
OR – results may match either criterion. |
Criteria1 | Criteria2 |
| - |
NOT – excludes matching criteria. |
Criteria1 - Criteria2 |
| ^# |
WITHIN – phrases must appear within a defined distance. |
Phrase1 ^5 Phrase2 |
| -^# |
NOT WITHIN – phrases must not appear within a distance. |
Phrase1 -^5 Phrase2 |
| , |
Comma – faster AND search across multiple fields. |
{[Template]:[Field1]=“A”, [Field2]=“B”} |
Parentheses
Parentheses group search criteria and control the order in which they are evaluated. Laserfiche processes the innermost parentheses first.
Without parentheses, NOT operations are evaluated first, followed by AND, then OR.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
The character ( is a delimiter and cannot be searched unless enclosed in quotation marks.
Search Syntax Operators
| Symbol |
Description |
Example |
| { } |
Encloses search criteria for most syntax searches. |
{LF:Name="Query", Type=FBD} |
| = / ~= |
Matches the specified value. |
{[General]:[Author]="John Smith"} |
| > / >= |
Greater than (or equal to). |
{[General]:[Date]>="5/27/2005"} |
| < / <= |
Less than (or equal to). |
{[General]:[Date]<="5/27/2005"} |
| <> |
Not equal to. |
{[General]:[Date]<>"5/27/2005"} |
| '' |
Exact phrase match (syntax-specific). |
{[Status]~="'needs review'"} |
USEFUL INFORMATION:
The <> operator does not match blank values. To include blanks, combine it with an OR condition that checks for empty values.