Utilizing operators while searching SOLIDWORKS PDM.d
Starting in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020, any “edit-box” type field now supports AND (&), OR (|), and NOT (!) operators along with the standard ones. The search operators can be used in any search card, Web2 search, the search tool, and quick search.
First things first, RULES! As with everything in life, there are rules, and search operators are no exception.
- Search strings are case-insensitive.
- Operators are case-sensitive and must be capitalized.
- For variables of a numeric or date type, the valid operators are: =, !=, <, <=, >, >=.
- If the search string contains any of the following characters: =, <, >, !, &, |, (, ), {, }, :, ", or \, you must precede the character with an escape symbol. Alternatively, enclose the whole search string in double quotation marks.
For example, to search for the string article:1, enter the input string as article\:1 or "article:1".
- Rules for using escape symbol:
|
Search for String with |
Input String |
|
Double quotation marks |
To search for "speaker", enter the string as \"speaker\" |
|
Double quotation marks that are a part of an explicit search |
To search for 3" pipe, enter the string as "3\" pipe". |
|
Numeric constant followed by " |
To search for a length value such as 3", enter the search string as 3\" or 3". |
|
Exclamation mark |
To search for Alert!, enter the string as Alert\!. |
|
Colon |
To search for 2:1, enter the string as 2\:1. |
|
Parenthesis |
To search for 9)Articles, enter the string as 9\)Articles. |
- In the case of multiple operators used in a search, SOLIDWORKS PDM evaluates the search operators in this order: (), NOT, AND, and OR.
- You can use AND, OR, and NOT search operators or their equivalent symbols &, |, ! respectively.
- You can search for text, integer numbers, float, and date-type data.
- You can use the AND and OR operators with or without the : . For example, for AND operator, use AND, AND:, &, or &:.
- The search field supports * and ? as wildcard characters.
- You can use = to search for an exact string. For example, to search for a Tools string, enter the search string as =Tools.
- In the case of a string that contains more than one word, you can use "" to search for the string in the same order of words. For example, to search for pipe tools, enter "pipe tools".
NOTE: When you upgrade to SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020, the previously saved searches are upgraded to follow the new search rules while maintaining the previous behavior and search results.
Examples:
Working File Set:
AND (&) Operator
Searches for results that include both the term before and the term after the operator.
OR (|) Operator
Searches for results that include the term before or after the operator or both.
NOT (!) Operator
Searches for results that do not include the term after the operator.
If you have questions about searching in SOLIDWORKS PDM, please contact us at CADimensions.