'Deflatten' advanced search (e.g. search for items not having PDFs attached)

mark
The advanced search is currently flat, treating items and their attachments as essentially on the same level. But they're not on the same level for the user.

An issue that frequently comes up is how to find references that do not have PDFs attached. This is not possible currently. One cannot search for items not having a certain type of attachment.

Also, the types of attachments available in the advanced search are incomplete. I can attach a zip file, but I'm not able currently to find all references that have zip files attached. I can also not search attachment file names.
  • erazlogo
    edited December 12, 2008
    There is a way to do this although it's somewhat complicated:
    An issue that frequently comes up is how to find references that do not have PDFs attached. This is not possible currently. One cannot search for items not having a certain type of attachment.
    Make saved search "pdf attachments with parents:" attachment file type [is] "PDF" and check "include parent and child items of matching items." Then create a second saved search: collection [is not] "pdf attachments with parents" and check "only show top-level items." The found set will consist of all parent items that have no pdf attachments (or at least it does for me in version 1.5-sync3.5).
    Also, the types of attachments available in the advanced search are incomplete. I can attach a zip file, but I'm not able currently to find all references that have zip files attached. I can also not search attachment file names.
    Search for title [contains] ".zip" to find zip files. Searching by title also searches attachment names.
  • mark
    edited December 12, 2008
    Thanks for that PDF search tip. Very clever! It does kind of prove my point though that the current flat structure of advanced search is far from intuitive.
    Search for title [contains] ".zip" to find zip files. Searching by title also searches attachment names.
    Here, too... It wouldn't occur to most users that "Title" is the same as "attachment file name" for advanced search!

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