To access the Custom Search feature in the Aeon Desktop Client, click on the word Search under the magnifying glass icon in the Search Requests, Search Users, or Search Activities section of the Home ribbon and select Custom from the dropdown.
The Custom Search feature can also be accessed by clicking the tiny arrow in the lower right of each search box.
The Custom Search form opens, and here you can enter your search parameters by clicking on the "And" and "+" and choosing your criteria. Once you have entered all the relevant information into your search string click the Search button on the far left of the Search ribbon. Results will be displayed in the lower half of the Custom Request Search form.
To conduct a search using the custom request search feature:
- In the Search Requests group of the Aeon Home ribbon, click the Custom Request Search icon.
- The Custom Request Search icon is a tiny arrow located under the Magnifying Glass / Search icon for Search Requests.
- When you click this icon the Custom Request Search form opens.
- You can also click the bottom half of the Search icon and select Custom.
- Add the conditions, filters, and groups for your search query, selecting the table fields that will narrow your search to meet certain criteria.
- When you have finished building your query, click the Search icon in the Parameters section of the ribbon.
- Results are displayed in a grid below the filter control area.
The results of the search are displayed in a grid below the filter control area. Processing options are located on the ribbon above the filter control area. You can manipulate the results grid to make it easier to work with your results. The column can be reordered by clicking and dragging the column headings to the appropriate positions. Records can be sorted by column using the arrow and key icons in the column headings. Column width can be adjusted by clicking and dragging the lines that separate the columns or using the Best Fit feature. Requests can be opened by double-clicking on the request in the grid.
Adding Conditions, Filters, and Groups
The Custom Request Search form holds a filter control area where you create your query using SQL query syntax. The And and + (Add) keys are used to create the conditions, filters, and groups for your custom search.
- To start a query, you click the + key to display the default condition, for example: [Activities.Active] Equals <enter a value>.
- You then edit that default condition to suit your needs.
- The condition is comprised of table field values, value designators and text/numeric values.
- Once you have added your first condition, you can add another condition by pressing the + key or clicking And and choosing Add Condition.
- You can clear a condition by clicking the X to the right of the condition you want to delete.
- You can clear the entire query by clicking the top And in the query and choosing Clear All.
You can expand the filter control area to create a larger workspace by clicking and dragging down the splitter separating this area from the results grid.
Adding Filters
Add filters to your query by clicking And and choosing from the following filters: And, Or, Not And, Not Or. These filters designate the nature of the search based on the chosen parameters.
Adding Groups
Adding a group further narrows the search. Selecting Add Group from the dropdown menu (by clicking And, then selecting Add Group) will allow you to add a group to your search along with another condition for that group. Groups can be removed by clicking And and selecting Remove Group. Note that this option will not be used for most basic queries.
Choosing the Table Field Values for the Condition
The table field value is the first part of the condition. It is colored blue.
- Click on the default key, Activities.Active, to open the list displaying the database tables used in the search and the fields you can select from those tables.
- The available database tables, as shown above, are Transactions, Queues, Activities, Users, Tracking, Notes, and Researcher.
- Choose the table and the field from that table that you want to use in your query and click Accept (or strike the return/enter button on your keyboard).
Choosing the Value Designator for the Condition
To the immediate right of the table field value will be a value designator. It is colored green. The default value for this key can be changed by clicking and selecting a differentvaluefromthedropdown menu.
Choosing the Text or Numeric Value for the Condition
Finallythereisa text/numeric value key to the far right of the condition. It is colored grey. The default for this key is <enter a value>; it can be adjusted to any number or text by clicking and typing in the appropriate value. You can alsoselectfromavailabledropdown values for several database fields.
For example, when searching the TransactionStatus field, you canchoosefromadropdownlistofavailabletransaction statuses.
DropdownValues for the Text/Numeric Value Key
The database fields containing dropdown values for request searches are
Database Table |
Field |
---|---|
Transactions |
TransactionStatus |
|
DocumentType |
|
RequestType |
|
Format |
|
ServiceLevel |
|
ShippingOption |
Users |
Status |
|
Department |
|
IDType |
|
AltIDType |
The database fields containing dropdown values for Activity searches are
Database Table |
Field |
---|---|
Activities |
BeginDate |
|
EndDate |
The database fields containing dropdown values for user searches are
Database Table |
Field |
---|---|
Users |
Status |
|
Department |
|
IDType |
|
AltIDType |