Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

Create & Modify Searches

You provide search filters and create new search definitions using the Search Builder tab, displayed underneath the Search Term and Search fields on the Find in Model view.

Access    Edit | Find in Project  ( Ctrl+Alt+A ): Builder

Use to

•Create new search definitions and edit them

Search Builder Toolbar:

The search builder toolbar enables you to configure the system-provided searches, and to create and edit your own searches

The toolbar icons, from left to right, provide access to the following functions:

Option

Usage

See also

New Search

Create a new search definition, with new search criteria.

 

Create Search Definitions

Save Search

Save a modified or new search.

 

 

Copy Search

Copy the existing search selected in the Search field, to modify.

You can copy:

•Searches you or other users have created
•Predefined searches and edit the copies, but you cannot edit the predefined searches themselves

 

 

Restore Default

Restore any changed parameters to the default settings and format.

 

 

Delete Search

Delete the search definition from the Search drop-down list.

 

 

Add Filter

Add a new set of parameters to filter the search on.

 

Add Filters

Remove Filter

Delete the selected filter from the search.

 

 

Export Search

Display a selection box that enables you to select searches to export to an external directory as an XML Search file.

 

 

Import Search

Display the Windows Directory Explorer Open dialog to enable you to import searches as XML Search files from an external directory.

 

 

Search Options

Display the Advanced Options dialog, to define where a query-builder search should operate and how the search should match filters.

 

Advanced Search Options

Create Search Definitions

Search Builder

You use the main body of the Search Builder tab to configure the element search filters that are contained in the selected search.

The Search Builder tab defaults to a Simple search, which changes as you select to create a new search or select the search to modify.

Column

Usage

See also

Search In

Select the type and name of each element feature (the element field name) to search on.

 

 

Condition

Select the condition of the search parameter (the condition placed on the field value).

The available options are Contains, Equal To, Not Equals and One Of.

 

 

 

Fields and Conditions

Look for

Specify the search term (the actual value or delimiting value) to perform the conditional search on.

This value can pertain to the selected element type; for example, the value could be a date for DateCreated or a text value for other fields.

The search term can contain multiple values, separated by commas.

 

Required

Indicate whether the field is mandatory - that is, whether the search results must include elements with your search term in that field.

The following provides example of using the Required checkbox, illustrated by the default Simple search,  which checks the Name, Alias and Notes fields of all elements:

•If the Required checkbox is not ticked for any field, then if the search term is found in the Name, Alias OR Notes field for an element, that element is listed in the results
•If the Required checkbox is ticked for all fields in the search, then the search term must be found in all of those fields before the element is listed in the results; that is: Name AND Alias AND Notes
•If the Required checkbox is ticked for some fields but not others, the search term must be found in all fields for which the checkbox is ticked, and at least one of the fields in which the checkbox is not ticked; that is: Name AND (Alias OR Notes)

 

This checkbox helps you to define the filters on a specific feature (such as Element, Diagram or Attribute). You can also set up a filter to check for a defined value in every feature covered by a search (AND filter) or in any feature covered by the search (OR filter).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced Search Options