Using the Search Language 

The search language can be used both in the power input box and in the Advanced tab of the Search dialog box but also in macros. The search query both searches for the elements and automatically selects them.

• Search Language: Syntax
• Using Operating Signs
• Searching by Name
• Searching by Name in Graph
• Searching by Type
• Searching by Color
• Searching by Product Properties
• Searching for Objects Belonging to a Selection Set
• Searching for Objects Belonging to a Layer
• Searching for Visible or Hidden Elements
• Searching for Line Thickness or Linetype
• Searching by Symbol
• Searching Using Favorites
• Searching Using Predefined Favorites
• Using Special Characters
• Using Operators
• Priority
• Using Search Scopes
• Using a Default Prefix
• Using a Default Search Scope
   

1. Enter the search string.

2. Press Enter.

The searched objects are sent to the current command. If the current command is the Select command, the objects are selected.

The language to be used when entering your query is detailed hereafter:

Search Language: Syntax

The message catalog KeyboardInput.CATNls sets up the power input search syntax, and search language shortcuts. The localized version of this message catalog determines the exact syntax and shortcuts for each language.
 

Using Operating Signs

• : and = (these separators are interchangeable)
• != (different)
• <, <=, >, =>
   

Searching by Name

To search for an object by its name, enter the following command:

name:object_name   or   name=object_name

or a command using an abbreviation referred to as a "shortcut" as follows:

n:object_name

where "object_name" is the name of the object.

You can also use the "*" character as a wildcard to replace any number of characters. For example, the command:

name:wheel*

searches for all objects starting with the string "wheel".

The message catalog KeyboardInput.CATNls sets up unambiguous default shortcuts. For example, there is no ambiguity between the shortcut c: (used in the power input area to enter a command), and col: (used for searches on color). In localized versions of the catalog, check that there are no identical shortcuts for two different items.

If you want the search to be case sensitive, enter the following command:

NAME:Wheel*

searches for all objects starting with the string "Wheel".

Note: the keyword used for queries that are not case sensitive is always in lowercase whereas for case sensitive queries, the keyword is in uppercase.
For languages that do not make any difference between uppercase and lowercase characters, you can either add the string _CAP to the keyword to specify that the query is case sensitive, or use the Name_CAP transformat keyword.
 

Searching by Name in Graph

To search for an object by its name as displayed in the specification tree, enter the following command:

name in graph=object_name

If you want the search to be case sensitive, enter the following command:

NAME IN GRAPH=object_name
 

name=*part*

gives no result since the search is based on the name displayed in the Instance Name box.

name in graph=*part*

finds the part.

Searching by Type

To search for an object by its type, enter the following command:

type:type   or  type=type

or:

t:type

You can also search for types using the "." (period) as follows:

For example, entering the command:

Part Design.Pad

searches for all objects of type Pad created using the Part Design workbench.

The following syntax is also allowed:

workbench.type.attribute=

For example, entering:

Part Design.Pad.Color=Sea Green

searches for all objects of type Pad created using the Part Design workbench, and of the color Sea Green.

You can omit the workbench name if the type exists only for this workbench:

Part Design.Pad

and:

.Pad

are equivalent.

Similarly:

Part Design.Pad.Color=Sea Green

and:

type=Pad & Color=Sea Green

are also equivalent.

Here are some more examples using other operators described in Using Operators:

workbench.type.name=point*

workbench.type.name!=point*

workbench.type.name:point*

and:

workbench.type.color='sea green'

workbench.type.color!='sea green'

workbench.type.color:'sea green'
 

Searching by Color

To search for an object of a specific color, enter the following command:

color:color_name

or:

col:color_name

where "color_name" is the color of the object.

color:Sandy Brown

You can also surround the blank or the color name with a single quote (by default) like this:

color:Sandy' 'Brown

or like this:

color:'Sandy Brown'

You can also search for colors using their RGB values. For example:

color:'(211,178,125)'
 

col:Salmon

or:

col:17

since "Salmon" is the 17th color in the color palette.

The 16 colors available in the Color list are:

Searching by Product Properties

The properties you can search for (the same as those you assigned to the element) are:

• Part Number
• Revision
• Definition
• Nomenclature
• Product Description
• Component Description.

For example, the search queries:

Product Description:completed

Product' 'Description:completed

'Product Description':completed

'Product Description'=completed

search for all elements whose Product Description is the text "completed".

The property name is case sensitive.

Searching for Objects Belonging to a Layer

l:layer_number  or  l=layer_number

or

layer:layer_number  or  layer=layer_number

where "layer_number" is the number of the layer.

Searching for Objects Belonging to a Selection Set

s:selection_set_name

or

set:selection_set_name

where "selection_set_name" is the name of the selection set.

If you want the search to be case sensitive, enter the following command:

SET=selection_set_name

The strings "name", "type", "color" and "set" are appropriate for the English language only. The message catalog KeyboardInput.CATNls determines the exact syntax for your language.
 

Searching for Visible or Hidden Elements

visibility:visible

vis:visible

and:

visibility:hidden

vis:hidden
 

Searching for Line Thickness or Linetype

weight:

w:

or:

dashed:

d:

When searching for lines with a specific weight, you can specify the weight index like this:

weight:6,all

to search for all lines which are 2.0000 mm thick.
 

Searching by Symbol

symbol:small full square  or  symbol=small full square

or

symb:small full square  or  symb=small full square

searches for the following point symbol: .

Capital letters are meaningless for the symbol name and you can also type:

symbol:Small Full Square  or  symbol=SMALL FULL SQUARE

The point symbols you can search for are:

Searching Using Favorites

favorite=favorite_query_name    or   favorite:favorite_query_name

but you can also enter:

f=favorite_query_name    or   f:favorite_query_name

where "favorite_query_name" is the name of the favorite query. Note that the language used in favorite queries is case sensitive. 

When you press Enter, the search results are selected in the specification tree.

favorite!=Query_1

or

f!=Query_1

In that case, the search scope is not modified.

favorite=Query_1, from

searches for any element named "My Sketch" From Search to bottom and not Everywhere as originally defined in Query_1. The new scope supersedes the previous one.

You can also combine favorite queries with predefined favorite queries.

Searching Using Predefined Favorites

The shortcuts used to run these predefined queries have been defined to search "Everywhere". However, if the scr as Visible on screen option is selected in the Default Search Scope for Power Input list and if the Replaces scope defined in favorite queries option is selected, the queries will search for visible elements only.

Search with no selection required

f:*SKT  or f=*SKT

but you can also enter

favorite:*SKT   or  favorite=*SKT

*SKT

to search for all sketches everywhere.

Search with selection

For instance, to search for all objects with the same color as the selected object ("blue" in our example), select a "blue" object then enter:

*COL

or enter

*COL and select the object. In that case, when you press Enter after entering the shortcut is entered, an acquisition agent opens:

Search with arguments

f:*LNT2  or f=*LNT2

but you can also enter

favorite:*LNT2  or favorite=*LNT2

*LNT2

to search for all lines of type "Dotted" everywhere.

Using Special Characters

To be interpreted literally in names, those characters or text strings containing those characters must be surrounded by the character '(apostrophe by default).

For example:

n:*')'  searches for all names ending with )

n:*'&'  searches for all names containing &

n:*'(1)'  searches for all names ending with (1).

The following line in the KeyboardInput.CATNls resource file :

Quote     = " ' ";

specifies the default character for surrounding strings.

n:*''*''  searches for all names ending with *

n:*''*''*  searches for all names containing *

n:*'&'''*''*  searches for all names containing &*

n:'*)'  searches for all names ending with ). This is identical to n:*')'

n:*''''*  searches for all names containing a '

n:P''''*  searches for all names beginning with P'

n:P''''''''*  searches for all names beginning with P''

n:P''''''''''''*  searches for all names beginning with P'''

n:P''''''''''''''''*  searches for all names beginning with P''''.
 

Using Operators

Blanks are not considered as separators. They may be surrounded by ', but this is not mandatory.

Combining standard queries

name:*wheel'&'door&type:Part
name:*wheel'&'door & type:Part
name:*'wheel&door' & type:Part
name:*'wheel&door'& type:Part
name:*wheel'&'door &type:Part

all search for parts whose names end with "wheel&door".

The command:

name:wheel1 + name:wheel2

searches for objects named "wheel1" and objects named "wheel2".

Combining predefined favorite queries, favorite queries and standard queries

• If you do not specify any search scope when entering your query, the scope used is:
  • either the one defined in the Default Search Scope for Power Input list
  • or the scope of the predefined favorite query or of the favorite query (provided that the Replaces scope defined in favorite queries option is not selected. Otherwise, the scope defined in the Default Search Scope for Power Input list prevails)
• If a defaut prefix has been set in the Default Prefix for Power Input list, you do not need to type it in the power input box. For instance, if f: has been set as the default prefix, you just have to enter *LN+*PT instead of f:*LN+f:*PT
• If at least one shortcut in the query requires a selection, you must select an object before or after running the query. If there is more than one shortcut requiring a selection, then you must select only one object ; the properties of the selected object will be used for all the shortcuts involved in the query.

Combining predefined favorite queries

f:*LN+*PT

but you can also use any other favorite prefix (f=, favorite: or favorite=).

This query searches for all lines and points everywhere since no scope has been specified and, as explained above, the scope of the predefined query is used.

If you want to use another search scope, you need to specify it after the query. For instance, to search for all lines and points visible on screen, you can either set scr as Visible on screen as the default scope in the Default Search Scope for Power Input list (do not forget to select the Replaces scope defined in favorite queries option as well) or enter:

f:*LN+*PT, scr

Combining predefined favorite queries and favorite queries

f:*LN&Query_1

but you can also use any other favorite prefix (f=, favorite: or favorite=).

Combining predefined favorite queries and standard queries

f:*SKT-(n:*1)  or  f:*SKT-(name:*1)

but you can also use any other favorite prefix (f=, favorite: or favorite=).

Combining predefined favorite queries, favorite queries and standard queries

f:*LN&(Query_1+n:*3)  or   f:*LN&(Query_1+name:*3)

but you can also use any other favorite prefix (f=, favorite: or favorite=).

Priority

For example, the query:

type:Part* & name:toto + type:Hole & Color:Black

is interpreted as:

type:Part* & (name:toto + (type:Hole & Color:Black) )

and thus searches for elements of type "Part" among the objects in the document that are "black holes" or named "toto".

To avoid ambiguity, use parentheses like this:

type:Part* & (name:toto + (type:Hole & Color:Black) )

to obtain the same result.
 

Using Search Scopes

• all: searches the whole specification tree from top to bottom, to find objects created using all workbenches.
• in: locates the appropriate elements in the active object and in the workbench you are currently using
• from: searches the elements in the active object to the bottom of the tree. For example, in a Part document, both parts and sketches are searched.
• sel: if you already selected objects before selecting Edit > Search, this option searches from the selected objects to the bottom of the tree.
• scr: searches for objects visible in the current window. Elements that are not activated or not represented in the geometry area are not taken into account.
  Elements that are not represented in the geometry area are, for instance, elements transferred to the No Show space, elements that are not in the current filter or not in the current mask, features used to build other features that appear in the specification tree but not in the geometry area, etc.

The default is in. Scope aliases must always be placed at the end of the search string, and after the separator "," like this:

type:Hole, all

The separator is the comma (",") for the English, Japanese, Korean and simplified Chinese environments, and the semi-colon (";") for all other supported environments.

Using a Default Prefix

By default, no default prefix is defined. But if you use a default prefix, this avoids having to type the prefix when entering your query in the power input box, you just have to enter the search string.
The default prefix is defined in the Search tab which provides a list of predefined prefixes.

wheel

to search for objects named "wheel".

Using a Default Search Scope

Using a default search scope avoids having to type the scope in the power input box. The default search scope is defined in the Search tab which provides a list of predefined search scopes.

type:Hole

instead of

type:Hole, all

to search for objects of type "Hole" in the whole specification tree from top to bottom.