Quick Search

Topics:

The Quick Search dialog can be used throughout the system by selecting the Quick Search menu item under the Tools menu in the Main Window. In the My Specimens manager and Locations manager, it can also be accessed by clicking on the magnifying glass on the Toolbar. In the Reports manager, there is a Quick Search button on the right panel.

The Quick Search dialog is a simplified version of the current BSI Standard Search dialog. From the Quick Search dialog, users can search on up to ten specimen or subject level fields at a time. Searches executed from the Quick Search dialog will have their results displayed in the Search Results dialog.

To use the Quick Search dialog:

Enter search terms in the default field, Keywords. Select OK to search the term on all fields. Select Cancel to exit the search.
To specify the search term in a field other than Keywords, select the Add/Remove Fields button.
In the Select Fields dialog, click on the desired field name or click on multiple field names while holding down the Ctrl key in the Available Fields list. A maximum of ten fields is allowed for display.
Press the > button to move the selected column name(s) into the Selected Fields list. Select OK to add the selected fields to the Quick Search dialog or Cancel to close the Select Fields dialog and return to the Quick Search dialog. To have fields other than Keywords automatically be displayed on the Quick Search dialog, specify the fields in the Quick Search tab in the User Editor.
Select the Clear button to clear all keywords entered in all fields in the dialog.
Mark the Hide Empty Fields checkbox to hide empty fields from view in the Quick Search results.

Quick Search Operators

Quick Search operators can be entered into the Quick Search toolbar or fields in the Quick Search dialog. Operators allow users to customize their searching, including limiting the search to a specific field and searching on exact search terms.

To use Quick Search operators:

Search terms can be entered with the following three operators:

Colon Operator - when a search term is preceded by a field and a colon (such as 'material type: serum'), then only results with Material Type of serum are displayed.
Quotation marks - when a search term is in quotes, the terms are searched as a single term.
Plus sign - searches with a plus sign in front of a value should not return results without that value.

Toggle Between Basic and Advanced Search

The Quick Search dialog allows users to toggle between the Standard Search dialog and the Quick Search dialog. Search terms will not carry over when toggling between the search dialogs.

To toggle between Basic and Advanced searches:

To use the Standard Search dialog, select the Advanced >> button. If search terms were entered, a warning appears stating that the values will not carry over. Select Yes to move to the Standard Search dialog. Select No to stay on the Quick Search dialog with no changes made.
To return to the Quick Search dialog, select the Basic >> button.

Search Results

Searches from the Quick Search dialog display results in the Search Results dialog

The Search Results dialog includes a Display filter box which allows users to filter the search results according to the selection:

By Specimen - shows specimen data

By Sample - shows sample data

By Subject - shows subject data

The Search Results dialog has a Search Again feature that allows the user to display the Quick Search dialog containing the last search that user ran.

To Search Again:

Select the Search Again button on the toolbar or select Search Again from the Tools menu.
Refine the search or use new search terms if needed. Select OK to execute the search. Select Cancel to close the Quick Search dialog and return to the Search Results dialog without making any changes to the listed search results.