Advanced Find and Search Folder options
This feature is available in NVivo Pro and Plus editions. Learn more
This dialog box allows you to locate project items that meet specified criteria. This dialog box is displayed if you choose to create and customize Search Folders, or use Advanced Find to locate project items.
This dialog box has two tabs—Intermediate and Advanced—you can define your search criteria on either tab. The Intermediate tab allows you to define common search criteria—this makes it easy for you to set the search criteria. For example, you could use this tab to find all nodes you created last week.
The Advanced tab allows you to set as many criteria as you want. This is useful when you have complex search criteria—for example, you could use this tab to find, all external sources classified as Book that were published in the United Kingdom before the year 2000 and are coded at the node Ship Building Industry.
Options on this dialog
- Options at the top of the dialog
- Search Criteria Intermediate
- Search Criteria Advanced
- Options at the bottom of the dialog
Options at the top of the dialog
Add to project as search folder Select this option to save your search criteria as a Search Folder. If you save your search criteria, you can use the Advanced Find again in the future. This can be useful when you:
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Are defining complex search criteria and may need to fine-tune the criteria and rerun the Find several times to get the results you are looking for.
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Need to regularly check for project items meeting certain criteria—for example, check each week to see if there are any uncoded sources
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Want to use your search criteria in the scope of a query—if you use the Search Folder in the scope of the query, every time you run the query, any project items that currently meet the criteria will be in scope.
Look for Select the type of project item you want to find. By default, this option is set to Sources. You can select another type of project item from the list.
Search Criteria Intermediate
The options on this tab vary depending on the type of project item that you are looking for. You can define your search criteria by selecting any combination of check boxes and list options. To select specific users or project items, click the Select button to choose the users or items in the Select Project Items dialog box.
Here are examples of search criteria you could build using the Intermediate tab:
| Description | Look for | Intermediate tab options |
| Finds all the queries that were created by John Smith and Sally Jones | Queries | Created Anytime By Selected Users (John Smith and Sally Jones) |
| Finds sources that I created and coded at in the last week | Sources | Created In the Last 7 Days By Current User Coded At Any Item By Current User |
| Finds all nodes in my Themes folder that coded the source Interview with Scientist | Nodes | In folders or sets Selected
Folders (Nodes\Themes)
That code Selected Items (Interview with Scientist) |
Search Criteria Advanced
This tab has two main areas:
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The Find items that match all these criteria box shows the criteria you have added.
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The Define More Criteria box is where you define your criteria.
Follow the steps below to define your search criteria (repeat the steps to define more criteria):
a Under Interaction, select the item or item property that you want to evaluate—for example, Name.
b Under Option, select the basis of the evaluation—for example, the Name 'contains' or 'does not contain'.
c Under Value, select or enter a value. If you choose 'Selected Items' or similar, click the Select button to choose the items in the Select Project Items dialog box.
d (Optional) If you are looking for sources coded at nodes or nodes that code sources, you can choose to look for only items that you coded, or items coded by specific users.
e Click the Add to List button. The criteria is added to the list in the Find items that match all these criteria box. To remove a criteria from the list, select the criteria and then click Remove. To clear all criteria from the list, click Clear.
Here are examples of the search criteria you could build using the Advanced tab:
| Description | Look for | Interaction | Option | Value | By |
| Find sources in the classification Book | Sources | Source | Assigned to Classification | Selected Classifications (Book) | |
| Find sources where the description contains the phase 'water quality' | Sources | Description | Contains | water quality | |
| Find nodes that contain coding references created by yourself | Nodes | Node | That Codes | Any Item | Current User |
| Find nodes that have aggregation turned on | Nodes | Node | Aggregate Node | Yes | |
| Find the case nodes that represent female cases | Nodes | Attribute
(Person:Sex) |
equals value | Female |
Options at the bottom of the dialog
Find Now Once you are satisfied with your search criteria, click this button to execute the Advanced Find.
Stop Click this button to stop the execution of the Find—this is useful if the Advanced Find is taking too long to run.
Apply Click this button to save your changes, and keep the dialog box open. This button is only available when the Add to project as search folder check box is selected, and you have entered a name in the General tab.
OK Click this button to save your changes and close the dialog box. This button is only available when the Add to project as search folder check box is selected, and you have entered a name in the General tab.
Cancel Click this button to close the dialog box without saving.