Basic searching

Basic searching

1. Choose Issues > Search for issues. 
   
   • If there are existing search criteria, click the New filter button to reset the search criteria.

   • If the advanced search is shown instead of the basic search, click Basic (next to the  icon).

     Why can't I switch between basic and advanced search?

     In general, a query created using basic search will be able to be translated to advanced search, and back again. However, a query created using advanced search may not be able to be translated to basic search, particularly if:

     • the query contains an OR operator (note you can have an IN operator and it will be translated, e.g. project in (A, B))
       • i.e. even though this query: (project = JRA OR project = CONF) is equivalent to this query: (project in (JRA, CONF)), only the second query will be translated.
     • the query contains a NOT operator
     • the query contains an EMPTY operator
     • the query contains any of the comparison operators: !=, IS, IS NOT, >, >=, <, <=
     • the query specifies a field and value that is related to a project (e.g. version, component, custom fields) and the project is not explicitly included in the query (e.g. fixVersion = "4.0", without the AND project=JRA). This is especially tricky with custom fields since they can be configured on a Project/Issue Type basis. The general rule of thumb is that if the query cannot be created in the basic search form, then it will not be able to be translated from advanced search to basic search.

2. Enter the criteria for the search. You can search against specific fields and/or search for specific text. 

   • If you are searching against a field and can't find the field you want, or the field is displaying greyed out text, see the Troubleshooting section below. 
   • If you are searching for text, you can use special characters and modifiers in your search text, such as wildcards and logical operators. See Search syntax for text fields. 
3. The search results will automatically update in the issue navigator, unless your administrator has disabled automatic updates of search results. If so, you will need to click the Update button on the field drop-down after every change.

Running a saved search

Troubleshooting

Next steps

Read the following related topics:

• Searching for issues
• Advanced searching
• Saving your search as a filter
• Working with search results — find out how to use the issue navigator, export your search results, bulk modify issues, and share your search results.