Acquia DAM
How do I search for assets?
To search for assets in DAM, enter keywords or search terms in the search bar on the dashboard or any page within the Assets app. You can also use advanced search.
You will find the search bar on the dashboard page and pages within the Assets app.
When you enter search terms, categories, file formats, filenames, metadata types and fields, collections, tags, and upload profiles are all searched. Other search options may be available depending on the structure of your site.
Relevant assets are returned in search results based on the search terms you entered. After search results display, you can refine the search, search within, and search document text.
In the redesigned search experience, you can now view your search results in two ways:
Card View : The default display for search results. Displays an asset preview, filename, and action icons. It also provides a visual, grid-like layout of assets.
List View : Displays results in a table format. It shows a smaller preview, filename, and action icons. It allows you to quickly scan multiple assets. Toggle between card and list views with the new toggle on the right side of the screen.
Classic search allows you to select multiple assets for download and sharing but doesn’t have the updated features.
You can perform many different types of advanced searches in DAM using the advanced search feature or search shortcuts.To find the full list of search shortcuts, including ones for your metadata fields, click your User Account menu (the account details icon) in the top navigation bar and select Search help.
Is empty or is not empty
Use the shortcode fn: and a keyword to search the filename field.
You can search for filenames with one of two search terms such as fn: (bike or explorer).
Advanced search shortcuts mentioned above can also be combined. An example is “fn: (logo *.eps) cat: (marketing materials)”. This search yields assets with a filename that has "logo" in it and ends in "eps," and the assets must belong to the category "marketing materials.”
If you are a DAM admin, you can restrict the search so individual roles can search only specified metadata fields.
You can also enable the Document Text Search feature so that the text within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF documents will be searched when a search term is entered. Users can choose to select or deselect this option in search results.
More search topics
How does DAM search handle special characters and cases?
What’s the Instant Search Connector?
If you enter two or more search terms, you'll get assets that match all terms. You’ll get the same results if you add “and” between the terms.
If you add “or” between two terms, you’ll get assets that match one of the two search terms.
Phrase search (quotation marks)
Use quotation marks to search for a specific phrase.
"phone cord" returns assets where those words appear together in that order, such as the phone cord.
"phone cord" does not return assets where the words appear separately or in a different order, such as phone with a cord.
This “exact phrase” behavior applies to the fields that are searched by default, such as filenames and key metadata fields.
How phrase search works with Search document text
If your site uses Search document text and you select the checkbox, the same search you run in the main search bar:
Search the default fields such as filenames and key metadata.
Also search the asset’s document text (for supported document types).
Because document text is indexed using different algorithms than other fields, a quoted phrase is not always a strict, character-for-character match when the match comes from document text.
The search can match on the root of a word. Therefore, "training young" can also return results that contain “train young” or “trained young.”
In some cases, the document text analyzer can treat an alphanumeric string as having a “root.” Therefore, a search like "LRYKC2606E" can match content indexed as LRYKC2606 even if LRYKC2606E does not open verbatim in the document text.
The quoted phrase can be found in another field such as a filename or metadata even if it does not open in the document text itself.
Think of Search document text as supplemental to core search. To enable it, it does not switch to a different search tool. It adds document text as an additional field to search, which can broaden results to include quoted phrases.
If a search is surrounded by brackets ({ }), the entire contents of a field must match the search query. When search terms are entered between the brackets, the exact contents of the search will be returned. For example, searching for {quick_fox.eps} will not return an asset titled quick fox.eps, but it will return an asset titled quick_fox.eps.
To search a specific metadata field, enter the label or label abbreviation followed by a colon. For example, color: blue or col: blue will return all assets that have the word blue in the color field.
To search all fields or a specific field that does not contain a search term, include a hyphen (-) before the search term. For example, a search for -(fish) or -(filename:fish) will return assets that do not include the search term “fish” in the filename.
A wildcard search can be done by using an asterisk (*) as the wildcard character. To find all PDF files, enter *pdf in the quick search. The wildcard search will return all assets where the filename ends in PDF.
You can also search for assets that start with a certain term using the asterisk. For example, blue* will return all assets that start with the search term blue.
Search for all assets that have been updated since a given date. The search results will include versions of assets. For example, a search for du:[after 03/01/2022] will return all assets and versions uploaded or modified since March 1, 2022. Note that a search for date added might not include versions.
Time zones can affect date-related searches. If you don’t find the asset you need, try expanding your date range by a day.
To search for fields without an assigned value on assets, enter the label or label abbreviation, followed by a colon and “isempty”.
For example, color:(isempty) or col:(isempty) returns all assets without a value for the color field, as well as assets that do not have the color field.
To search for fields with any assigned value on assets, enter the label or label abbreviation, followed by a colon and “-(isempty)”.
For example, color:-(isempty) or col:-(isempty) returns all assets that have any value entered for the color field.
If this content did not answer your questions, try searching or contacting our support team for further assistance.
If you enter two or more search terms, you'll get assets that match all terms. You’ll get the same results if you add “and” between the terms.
If you add “or” between two terms, you’ll get assets that match one of the two search terms.
Phrase search (quotation marks)
Use quotation marks to search for a specific phrase.
"phone cord" returns assets where those words appear together in that order, such as the phone cord.
"phone cord" does not return assets where the words appear separately or in a different order, such as phone with a cord.
This “exact phrase” behavior applies to the fields that are searched by default, such as filenames and key metadata fields.
How phrase search works with Search document text
If your site uses Search document text and you select the checkbox, the same search you run in the main search bar:
Search the default fields such as filenames and key metadata.
Also search the asset’s document text (for supported document types).
Because document text is indexed using different algorithms than other fields, a quoted phrase is not always a strict, character-for-character match when the match comes from document text.
The search can match on the root of a word. Therefore, "training young" can also return results that contain “train young” or “trained young.”
In some cases, the document text analyzer can treat an alphanumeric string as having a “root.” Therefore, a search like "LRYKC2606E" can match content indexed as LRYKC2606 even if LRYKC2606E does not open verbatim in the document text.
The quoted phrase can be found in another field such as a filename or metadata even if it does not open in the document text itself.
Think of Search document text as supplemental to core search. To enable it, it does not switch to a different search tool. It adds document text as an additional field to search, which can broaden results to include quoted phrases.
If a search is surrounded by brackets ({ }), the entire contents of a field must match the search query. When search terms are entered between the brackets, the exact contents of the search will be returned. For example, searching for {quick_fox.eps} will not return an asset titled quick fox.eps, but it will return an asset titled quick_fox.eps.
To search a specific metadata field, enter the label or label abbreviation followed by a colon. For example, color: blue or col: blue will return all assets that have the word blue in the color field.
To search all fields or a specific field that does not contain a search term, include a hyphen (-) before the search term. For example, a search for -(fish) or -(filename:fish) will return assets that do not include the search term “fish” in the filename.
A wildcard search can be done by using an asterisk (*) as the wildcard character. To find all PDF files, enter *pdf in the quick search. The wildcard search will return all assets where the filename ends in PDF.
You can also search for assets that start with a certain term using the asterisk. For example, blue* will return all assets that start with the search term blue.
Search for all assets that have been updated since a given date. The search results will include versions of assets. For example, a search for du:[after 03/01/2022] will return all assets and versions uploaded or modified since March 1, 2022. Note that a search for date added might not include versions.
Time zones can affect date-related searches. If you don’t find the asset you need, try expanding your date range by a day.
To search for fields without an assigned value on assets, enter the label or label abbreviation, followed by a colon and “isempty”.
For example, color:(isempty) or col:(isempty) returns all assets without a value for the color field, as well as assets that do not have the color field.
To search for fields with any assigned value on assets, enter the label or label abbreviation, followed by a colon and “-(isempty)”.
For example, color:-(isempty) or col:-(isempty) returns all assets that have any value entered for the color field.
If this content did not answer your questions, try searching or contacting our support team for further assistance.
Acquia DAM