Table of Contents
Adding search filters to an archive
01. July 2026
Table of Contents
By adding search filters to an archive and/or an archive's access list, you can fine-tune which assets are displayed in the archive and which files individual users and groups have access to.
You can also configure consent management filters for archives. For more information, see Consent Management archive settings.
How search filters work
FotoWeb archives connect to a storage pool that is indexed in real time. When setting up an archive from scratch, the entire content of the connected pool is displayed to users by default. However, you can apply two levels of search filtering to the archive: both at the archive level and at the user/group level in the access list.
This allows creating several archives that, although they point to the same underlying storage pool, display different content. By applying a search filter to the access list, different groups or users can access different assets. It's even possible to combine archive and access list search filters.
Throughout the configuration, these search filters are referred to as Auto Searches.
Note
The Autosearch filter does not support access control for individual assets (permalinks). In other words, auto search is not a security function but a search-and-browse filter that shows users specific parts of an archive. Consequently, if a user has obtained a permalink to an asset, they can access it even if an auto search prevents them from seeing it in the archive grid.
Applying an auto search to an archive
From the Tools menu (cogwheel icon), go to Site Configuration > Archives. Create a new archive or open the properties of an existing one.
On the General tab in the archive properties, in the Filters section, you can enter an Autosearch filter. This filter applies to all users who access the archive, and subsequent searches will be performed within the scope of the original filter.
Apply the search filter specified in this topic. If you're unsure about the field number of a certain field, a reference to XMP field numbers can be found here.
Applying an auto search to an access list
Go to the Access list tab in the archive properties and select the user or group to which you'd like to assign an auto search. Then, apply the search filter specified in this topic and select Save.
This way, every time the user or group in question accesses the archive, FotoWeb will deliver only the files resulting from this auto search, and subsequent searches will be performed within the scope of the original search filter.
Learn more about how the archive access list works and how this, in turn, affects how auto searches behave.
Tip: Did you know you can use auto searches to set up a browsable upload area so each user only sees the assets they uploaded? Learn how.
Need help with the search syntax?
Learn more about the syntax used to create auto searches in archives and access lists:
If you're already familiar with the search syntax, you can find field code references here: