Table of Contents
Using FotoWeb extended search
23. September 2026
Table of Contents
When users search for assets in FotoWeb, they can define additional search parameters to create very specific queries.
To use the extended search, select the three dots beside the search field (outlined in red below):
Note
Extended search is only available to registered users. Unauthenticated guest users can only use standard search functionality.
You can specify exactly what to search for in the dialog that opens. You can search within specific fields, time intervals, and more.
Some of the searchable fields are bag fields, meaning they can store multiple values (for example, Keywords and Tags). Other fields are non-bag fields and can store only a single value (for example, Title).
Select your criteria, then select Search to send the search to the server and retrieve the results.
Which fields can be searched in?
You can use the Extended search dialog to search within a specific field by selecting it from the Field dropdown list. The dropdown list contains the built-in fields (Title, Description, Tags, Status, Rating, and Notes), as well as any fields that have been added to the metadata view that is associated with the archive, such as Upload Time and Uploaded By (Full Name), as shown in the screenshot below.
If you need to search additional fields that do not appear in the dropdown list, you can insert specific search expressions in the All fields text box to search for a specific field. Alternatively, you can ask your Fotoware administrator to add the required fields to the metadata view.
Searching for empty fields
The correct syntax for searching for empty fields is: 25:""
To search for non-empty fields, use:not:25""
How multiple search words are combined
When you add multiple search words in the Extended search dialog, they are combined using logical operators AND and OR, depending on the input. You can combine multiple search words using bag fields, non-bag fields, or both. See the following examples for more information.
OR examples
- If you specify multiple search words in the same bag field as one search criterion, these values are combined with OR, and the search will return assets that match any of the listed values. In the following example, assets tagged with either cat or dog will be returned.
- If you specify multiple search words in the same non-bag field as several search criteria, the values are combined with OR.
In the following example, the search results will return assets whose titles contain either cat or dog.
AND examples
- If you specify multiple search words in different fields, the conditions are combined with AND. In the following example, the search will return assets with cat in the title and that are also tagged with dog.
- If you specify multiple search words in the same bag field as several search criteria, these values are combined with AND. In the following example, the search results will return assets tagged with both cat and dog.
Tip: Use separate searches for strict matches (AND) and group values in the same field for flexible matches (OR).
The AND/OR rules described above apply only to the Extended search dialog and query strings. You can explicitly set AND/OR operators in the Extended search dialog using search expressions, as explained in the section below.
Creating queries using search expressions
Using search expressions, you can create very advanced queries. This can be especially useful when creating queries for use with SmartFolders.
For example, you can create a range search that retrieves assets with a modification time within the last 6 hours by entering the following in Search for ... in All fields as seen in the example above:
mt:{{now-PT6H}} TO {{now}}
Another example: To search for London and Big Ben in the Title field (#005), you can do as follows:
005:London AND 005:"Big Ben"
Note
Search expressions MUST be entered in the All fields text box (as in the example above).
For more information on using search expressions and dynamic tags, see: