Search & Filter

Search & Filter

Reference for search, advanced queries, and filtering capabilities in Qualflare.

Global Search UI

The Global Search bar is your primary tool for finding tests, launches, defects, and other entities across Qualflare.

Search Bar Location

• Top navigation bar (always visible)
• Keyboard shortcut: Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux)
• Placeholder text: "Search tests, launches, defects..."

Search Bar Features

Autocomplete:

• Suggests matching entities as you type
• Shows entity type icon (test, launch, defect, milestone)
• Displays entity title and path
• Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select

Scope Selection:

• Dropdown next to search bar
• Options: All, This Project, Current Workspace
• Affects which results appear in autocomplete

Recent Searches:

• Click in search bar to see recent queries
• Click recent search to re-run
• Hover and click X to remove from history

Search Button:

• Press Enter or click magnifying glass
• Opens full search results page

Search Input Behavior

Minimum Characters:

• Autocomplete activates after 2 characters
• Full search available with 1+ characters

Debounce:

• Autocomplete waits 300ms after typing stops
• Reduces unnecessary API calls

Special Characters:

• Wildcards (*, ?) supported
• Quotes for phrase searches
• Escape special characters with backslash ()

Search Results View

After submitting a search, the results page displays matching entities grouped by type.

Results Page Layout

Header Section:

• Search query display (editable)
• Result count (e.g., "23 results found")
• Sort options dropdown
• Filter toggle button

Results Groups:

• Test Cases section (if matches found)
• Launches section (if matches found)
• Defects section (if matches found)
• Milestones section (if matches found)

Each Result Item:

• Entity type icon
• Title (highlighted matching terms)
• Path/Context (project, suite, folder)
• Status badge
• Last modified date
• Relevance score (hidden, affects sort order)

Result Grouping

By Type (Default):

• Results grouped into sections by entity type
• Sections collapse/expand
• Shows count per type

By Project:

• Results grouped by project
• Sub-groups by entity type
• Useful for multi-project searches

By Date:

• Results grouped by time period
• Today, Yesterday, This Week, This Month, Older
• Useful for finding recent activity

Search Highlighting

Title Matches:

• Bold text with yellow background
• Shows up to 50 characters before and after match

Content Matches:

• Matches in test steps, descriptions, comments
• Shows context snippet (150 characters)
• Multiple matches separated by ellipsis

Field-Specific Matches:

• Labels: Tag icon with match
• Assignee: User avatar with match
• Status: Status badge with match

Relevance Scoring

Factors Affecting Relevance:

• Title match > Content match
• Exact phrase match > Partial word match
• Multiple matches > Single match
• Recent activity > Older activity
• Status (Active > Closed/Archived)

Sort by Relevance (Default):

• Highest relevance first
• Within same relevance, most recent first

Advanced Search Builders

Use advanced search syntax for precise queries and complex filtering.

Query Syntax Overview

Basic Search:

login test

Finds entities containing "login" OR "test" in title or content

Phrase Search:

"user authentication flow"

Finds exact phrase in quotes

AND Operator:

login AND authentication

Finds entities containing BOTH terms

OR Operator:

login OR signin

Finds entities containing EITHER term

NOT Operator:

login NOT failed

Finds entities with "login" but NOT "failed"

Grouping:

(login OR signin) AND authentication

Complex queries with parentheses

Wildcards:

test*

Finds "test", "tests", "testing", "tester"

test???

Question mark matches single character (exactly 3 chars after "test")

Field-Specific Searches

Search by Title:

title:login

Only searches entity titles

title:"user profile"

Exact phrase in title

Search by Status:

status:failed

Finds entities with "failed" status

status:passed OR status:skipped

Multiple statuses

Search by Assignee:

assignee:john

Finds entities assigned to user with "john" in name

assignee:@me

Finds entities assigned to you

Search by Labels:

label:smoke

Finds entities with "smoke" label

label:regression AND label:p1

Multiple labels (AND)

label:(smoke OR sanity)

Multiple labels (OR)

Search by Priority:

priority:critical

Finds critical priority tests/defects

priority:high OR priority:medium

High or medium priority

Search by Suite:

suite:authentication

Finds tests in "authentication" suite

Search by Environment:

env:production

Finds launches from production environment

Search by Date:

created:>2024-01-01

Created after January 1, 2024

updated:>=2024-01-01

Updated on or after January 1, 2024

created:<2024-01-01

Created before January 1, 2024

created:2024-01

Created in January 2024

Search by Milestone:

milestone:v2.0

Finds entities linked to "v2.0" milestone

Boolean Operator Examples

Complex Query:

(title:login OR title:signin) AND status:failed AND assignee:@me

Finds failed login/signin tests assigned to you

Defect Search:

type:defect AND (severity:critical OR severity:high) AND status:open

Finds open critical/high severity defects

Launch Search:

type:launch AND env:production AND created:>=2024-01-01

Finds production launches since January 2024

Excluding Terms:

test NOT (skipped OR blocked)

Finds tests that aren't skipped or blocked

Advanced Query Builder UI

1. Click "Advanced Search" on results page
2. Query builder opens with:
   • Field dropdown (title, status, assignee, labels, etc.)
   • Operator dropdown (contains, equals, >, <, etc.)
   • Value input field
   • AND/OR button to add conditions
   • Remove button for each condition

Builder Features:

• Visual representation of query
• Add/remove condition groups
• Preview generated search syntax
• Save query as saved search

Filter Panels

Filter panels provide structured filtering for each entity type.

Test Filters

Filter Bar Location:

• Test Cases page, below header
• "Filters" button to expand/collapse panel
• Active filters shown as badges

Filter Categories:

Status Filter:

• All, Passed, Failed, Skipped, Blocked
• Multi-select (checkboxes)
• Apply button

Priority Filter:

• Critical, High, Medium, Low
• Multi-select

Suite Filter:

• Tree view of test suites
• Expand/collapse branches
• Multi-select

Labels Filter:

• List of all labels in project
• Search within labels
• Multi-select

Assignee Filter:

• List of project members
• Search by name
• Multi-select

Created Date Filter:

• Date range picker
• Presets: Today, Yesterday, This Week, This Month, Custom

Custom Field Filters:

• Shows project-specific custom fields
• Filter types depend on field type:
  • Text: Contains, Equals
  • Number: >, <, =, Range
  • Date: Before, After, Range
  • Select: Multi-select options

Filter Actions:

• Apply: Apply selected filters
• Clear All: Remove all filters
• Save as Filter Set: Name and save current filter combination

Launch Filters

Filter Categories:

Status Filter:

• All, Completed, Running, Failed, Cancelled

Environment Filter:

• dev, staging, production, custom environments
• Multi-select

Source Filter:

• Manual, CLI, Scheduled, API

Created Date Filter:

• Date range picker
• Presets available

Pass Rate Filter:

• Greater than: 0-100%
• Less than: 0-100%
• Range selection

Duration Filter:

• Faster than: X minutes
• Slower than: X minutes

Milestone Filter:

• Select from active milestones
• Multi-select

Defect Filters

Filter Categories:

Status Filter:

• Open, In Progress, Resolved, Closed
• Multi-select

Severity Filter:

• Critical, High, Medium, Low
• Multi-select

Priority Filter:

• Critical, High, Medium, Low
• Multi-select

Assignee Filter:

• Filter by assigned user
• "Unassigned" option

Reporter Filter:

• Filter by who created defect
• Multi-select

Labels Filter:

• Filter by defect labels
• Multi-select

Milestone Filter:

• Filter by linked milestone
• Multi-select

Created Date Filter:

• Date range picker

Updated Date Filter:

• Filter by last activity

Resolved Date Filter:

• Filter by resolution date

Filter Combinations and Behaviors

Multi-Select Behavior:

• Within category: OR logic (e.g., Critical OR High)
• Between categories: AND logic (e.g., Critical AND Failed status)

Filter Validation:

• Conflicting filters show warning
• Example: Pass rate > 90% AND Pass rate < 50%

Filter Persistence:

• Filters persist during session
• Clear on navigation away from page
• Saved filter sets restore filters

Active Filter Display:

• Badges show active filters
• Click X on badge to remove individual filter
• "Clear All" removes all filters

Sort Options

Change the order of results to prioritize what matters most.

Test Sort Options

Sort By:

• Relevance (default when searching)
• Title (A-Z)
• Title (Z-A)
• Priority (Critical first)
• Status (Passed, Failed, Skipped, Blocked)
• Created Date (newest first)
• Updated Date (newest first)
• Execution Date (most recently run first)
• Pass Rate (highest first)
• Duration (fastest first)

Secondary Sort:

• Results with equal primary sort value use secondary sort
• Default secondary: Created Date (newest first)

Launch Sort Options

Sort By:

• Relevance (default when searching)
• Created Date (newest first)
• Pass Rate (highest first)
• Duration (fastest first)
• Test Count (most tests first)
• Environment (alphabetical)
• Status (Completed, Running, Failed, Cancelled)

Defect Sort Options

Sort By:

• Relevance (default when searching)
• Created Date (newest first)
• Updated Date (newest first)
• Severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low)
• Status (Open, In Progress, Resolved, Closed)
• Assignee (alphabetical)

Custom Sorting

Multi-Column Sort:

1. Apply first sort (e.g., by Severity)
2. Hold Shift key
3. Click second sort column (e.g., by Created Date)
4. Results sorted by severity, then by date within same severity

Sort Persistence:

• Sort preference persists during session
• Resets to default when filters change
• Saved filter sets include sort preference

Saved Searches UI

Save frequently used queries and filter combinations for quick access.

Creating Saved Searches

From Search Results:

1. Run search query
2. Click "Save Search" button
3. Enter saved search name
4. Optional: Add description
5. Choose visibility:
   • Personal: Only you
   • Team: All project members
6. Click "Save"

From Filter Panel:

1. Apply desired filters
2. Click "Save as Filter Set"
3. Enter name
4. Choose visibility
5. Click "Save"

Managing Saved Searches

Saved Searches Panel:

• Access from sidebar or search bar
• Shows list of your saved searches
• Shows shared team searches
• Badge shows count of results

Saved Search Actions:

• Run: Click to apply search/filters
• Edit: Modify name, description, visibility
• Duplicate: Create copy with new name
• Delete: Remove saved search
• Share: Generate share link (team searches)

Editing Saved Searches

1. Open saved searches panel
2. Hover over saved search
3. Click "Edit" (pencil icon)
4. Modify:
   • Name
   • Description
   • Visibility
   • Filters/query (advanced)
5. Click "Save Changes"

Deleting Saved Searches

1. Open saved searches panel
2. Hover over saved search
3. Click "Delete" (trash icon)
4. Confirm deletion
5. Cannot be undone

Note: Deleting a saved search does NOT affect the entities it finds, only the saved query itself.

Sharing Saved Searches

Team Saved Searches:

• Visible to all project members
• Created by anyone with Team visibility
• Show creator name
• Editable by creator and project admins

Share Link:

1. Open saved search
2. Click "Share" button
3. Copy share URL
4. Recipients must have project access

Permissions:

• Personal: Only creator can view and edit
• Team: All project members can view, only creator can edit

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Shortcuts

Search Navigation

Filter Panel Shortcuts

Search Operators Reference

Boolean Operators

Field Operators

Wildcard Operators

Special Characters

Search Tips and Best Practices

Effective Search Strategies

Start Broad, Then Narrow:

1. Search for general term: authentication
2. Review results
3. Add filters: status:failed, priority:p0
4. Add specific terms: authentication login

Use Field-Specific Searches:

• Faster than general search
• More precise results
• Example: title:login vs. login

Combine Filters with Search:

• Use search for content matching
• Use filters for metadata (status, priority, assignee)
• Example: Search login + Filter status:failed + Filter suite:auth

Save Frequently Used Queries:

• Recreate complex searches as saved searches
• Share with team members
• Name descriptively: "Failed Critical Login Tests"

Common Search Patterns

Find My Failed Tests:

status:failed AND assignee:@me

Find Flaky Tests:

status:failed AND updated:>=2024-01-01

Then look for tests with mixed pass/fail history

Find Critical Defects:

type:defect AND severity:critical AND status:open

Find Recent Production Launches:

type:launch AND env:production AND created:>=2024-01-01

Find Tests for Specific Feature:

title:payment OR label:payment

Troubleshooting Search Issues

Too Many Results:

• Add more specific terms
• Use field-specific searches
• Add filters
• Use phrase searches with quotes

Too Few Results:

• Remove filters
• Use OR operator
• Use wildcards
• Check for typos

Unexpected Results:

• Check operator precedence (use parentheses)
• Verify field names
• Check for unintended NOT operators
• Clear filters and start fresh

Slow Search Performance:

• Use more specific queries
• Filter by date range
• Use field-specific searches
• Avoid overly broad wildcards (e.g., a*)

Related Topics

• Reporting Test Results - Filter and drill down into failures
• Analyze Quality Metrics - Use search to investigate trends
• Dashboards - Visualize filtered data
• Test Cases - Understanding test structure for better searching
• Defects - Defect fields and metadata for filtering