Have you wasted time looking for a document in Laserfiche that you know exists, but can’t seem to find? Many users are familiar with general searching, using keywords and other more basic searches. The search capabilities offered in Laserfiche are extensive. Learning the capabilities of Laserfiche search is key to traditional searching, system maintenance, document processing, and more.
The Laserfiche Windows and Web Client offers two types of repository searching, including a quick search and an advanced search. Let’s discuss these searches in a little more depth.
Quick Search
The quick search offers a built-in search bar, allowing easy searching form anywhere in the repository. Users can configure search criteria to search for information within a selected folder, document text, entry names and annotation text; with the ability to create customized searches for information that is searched on frequently. Laserfiche Finding documents in a hurry can be simple and efficient using the quick search feature. Note: the option for document text searching is available if documents are made fully text searchable.
Tips for Quick Searches:
Narrow down a search to a specific folder when possible to improve efficiency
Use Keywords
Only check the criteria used for searching
Save successful searches
Advanced Search
The advanced search allows many more options making searching a versatile tool for users. Setting filters with broad criteria at first, then narrowing the criteria for searches will achieve the optimal search result. The flexibility of the advanced search is beneficial, allowing users to combine multiple search types in one search. Another consideration with advanced searching verifying if the criteria being searched is indexed or not.
The Laserfiche repository can automatically index all new documents when they are created, ensuring that all documents containing text are searchable, and applies to all new documents, whether they are scanned or imported. It is enabled by default, but can be disabled to allow users to choose whether to index documents on a document-by-document basis. There are documents that may exist in the system that are not indexed by Laserfiche meaning they do not have any searchable text or the document has not been OCR'ed. To determine if documents are indexed simply look at the indexed column in the repository, to add the index column see the image below.
Tips for Advanced Searches:
Start broad and gradually narrow search criteria
Combine search types
Know the difference between indexed and non-indexed searches
Adjust the options to optimize the search
Consider using wildcards
Wildcards
Ever considered using wildcards to improve search results? Wildcards work best when there is unknown information such as a spelling of a word or name. The table below shows a few of the wildcard character options that can be used for searches.
Cities Digital's Favorite Searches
The team at Cities Digital have shared some of their favorite searches, hopefully, they can benefit your organization as well. These searches cover a variety of user levels from basic searches to advanced.
Basic
The front of the office personnel are essential in entering information in Laserfiche efficiently.
"This search I use most often. It allows you to see all the files contained within folders/sub-folders. Sometimes when we are doing metadata entry on specific files it makes it easier to search this than open all sub-folders." Krystal Mortensen, Office Assistant
Advanced
Cities Digital Consultants are working with users on a daily basis creating testing environments, sample folder structures and more.