Purpose

A SharePoint List is a structured data source. SharePoint lists form the foundation of Data Storage within SharePoint. From Document Libraries, tasks to Calendars; all data collections are based on SharePoint lists.

Often simply searching for the occurrence of a keyword within a list is not sufficient. For more specific results one needs to search for the presence of a keyword within a specific column in the list. This is what Aura Add-Ons’ SharePoint List Search Web Part provides.

The List Search Web Part allows searching data within lists using column (field) specific queries. The columns specific queries can also be combined to form more complex queries. For example, you could search a Calendar for events that begin after a certain date and contain the keyword ‘Big Event’ in its title.

Feature Comparison

Feature	SharePoint Services 3.0/Office SharePoint 2007/2010	Aura Add-Ons’ List Search
Does not require indexing or Search Scope definition		✓
Select List and Columns to Search		✓
Free Text Search Using Wildcard, Boolean Operators, Phrases and Groupings		✓
Present Results using Standard List Views		✓
Sorting of Search Results		✓

Feature Details

• Configure List and Columns to Search

Configurable User Interface to select list and columns from possible choices to search over.

• Free Text Search

For text based columns, the List Search Web Part allows searching just as you would on a search engine. A query can be comprised of any combination of the following:

A Single Term is a single word such as ‘test’ or ‘hello’.

Phrases: A Phrase is a group of words surrounded by double quotes such as "Jack Sparrow".

Wildcard: The List Search Web Part supports multiple character wildcard search. The”*” symbol can be used to perform a wildcard search. For example: ‘Jac*’

Boolean Operators: The List Search Web Part supports the ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ Boolean operators. For example: ‘Jack AND Sparrow’

Grouping: The List Search Web Part supports using parentheses to group clauses to form sub queries. For example: ‘(Pirate AND Jack) OR (Dumb AND Dumber)’

Combination: The above operators can be combined in various ways to form more complex queries. For example: ‘(Pirat* AND “Jack Sparrow”) OR movie’

• Present Results using Standard List Views

Users can define Custom Views for Lists in SharePoint by selecting a combination and sequence of Columns. The List Search Web Part can be configured to display search results using the sequence and combination of columns as defined in a view.

• Sorting of Search Results

Click on the header of any column in the search results to toggle sorting by that column.

• Easy Access to List Details

The search results include a link that provides direct access to details page of the list item.