Filters

Each filter is an expression that consists of a criteria option, operator, and value. For example:

First Name contains B

First Name is the criteria option, contains is the operator, and B is the value. If necessary, you can use NOT to perform a logical negation of the expression. For example:

NOT First Name contains B

The criteria options (First Name, Last Name, and so on) determine the available values. For example, if you select First Name as the criteria option, all first names are displayed in the drop-down list for the value field. You can also type text in the value field.

You can add filters individually or in sets. Logical operators, either AND or OR, are used to combine each filter and filter set. By default, filters are combined using AND (as determined by the Combine Filters Using field) and filter sets are combined using OR. You can change the default and use OR to combine filters, in which case filter sets are automatically combined using AND. In other words, the logical operator that is to combine individual filters (within in a set) must be the opposite of the operator that is used between filter sets.

You can easily view how these logical operators work. Click both the Add Filter and Add Filter Set options a few times each to create a few filter sets, then switch between AND and OR in the Combine Filters Using field and observe how the operators change.

As you construct filters and filter sets, you can think in terms of algebraic notation parentheticals, where filters are contained within parentheses, and sets are separated into a series of parenthetical groups. Logical operators (AND and OR) separate the filters within the parentheses, and the operators are used to separate the parentheticals.

For example, "(u AND v AND w) OR (x AND y AND z)" means "match either uvw or xyz." In the filter list, this looks like:

u AND
v AND
w
OR
x AND
y AND
z

Choose from the following actions to construct your filter: