Skip to content
English
More support Customer portal
Home
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Advanced Search Syntax

Beyond basic keyword search, Essal Office supports a query syntax that gives you precise control over what you're searching for and where. You can restrict which field to search, combine conditions with logical operators, and use wildcards.

Field-Specific Search

To search within a specific field, prefix your term with the field name followed by a colon:

  • Syntax: `title:invoice`
  • Searches: Documents whose **title** contains "invoice"


  • Syntax: `content:receipt`
  • Searches: Documents whose **OCR content** contains "receipt"


  • Syntax: `correspondent:acme`
  • Searches: Documents whose correspondent contains "acme"


  • Syntax: `tag:finance`
  • Searches: Documents tagged with "finance"

Logical Operators

Combine search terms with operators to build more precise queries:


  • Operator: **AND**
  • Syntax: `invoice AND acme`
  • Meaning: Both words must be present


  • Operator: **OR**
  • Syntax: `invoice OR receipt`
  • Meaning: Either word may be present


  • Operator: **NOT**
  • Syntax: `invoice NOT paid`
  • Meaning: Contains "invoice" but not "paid"


  • Operator: **Exact phrase**
  • Syntax: `"acme supplies"`
  • Meaning: The exact phrase must appear, in that order

Operators are case-sensitive — write them in uppercase: AND, OR, NOT.

Grouping with Parentheses

Use parentheses to group conditions:

(invoice OR receipt) AND acme

This returns documents that contain "acme" and also contain either "invoice" or "receipt".

Wildcards

Use * to match any number of characters within a word:


  • Syntax: `invoice*`
  • Matches: invoice, invoices, invoiced


  • Syntax: `supp*`
  • Matches: supplier, supplies, support

Wildcards are useful when you're unsure of the exact word form or when OCR may have introduced a character error.

Date Range Searches

To find documents by date within search:


  • Syntax: `created:[2026-01-01 TO 2026-03-31]`
  • Meaning: Created date between January and March 2026


  • Syntax: `created:[* TO 2025-12-31]`
  • Meaning: Created before end of 2025


  • Syntax: `created:[2026-01-01 TO *]`
  • Meaning: Created from 2026 onwards

For simpler date filtering, the filter panel (without typing syntax) achieves the same result and is easier to use.

Combining Syntax with Filters

Advanced search syntax and the visual filter panel work together. You can type a complex query in the search bar and simultaneously use the filter panel to restrict by correspondent, document type, or tags.

Common Syntax Examples


  • Goal: All contracts with "renewal" in the content
  • Query: `title:contract AND content:renewal`


  • Goal: Invoices from Acme not yet marked paid
  • Query: `correspondent:acme AND tag:invoice NOT tag:paid`


  • Goal: Find a specific reference number
  • Query: `"REF-2026-0042"`


  • Goal: Documents mentioning a specific person
  • Query: `content:"John Smith"`