Complex groups
Complex groups are used to combine search groups by using logical expressions. Search data matches the complex group when it meets the group’s condition. A condition is a logical expression that consists of one or more criteria. Each of the criteria leverages a certain search group, and it evaluates to true if the search data matches that group; otherwise, it evaluates to false. The value of the expression is calculated of the current values of its criteria, and the data is considered to match the complex group when the expression evaluates to true.
Setting up, viewing, or changing a Complex group
When creating, duplicating, viewing, or editing a Complex group (see
Dialog box for managing search groups), a dialog box is used to add or remove criteria, combine them by AND/OR logic, and group them with brackets:
•Use the buttons above the list of criteria to add or remove criteria, to view their search groups, and to change the follow order of the criteria in the logical expression:
•Add - Adds a new item to the end of the list of criteria.
To add an item, click the Add button, or double-click a blank area in the list of criteria.
•Insert - Adds a new item before the one selected in the list of criteria.
To add/insert criteria, the console provides a dialog box where one or more groups can be selected. Then, it adds one or more criteria to the condition, one for each of the selected groups. The name of the group is displayed in the Criteria field.
•View - Opens a dialog box to view the settings of the group selected in the list of criteria. This dialog box is similar to the dialog box for configuring groups of the respective type, in which the group settings are read-only.
To view the settings of the group, click the View button, or double-click the group in the list of criteria.
•Delete - Removes the selected item as well as the logical operators and brackets specified along with that item in the list of criteria.
•^, v (up and down arrows) - Moves the selected item up and down in the list of criteria.
Note that moving criteria up and down in the list may break the logical structure of the expression. Click the Validate button to check the syntax of the expression and display the resulting expression in the Result box.
•Select check boxes in the NOT column to reverse the logical value returned by the respective criteria.
•Click in the column titled with a bracket ( or ) to add one or more brackets.
Brackets serve to avoid ambiguity of multi-criteria expressions. For example, the expression A AND B OR C could mean (A AND B) OR C, or it could mean A AND (B OR C). Use brackets to accurately determine the order and intention in which expressions are calculated.
Note: When moving an entry to the place of an adjacent one in the criteria list, the NOT check box setting moves together with the entry if the number of opening brackets is less than or equal to that of closing ones both in the moved entry and in the entry to which place it is moved. If at least one of them has more opening brackets than closing ones, the NOT check box setting does not move to the adjacent entry. Such a solution helps preserve the logical structure of the expression when the order of the list entries changes. |
•Click in the AND/OR column to select the operator to combine the criteria into a logical expression. By default, AND is selected, so data objects match the group only if they meet all the specified criteria. Select OR for data objects to match the group if they meet at least one of those criteria.
•Validate - Checks the syntax of the logical expression, removes unnecessary brackets if any, and displays the resulting expression in the Result box.
•Clear - Removes all criteria from the group’s condition. As a result, the group has no search condition specified.
The dialog box for configuring complex groups also includes the fields to set, view, or change the name and description of the group.