Search Function for Report Rows

Is there a way to allow the search function to search reports? I have used the search function from a report and search returns only rows from the controlling sheet. The report is used to give a user access to just the information they need to see/edit. The user getting sent to the originating sheet only makes it difficult for them to edit their information.

For now I have asked the user to use the search and replace function instead.

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Comments

J. Craig Williams

Shawn,

Short answer: no.

Longer answer:

I don't think this is feasible.

My understanding is that Reports don't exist in the way that a sheet does.

A sheet has data entered into and retains that data when it is closed.

A report, on the other hand, is a view into one or more sheets. It is updated when it is opened or when an attachment is sent for example.

In order for a search to find something in a report, each report would need to be "refreshed" when the search was initiated. To do it periodically without this would be problematic.

Reports already take time to be recreated when opening them for the first time.

I have hundreds (probably) of reports - I wouldn't want to wait for them all to be searched!

Even showing that a particular sheet was referenced by a report likely won't help since the column of concern may not be on the report.

There might be work-arounds with links to Reports, but I'd need to think about it some more.

Craig

Shawn Pete

From SmartSheet help:

Smartsheet Help Articles

Searching in Smartsheet

Use the Search bar at the top of Smartsheet to find:

Smartsheet items (for example, sheets, reports, Smartsheet Sights™, or templates) or content within those items (for example, row data, attachments, or comments) across your account.

I would think that if its in the help, it would be available.

J. Craig Williams

I stand corrected. Sort of.

When I searched for something generic, I got a lot of hits and some of those in the first 100 were indeed in Reports.

However, I was matching Report names, not content, though it showed several rows that matched.

I opened a Report, put in a term I would not expect to see in my search results "beetlejuice", saved and closed the Report.

Search found the sheet (searching for "beetlejuice" with quotes did, without them - a bunch of incorrect results like 'littlejules') but not the Report.

This was the same whether the Report was open or closed.

So maybe it is supposed to work, but doesn't consistently.

Craig

Scott Medd

Responses helpful, but I am having the same issue.

It would be great if you could search directly in reports as well.

The reason for a search is normally because you are looking at a sheet with 100's of rows and columns and therefore you want to probably find an exact point and then edit a column related to that row.

Therefore rather than then scrolling across to the relevent point that you want to be enter it would great to search solely in reports where you have trimmed the data that is available.

The other issue is that once you are in a report when you search it will only return what is shown in the first 500 rows, so if the report is larger it wont search those pages. You have to scroll to the next page and then run the search again.

This has led people to thinking that the data does not exist in their report as the search does not work.

J. Craig Williams

Very good points Scott.

Craig

Mr.Greenjeans

Yes I was disappointed to find that Control-F had no effect in a report that has just under 500 rows. It would make for a very useful lookup feature for key data about a building.

I am accustomed to Ctrl-F only searching what is shown on the current web page, so I think it is a valid feature request.

$0.02

Mr.Greenjeans

(I can't edit my comment yet)

, but need to make it clear, I am looking for find a row capability only, NOT full search and replace. Nothing more than my browser would do.

TIA