Advanced Search and Filters
The Advanced Search modal provides powerful filtering capabilities to find specific tasks across your project. Whether you need to locate a task by number, find all blocked items, or filter by date ranges, this tool handles complex queries that simple text search cannot.
The Problem This Solves
As projects grow, finding specific tasks becomes increasingly difficult. Scrolling through columns or remembering task codes wastes time. You need to answer questions like "What tasks did the team complete last week?" or "Which bugs are currently unassigned?" without manually checking each item.
Advanced Search lets you build precise queries combining multiple criteria. Find exactly what you need in seconds, regardless of project size.
What You Are Looking At
The Advanced Search modal appears as a centered form with multiple filter fields organized in a grid. At the top, you see task number and title fields. Below that, dropdowns and date pickers let you narrow results by workflow status, team members, dates, labels, types, efforts, sprints, and user stories.
Opening Advanced Search
To access Advanced Search:
- Navigate to your project's Kanban board
- Click the menu button in the toolbar (three-dot icon or hamburger menu)
- Select "Advanced Search" from the dropdown menu
The modal opens with all filters cleared, ready for you to specify your search criteria.
Search by Task Identifier
Task Number
Every task has a unique code combining the project prefix and a sequential number. Enter just the numeric portion in the task number field. The project prefix displays automatically to the left of the input.
If you know the exact task code (like #PROJ-123), enter "123" in this field. The search returns that specific task immediately.
Task Title
Search for words or phrases appearing in task titles. This performs a partial match, so searching for "login" finds "Fix login button", "Login page redesign", and "User login flow".
Combine title search with other filters to narrow results. For example, search for "API" in titles while filtering to a specific assignee.
Filter by Workflow Status
The workflow dropdown shows all status columns configured for your project. Select a workflow status to see only tasks currently in that column.
This filter works across all boards if you have multiple boards in the project. To see only tasks from a specific board, first select that board in the main toolbar before opening Advanced Search.
Search in Description
The description field searches within task description content, not just titles. This helps find tasks where the key information lives in the detailed description rather than the brief title.
Description search is particularly useful for finding tasks that reference specific technical details, error messages, or requirements text.
Filter by Team Members
The team members selector shows all project members. Select one or more members to filter tasks where they are assigned.
Selection options:
All Members: When checked, the search includes tasks assigned to any team member. This excludes unassigned tasks.
All Tasks: When checked, the search includes both assigned and unassigned tasks, essentially removing the assignee filter.
Specific members: Multi-select individual members to see only tasks assigned to those people. Hold Ctrl/Cmd while clicking to select multiple members.
This filter helps answer questions like "What is Sarah working on?" or "Show me tasks assigned to the frontend team."
Date Range Filters
Multiple date range filters let you find tasks based on their timeline:
Start Date Range
Filter tasks by their scheduled start date. Specify a "from" date, a "to" date, or both to define a range.
Use this to find work scheduled to begin during a specific period, useful for sprint planning or resource forecasting.
End Date Range
Filter tasks by their due date or scheduled end date. Like start date, specify one or both bounds.
Use this to find upcoming deadlines or tasks that were due during a past period.
Created At Range
Filter by when tasks were created in the system. This helps with questions like "What new tasks appeared this week?" or "Show me tasks created in Q3."
Closed At Range
Filter by when tasks were marked complete. Perfect for retrospectives and reports covering specific time periods. Find all tasks your team finished last month without manually tallying.
Clearing Dates
Each date field has a clear button (red X) that appears when a value is set. Click to remove that specific date constraint while keeping other filters active.
Filter by Labels
The labels selector shows all labels configured for your project. Select one or more labels to filter tasks tagged with those labels.
Labels provide cross-cutting categorization. Use this filter to find all "customer-reported" tasks or everything tagged "needs-documentation."
Filter by Task Type
The types dropdown shows your project's configured task types (Bug, Feature, Improvement, etc.). Select a type to see only matching tasks.
Combine type filtering with other criteria. For example, show all bugs created this week, or all features assigned to a specific developer.
Filter by Effort Level
The effort dropdown shows configured effort or priority levels. Select one to filter tasks by their assigned effort.
Use this to find high-priority items needing attention or to see the distribution of effort levels across your backlog.
Filter by Sprint
The sprints dropdown shows all sprints in your project. Select a sprint to see tasks assigned to that iteration.
This helps review sprint scope without navigating to the sprint detail page. Combine with other filters to answer questions like "What bugs are in Sprint 12?"
Filter by User Story
The user stories dropdown shows all user stories in your project. Select a user story to see tasks linked to that feature or epic.
Use this to review progress on a specific feature or ensure all related tasks are properly tracked.
Task Status Filter
Filter tasks by their overall status:
- All: Include tasks in any state
- Active: Show only non-archived, non-draft tasks
- Archived: Show only archived tasks
- Draft: Show only draft tasks
This helps you find archived items you need to restore or review draft tasks awaiting refinement.
Task Flags
Checkbox flags filter by special task states:
Is Blocker: When checked, show only tasks marked as blocked. These tasks cannot proceed due to external dependencies.
Is Bug: When checked, show only tasks classified as bugs. This typically matches the Bug task type but may include additional bug-related flags.
Unassigned: When checked, show only tasks without any assignees. Use this during sprint planning to find work needing assignment.
Multiple flags can be combined. Check both "Is Blocker" and "Unassigned" to find blocked tasks that nobody is currently addressing.
Executing the Search
Click the "Search" button to apply your filters and execute the query. Results update on the board view, showing only tasks matching all specified criteria.
The search remains active until you clear it. You can tell a search is active by visual indicators in the toolbar.
Clearing the Search
To remove all filters and return to viewing all tasks:
- Open Advanced Search again
- Click "Cancel" to close without searching
- Or manually clear each field and search again
Some interfaces provide a "Clear filters" button in the toolbar for quick reset.
Search Tips
Start broad, then narrow: Begin with one or two filters. If results are too many, add more criteria. If results are empty, remove some filters.
Combine strategically: Powerful queries combine filters that intersect meaningfully. "Bugs + Last Week + High Priority" quickly shows urgent issues.
Date ranges for reports: Use created/closed date ranges to generate time-bounded reports without exporting data.
Save common searches: Note down filter combinations you use frequently. Some teams document these in their project wiki for easy reference.
Pro Tips
- Task number shortcut: If you know the exact task code, the task number search is fastest
- Description search depth: Description search examines the full text, finding deeply buried references
- Multiple assignees: Filter by multiple team members to see a sub-team's complete workload
- Sprint comparison: Run the same search against different sprints to compare velocity or patterns
How to Report a Problem or Request a Feature
Your feedback matters. Here is how to share it:
If search results seem incorrect, filters do not work as expected, or you want additional search capabilities, we want to know.
In the Sidebar, click on Support Tickets and open a ticket for the problem. Everything is interactive and fast through the GitScrum Studio platform.