The Custom Attributes are dynamic in nature, user specific and is generated from the back-end of the application. These Custom Attributes are created in the back-end of the application (hard coded) after taking input from the respective user or a group of users. The Custom Attribute selection criteria are used to increase the accuracy of the search as well as condense the search results.
To aid search using custom attributes, users will click on the
[Advanced search] button beside the Search textbox, to open the Advanced file search popup screen. Users can narrow down search results of Folders & files module by including values of custom attributes associated with any Folders & files module. This will prompt the application to search for documents which have associated custom attributes with the entered/selected values in the Advanced file search popup screen.
Screenshot below displays the Advanced file search popup screen:
User will first enter the search keyword, then go for custom attribute selection and then enter specific values or select specific values of custom attributes. The application will now fetch those documents whose name is matching with the search keyword, then will further narrow down further by fetching those documents (matching keywords) which are associated with the selected attribute and then further narrow down by fetching and displaying only those documents whose name match with the keyword, is associated with the selected custom attributes and also the custom attributes must have specific values entered/selected in the Advanced file search popup screen.
User will have to tick the checkbox beside one or more Custom Attribute (Example – With amount, With Date of Issue, With Project Name etc.), select the respective operator (Equal To, Containing, Greater Than etc.) from the drop-down, select the respective radio-button for ‘and’/’or’, select the Custom Field values under it by clicking 
button to initiate the search using the Custom Attributes.
The operator selection, the selection of the custom field, entering data within the Custom Attribute textbox depends on the type of the Custom Attribute (string, numerical, date or Boolean)
The operator drop-down can consist of the following criteria:
- String type Custom Attribute (Example: With ‘Author (Name)’) – Equal To, Containing
- Numerical type Custom Attribute (Example: With ‘Amount’) – Equal To, Greater than, Less than
- Date type Custom Attribute (Example: With ‘Submitted on’) – Equal To, Greater than, Less than, Between
- Boolean type Custom Attribute (Example: With ‘Is Valid’) – Equal To (including Radio-button – ‘Yes’ / ‘No’)
After entering/selecting all relevant information, user will click on [Search] button and application will fetch the search results accordingly.
For example, selecting a Custom attribute like 'Document Type' (by clicking the checkbox beside the custom attribute name) and searching for files with the word “Plans” will fetch those documents which have the field value of associated custom attribute 'Document Type' equal to "Plans".
Now, clicking the [Search] button will allow the application to conduct the search for the files which are associated with the custom attribute 'Document type' and that custom attribute has the value of "Plans".
Screenshot below displays the search results - which are two files that have are associated the custom attribute 'Document Type' with the value as "Plans":
