# Filter, sort and group

> Narrow a view to the notes you need, put them in order, and group them into sections or board columns. Every filter test, by property type.

Source: https://terramd.io/docs/filter-sort-and-group

Filters, sorts and groups belong to a [view](https://terramd.io/docs/views-and-layouts). They decide which of a [database](https://terramd.io/docs/databases)'s notes the view shows, in what order and under which headings, without touching the notes or what the database collects. Every view keeps its own, so a *This week* view can hide what an *Everything* view shows.

## Filter a view

1. Click **Filters** in the database's header. The **Filter** popover opens.
2. Click **+** (**Add condition**) and set the field, the test and the value: **status** · **is not in group** · **Done**.
3. Add more conditions. Once there are two, click the **And** beside them to cycle it to **Or** or **Not**.
4. For a mix, click **{ }** (**Add group**) and build a set of conditions inside it with its own **And**, **Or** or **Not**. A group can hold one more level, a subgroup.

![The Filter popover with an And group: status is not in group Done, and a nested Or group of owner is Sam and due overdue.](https://terramd.io/docs/shots/db-filter.webp "Everything that isn't finished and is either Sam's or overdue. The inner group has its own Or.")

| Joined by | A note is shown when |
| --- | --- |
| **And** | Every condition in the group matches |
| **Or** | At least one condition matches |
| **Not** | None of the conditions match |

Drag a condition by its handle to move it, click its trash to remove it, or click **Clear all** to start again. With the panel closed, filters save to the view as you change them, and the **Filters** button's label counts them: **Filters · 3 active**. Inside **View preferences**, the same builder edits a draft until you click **Save view**.

A view's filters only hide rows. To change which notes belong to the database, edit its conditions on the **Database** tab: see [Databases](https://terramd.io/docs/databases#change-what-a-database-collects). The conditions there use the same tests.

## Tests by property type

The tests on offer depend on the property's [type](https://terramd.io/docs/properties). Text tests ignore capitals.

| Property type | Tests |
| --- | --- |
| Text, **Title**, **Folder**, **Type**, **Note Body** | **is**, **is not**, **contains**, **starts with**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| Number, Unique ID | `=`, `≠`, `>`, `<`, `>=`, `<=` |
| Select | **is**, **is not**, **is any of**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| Multi-select | **is any of**, **is all of**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| Status | **is**, **is not**, **is in group**, **is not in group**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| Tags | **contains**, **is any of**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| Date, Created time, Last edited time, **Created**, **Updated** | **is**, **is within**, **before**, **after**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| A date property named `due` | All the date tests, plus **overdue** |
| Checkbox | **is**, with **Checked** or **Unchecked** |
| URL, Email, Phone, **Source** | **is**, **contains**, **starts with**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| Location | **is**, **is not**, **contains**, **starts with**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |
| Files & media | **contains**, **is empty**, **is not empty** |

What the less obvious ones do:

- **is not** also matches notes where the property is empty. To leave those out, add **is not empty**.
- **contains** matches part of a value, so **tags** · **contains** · `book` finds `#bookshelf` too. For one exact tag, use **is any of** with a single tag.
- **is in group** and **is not in group** test a status's group, **To do**, **In progress** or **Done**, rather than its option. `status` **is not in group** **Done** keeps working when you rename or add options.
- **is within** takes **Today**, **Past 7 days** (today and the six days before) or **This month**.
- **before** and **after** leave out the day itself. For a date value, pick a day, or click **Today** to use whatever today is when the view opens.
- **overdue** matches a `due` date before today on a note whose status is anything but *Done*, *Cancelled*, *Completed* or *Closed*, so a finished option called *Shipped* still counts as open. Notes with no status are never overdue.

> [!WARNING] Two tests don't work yet
> With two or more values ticked, **is any of** and **is all of** hide every row; add one **is** condition per value and join them with **Or** instead. And a Checkbox condition matches no notes, whether you pick **Checked** or **Unchecked**.

## Sort a view

**Sort by** in the header sorts by one field. Pick the field, then **Ascending** or **Descending**; pick the same field again to flip the direction, or **None** to stop sorting.

For several sort keys, open **View preferences** and click **Sort** in its top row:

1. Click **Add sort** for each key.
2. For each rule, choose the field, **Ascending** or **Descending**, and **Empty first** or **Empty last** for notes without a value.
3. Drag the rules by their handles: the first rule wins, the next breaks ties.
4. Click **Save view**.

![The Sort popover with two rules: Status, Ascending, Empty last; then Due, Ascending, Empty last.](https://terramd.io/docs/shots/db-sort.webp "Sort by status first, then by due date within each status.")

How values sort:

- Numbers sort as numbers and come before text. Text ignores capitals.
- A Status property sorts by its groups, **To do**, then **In progress**, then **Done**, and by the order of its options within each group.
- In a grouped view, the grouping field is always the first sort key, and its direction orders the groups.
- On a board, dragging a card up or down its column saves a hand-made order. The sort then shows **Manual**.

With no rules, the **Sort** popover says "Notes keep database order."

## Group a view

Click **Group by** in the header and pick a field. On a board the button reads **Show boards as**, and the field you pick makes the columns.

- **Group by** offers **None**, **Folder**, **Type**, **Tag**, **Updated** and **Created**, then your properties.
- **Show boards as** lists your properties only. **Add group** at the bottom creates or adds a property to group by.
- A note with several values, such as tags, appears under each of them.
- Notes without a value gather under **No value**, or **No** plus the property's name on a board.
- Click the eye in a group's header to hide the group. **View preferences › Group › Hidden groups** shows how many notes are hidden and **Restore** brings them back.

The **Group** tab in **View preferences** has the rest:

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Primary group** | The field to group by, the same as the header button |
| **Primary period** | For a date: **Day**, **Week**, **Month**, **Quarter** or **Year** |
| **Group status by** | For a Status property: **Option** gives one group per option; **Group** gives three, **To do**, **In progress** and **Done** |
| **Subgroup**, **Subgroup period** | A second level of grouping inside each group |
| **Show empty groups** | Keeps groups that have no notes |
| **Hidden groups** | Brings back groups you hid |

![A board grouped by status group, with three columns: To do holding five cards, In progress three and Done two.](https://terramd.io/docs/shots/db-board-groups.webp "Group status by: Group. However many options your status has, the board shows To do, In progress and Done. Each count is out of the whole board.")

Date groups have relative names, such as *This week* or *Last week*, until you set **Date labels** to **Absolute** on the **Dates** tab.

## Show or hide properties

Click **Properties** in the header (it shows how many are visible, as in **Properties · 6 visible**). Tick a property to show it and untick it to hide it; drag to change the order. In a table these are the columns; on boards, lists, cards and feeds they're the details on each card. **Manage properties** at the bottom opens the Property Manager.

## Find a note in a database

There's no search box inside a view. To find one note quickly, use **Find notes** at the top of the note list beside the sidebar (click **Database drawer** in the toolbar if the list is hidden). It narrows the list to notes whose title, or a property the list shows, contains what you type. To search the whole Library, with filters like `path:` and `[status:Done]`, see [Search syntax](https://terramd.io/docs/search-syntax).

## Related

- [Databases](https://terramd.io/docs/databases) — conditions that decide which notes belong.
- [Views and layouts](https://terramd.io/docs/views-and-layouts) — boards, calendars and the View preferences panel.
- [Properties](https://terramd.io/docs/properties) — the types behind each set of tests.
- [Search syntax](https://terramd.io/docs/search-syntax) — filters for the search window.