Last updated: October 2024
Search nodes retrieve nodes from any workspace you have access to. Results show up as references to nodes. Editing these nodes will edit the original and every reference of it.
What a search node retrieves is based on the search query. The query specifies what you are looking for, and is made in the Query builder.
Search nodes have a magnifying glass as a bullet icon. So they're recognizable even when collapsed.
#recipes with the field Ingredient==Tomatoes, PeppersFeedback==Set that is descendant of the node Q4 workplan draft#todo that is NOT DONE, and with a date that is older (less) than January 10 Find nodes in the command line guides you through a simple set of search terms:
You can always modify the query after it's been created through the command line by opening the Query builder.
If you want to create an empty search node to have access to all options immediately, see the next section:
The entire query is wrapped in an AND operator, so by default every search criteria on the the query will return results that match every condition. For example, the screenshot below is looking for all nodes tagged #todo, AND it has to be NOT DONE, AND with a date that is older (less) than January 10 . Nodes have to meet all criteria listed.
Below is the full list of all operators that work in the query builder.
Tana objects that can be used in the query builder:
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| A reference | Inserting a reference will return only descendants of the reference. Tip: Reference a Workspace to limit results to nodes that live in that Workspace only. | DescendantOf:nodeName |
| A supertag | Inserting a supertag reference will return only instances of that supertag. Type # and a list of supertags will pop up. | Tag:tagName |
| A field definition | Inserting a field definition will return only nodes that have this field, and a value set for it. | hasField:fieldName |
| A field with one or more values | Inserting one or more plain text or reference values in a field will return nodes with this field that contain any of these values. | fieldName==Hello world |
| A plain text node | Inserting a plain text node that is not a reference will return nodes that match the text. | StringMatch:"hello world" |
| A node with a date | Inserting a date will return nodes whose name contains a date | DateWithin:date |
| A regular expression between /.../ | Inserting a regular expression between the two forward slashes will return nodes that match the regular expression. | RegexpMatch:/yourRegEx/ |
Add values to these fields to configure them.
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| >AND | All of the clauses in the field values should match. AND is implied at the top level of the query builder as well. | AND |
| >OR | Any of the clauses in the field values should match. | OR |
| >NOT | Negates a single clause (if you want to negate multiple, you need multiple NOT statements). | NOT |
| >LT | LT = Less than. The LT field value should be the field you want to query with a field value (a number/date). This finds nodes that have a value less than the value provided. Also works with dates. | fieldName < fieldValue |
| >GT | GT = Greater than. The GT field value should be the field you want to query with a field value (a number/date). This finds nodes that have a value greater than than the value provided. Also works with dates. | fieldName > fieldValue |
| >LINKS TO | The LINKS TO operator finds all nodes that link to the reference in the field value. Only takes references or PARENT/GRANDPARENT. Similar to what is shown in a node's reference section. | LinksTo:nodeName |
| >CHILD OF | If the field value is a reference, the CHILD OF operator finds nodes/references that are children of the reference. If the field value is a field definition, the operator finds nodes/references that are children of this field. | ChildOf:nodeName |
| >OWNED BY | The OWNED BY operator finds nodes that are children of and owned by the reference in the field value. | OwnedBy:nodeName |
| >DATE OVERLAPS | Matches a date range that overlaps with the date provided |
Type these keywords into a first-level empty node in the query builder.
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| IS TAG | A keyword that finds any supertag definition. | is:Tag |
| IS FIELD | A keyword that finds any field definition. | is:Field |
| IS CALENDAR NODE | A keyword that finds year/week/day nodes under the calendar. Useful for excluding these from searches. | is:CalendarNode |
| IS SEARCH NODE | A keyword that finds any search node. | is:SearchNode |
| IS COMMAND | A keyword that finds any command node. | is:Command |
| IS PUBLISHED | A keyword that finds any published node. | is:PublishedNode |
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| HAS FIELD | A keyword that finds any node with a field. | has:Field |
| HAS TAG | A keyword that finds any node that has a supertag applied. | has:Tag |
| HAS MEDIA | A keyword that finds any node with a media attachment (audio, video, or image). | has:Media |
| HAS AUDIO | A keyword that finds any node with an audio attachment. | has:Audio |
| HAS VIDEO | A keyword that finds any node with a video attachment. | has:Video |
| HAS IMAGE | A keyword that finds any node with a image attachment. | has:Image |
| FOR DATE [yyyy-mm-dd] | A keyword that finds all nodes with an inline reference to the date specified. | FOR DATE 2023-10-18 |
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| PARENTS DESCENDANTS | A keyword that finds nodes that are descendants of the parent of the search node, excluding references. | DescendantOf:parentnodeName |
| GRANDPARENTS DESCENDANTS | A keyword that finds nodes that are descendants of the grandparent of the search node, excluding references. | DescendantOf:grandparentnodeName |
| PARENTS DESCENDANTS WITH REFS | A keyword that finds nodes that are descendants of the parent of the search node, including references. | InTreeUnder:parentnodeName |
| GRANDPARENTS DESCENDANTS WITH REFS | A keyword that finds nodes that are descendants of the grandparent of the search node, including references. | InTreeUnder:grandparentnodeName |
| IN LIBRARY | A keyword that finds direct children of a Library node. The Library is a default node in each workspace. | in:Library |
| ON DAY NODE | A keyword that finds direct children of calendar day nodes. | on:DayNode |
| SIBLING NAMED "[name]" | A keyword that limits the search to descendants of the named sibling. Example: SIBLING NAMED "Meeting notes". | DescendantOf:siblingnodeName |
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| TODO | A keyword that finds all nodes with a checkbox, regardless if it is checked or not. | is:Todo |
| DONE | A keyword that finds any checked todos. | is:Done |
| DONE LAST [num] DAYS | A keyword that finds any todos that were manually checked within a certain number of days. Replace [num] with a number. Example: DONE LAST 7 DAYS. | DONE LAST 3 DAYS |
| NOT DONE | A keyword that finds any "not done" nodes, and unchecked todos. Combine with TODO to only find unchecked todos. | NOT is:Done |
| OVERDUE | An old keyword that finds any unchecked todos 1. using the system-defined Due Date field, and 2. with a date value that is older than today's date. For a more robust overdue search query, see Examples section below. | is:Overdue |
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| CREATED LAST [num] DAYS | A keyword that finds any nodes created within a certain number of days. Replace [num] with a number. Example: CREATED LAST 7 DAYS. | CREATED LAST 3 DAYS |
| EDITED BY [user email] LAST [num] DAYS | A keyword that finds any nodes modified by a Tana user within a certain number of days. Replace [user email] with the email of the workspace member, and [num] with a number. Example: MODIFIED BY olaf@tana.inc LAST 7 DAYS. | EDITED BY USER@TANA.COM LAST 3 DAYS |
| EDITED BY [user email] ANYTIME | A keyword that finds all nodes modified by a Tana user. Example: MODIFIED BY olaf@tana.inc ANYTIME. | EDITED BY USER@TANA.COM ANYTIME |
| EDITED LAST [num] DAYS | A keyword that finds all nodes edited within a certain number of days relative to today. Example: EDITED LAST 7 DAYS. | EDITED LAST 3 DAYS |
Use these as field values:
| OPERATOR | DESCRIPTION | LINTER |
|---|---|---|
| PARENT | Use in any field. Inserts the parent node relative to the search node. Useful for finding nodes with fields that use the parent/grandparent node as a field value, such as every #author node finding all #books they're the >Author of. | fieldName==parentnodeName |
| GRANDPARENT | Use in any field. Inserts the grandparent node relative to the search node. Useful for finding nodes with fields that use the parent/grandparent node as a field value, such as every #author node finding all #books they're the >Author of. | fieldName==grandparentnodeName |
| FOR RELATIVE DATE [term] | Use in date fields only. Inserts a date relative to today. Valid terms: yesterday, today, tomorrow, last/this/next week, last/this/next month, NEW: last/this/next year. Example: FOR RELATIVE DATE next week. | Date==RelativeDate:term=yyyy-mm-dd [timezone] |
| "Set" | A system node you can use in any field. Finds nodes where this field exists and has a value. | fieldName==Set |
| "Not Set" | A system node you can use in any field. Finds nodes where this field does not exist, or has no value. Warning: will find many nodes. | fieldName==Not set |
| "Defined" | A system node you can use in any field. Finds nodes where a field is defined/used in a supertag template, but might still be empty. | HasField:fieldName |
| "Not Defined" | A system node you can use in any field. Finds nodes where a field is not defined/used in a supertag template, or does not exist. Warning: will find many nodes. | NOT HasField:fieldName |
Other than inserting the parent/grandparent node relative to the search node, these values have additional features that apply to fields and dates:
They can point to a field on the P/GP node using dot notation.
Example 1: PARENT.Description will point at the Description field on the parent.
Example 2: On a meeting node you could have a search to find other meetings for the related project of this meeting:
They can be used for date comparisons under any calendar node
Using PARENT in a search node under a week or year node can now be used for date comparisons such as “find all tasks completed this week”. These date items will get the right granularity (day vs. week/month/year)
Also, PARENT that points at a date or a day/week/year node can do simple arithmetic. PARENT-7 on a day node would get the day 7 days earlier, PARENT+3 on a week node will get a date 3 weeks in the future.
Dot notation and date arithmetic can be combined in a field value
You can combine fields with date arithmetic, so PARENT.Due date+3 will be replaced with a date 3 days ahead of the date in the Due date field.
Our Navigators have created a Tana Template full of search examples that allow you to interact with many of the operators below to see how they work. They cover the basics and will continuously be updated as we surface more useful examples from the community. Click below to save the resource in one of your Tana workspaces (opens a new tab):
Install: Tana Live Search Examples
In the query builder, see marker 4 for the location of the linter.
The linter uses simple "code" to display the query logic without the fluff of the query builder interface.
By reading the output of the linter, you'll be able to tell if your query is configured as intended or not.
You'll know because all search operators show up in the linter in very specific ways. For instance, the linter will often "transform" from one state to the other as you're adding or typing out the operators. These provide clear clues on whether the operators are correctly setup or not.
See the column "Linter" in the list of search operators for what they should appear like in the linter if properly added.
TODONOT DONEDeadline < (RelativeDate:TODAY)(TODO)(NOT DONE)(Deadline < (RelativeDate:TODAY))(TODO) AND (NOT DONE) AND (Deadline < (RelativeDate:TODAY))(TODO) AND (NOT DONE) AND (Deadline < (RelativeDate:TODAY)) AND ((Priority==P2) OR (Priority==P3)) AND (NOT Assigned to==Fei)Tana will return results up to 2500 nodes. It is recommended to add more clauses to narrow down the results, and here are a couple of different ways of doing it:
(StringMatch: "xyz")CREATED/EDITED LAST X DAYS to only get nodes that have been recently created/edited.Next up; an Attendees field can help you find all meetings that had a specific #person in them; a Dietary restriction field can find all your vegetarian recipes.Put a search node in a day supertag template that has a field referencing the PARENT (will show up as "Date: Today, Wed, Oct 18" in linter). This will create searches that find nodes with dates that refer to that day like events, tasks, birthdays.
Put a search node in a supertag template that has a field referencing the PARENT (will show up as INSTANCE in the linter). This will make searches adapt based on the instance. Example: a #person supertag with a search node that looks for all meetings where this #person has attended.
If your #tasks have checkboxes and a date field that signifies a due/do date, or deadline, you can build a query in your daily page (important) to find all tasks that are 1. unchecked, and 2. older than today. It will look like this:
The search operators CHILD OF and PARENTS DESCENDANTS are similar, but have some key differences:
PARENTS DESCENDANTS, the target node is the parent relative to the search node, and the results will match any descendant (children, grandchildren, great grandchildren etc.) of the target node, ignoring reference nodesPARENTS DESCENDANTS WITH REFS, the same as PARENTS DESCENDANTS except it includes reference nodes.Source of FAQ: Tana Community Resource Hub, rewritten for clarity
Yes you can: We have a basic syntax for this which you can read about here.
Example of a task search:
%%tana%%
- %%search%% Fei's tasks
- OR::
- [[#task]]
- [[#CS todo]]
- Assigned to::
- [[Fei-Ling Tseng]]
- NOT DONE
When I paste the above, this is the result:
You may have seen a Tana setup that had a task list on the daily notes page, or even had one from early prototypes from us, and it somehow disappeared now.
There is a simple way to get it back.
Go to any daily note, and make a search that looks for:
#task nodesNOT DONERun it to confirm it's fetching the right things.
Adjust how you want your tasks to look (Set all view options here, like Display, Group, Sort options)
Confirm changes to the view options and the query. Right-click on the title of the search, and select Move to Related content.
Here's a video showing the steps above:
To find all references in a workspace that are owned by another workspace:
1. Go to your workspace home
2. Create this search as a direct child of the workspace home node:
>NOT GRANDPARENTS DESCENDANTSTo limit the search to specific workspaces, add the system field Workspace and specify the workspaces you want to target there.
You can use regex to find this:
/.+/While there isn't a search operator to target URL nodes, they all use a system-defined node to store the URL. You can grab the field definition for it in one of the URLs. and it will retrieve all nodes that use this field, which will be mostly URL nodes.
Note that the pasting of the URL search node into the search is to limit the search to only children within that node.
Learn the basics on how to read and understand queries in Tana, so you can build your own.
Get to know all the ways you can create search nodes in Tana.
Set up a simple workflow that will cover the basics of core features like Supertags, Fields, and Search nodes.
