File Search Options
While the two most common file searches in Legistar include searching by number and searching by key words (shown below in the Files function), Legistar search capabilities are unlimited: users can enter data into one or more fields to create a customized search.
Search using a single field
A few basic examples of ways that you can use this function are listed below. Select the Files function and select Clear to start.
- To find files created by a specific staff person: Enter their email address on the Details tab and select the Search button
- To find files sponsored by an individual, board or department: Select Edit in the Sponsors field on the Associations tab, make a selection, and select the Search button
- To find files with attachments that include a specific word in the name: Select the Attachments tab and enter the word into the Name field, and select the Search button
Custom searches using multiple fields
You can run more advanced searches by entering data into multiple fields.
Find files referred to your committee
One useful example is running a search to generate a list of the files referred by the Common Council to your BCC. This is a helpful search to use when reviewing the draft agenda for your BCC, to make sure all of the files have been included on the draft agenda.
Summary steps
Select the Files function and select Clear to start.
- Select the History tab and add the name of your BCC to the Sent To field.
- Add date information to the CC Agenda Date field to limit the results. Using this field also eliminates files that never went before the Common Council.
- Add NO DATE to the Final Action field to only include files still awaiting final action by the Common Council.
Steps in detail
Select the Files function and select Clear to start.
To get a list of files that have been sent to your BCC, add the name of your BCC to the Sent To field in the History tab. Urban Design Commission has been added in the example provided below.
If you run the search with just this parameter, you will get a list of all files sent to your BCC, including files which didn’t go through the Common Council as well as files with a final action. In the example provided, the search returned 511 files.
To get a list of files that have been sent to your BCC by the Common Council, add a date range to the CC Agenda Date field, such as 1/1/2024 to 1/28/2025 as shown in the example below.
If you run the search with the two parameters indicated, you will get a list of all files sent to your BCC by the Common Council, including files currently referred as well as files with a final action. A search with these two parameters returned 9 files.
NOTE: See Search using Date Fields for more options when conducting searches which use this field.
To get a list of files currently referred to your BCC by the Common Council, excluding files with final actions, add NO DATE to the Final Action field as shown below.
A search with the three parameters shown returned 2 files, and those files are currently referred to the Urban Design Commission by the Common Council.
These are just a few examples of the types of searches you can run in Legistar, but the options and combinations using the Files search function are unlimited. Additionally, there are other search features available using Advanced search in the web application as well as the Search function in the desktop application. Each search type has different advantages. Experiment with the different search functions and reach out if you need help narrowing a search.