Finding and Filtering Records
Search, filter, sort and group your records
As a collection grows, finding the handful of records you need gets harder. Kinabase gives you three ways to narrow things down: search for a record by name or content, apply a Filter
1. Global search
Search lets you find records, tasks and activities from anywhere in Kinabase. Results are grouped by collection and ranked by relevance, with ID matches and names or secondary labels that begin with your search shown ahead of weaker matches. Recently opened records and recency help order equally relevant results.
1. Open global search
Click the search bar in the navigation bar, or press Command + K (Mac) / Ctrl + K (Windows).
2. Type your query
Enter at least two characters from a record name, secondary label or ID, or search for a matching task or activity. Up to 20 search results appear across the collections you have permission to access.
To search one collection, enter in:, the collection name and your search term. For example, in:projects greenfield searches only Projects.
3. Select a result
Select a result to open it. Each matching collection group also includes actions such as See all results in Projects, View Projects with filter and Add a new Projects chart. See all results in Projects opens the full collection list with your search already applied; the other actions generate filter or chart suggestions.
Searches that lead to a selected result or action appear under Recent Searches the next time you use the search bar.
Use quotation marks (e.g.
"Exact Name") to search for an exact match.
2. Searching within a collection
To search only the records you're currently looking at, use the local search box instead of the global search.
1. Open the collection
Select the collection you want to search from the sidebar.
2. Type in the search box
Type your query in the search box in the top-right of the collection screen. The list updates immediately to show only matching records.
3. Clear the search
Click the X in the search box to reset the list and see every record again.
3. Filtering records
A filter narrows a collection list down to records that match one or more conditions, for example "Status is Active". Filters you build this way are temporary - they reset when you leave the collection, unless you save them as a View
1. Open the filter builder
Within a collection, click the filter icon to show the filter bar, then click Add filter.
2. Select a field
Choose the field you want to filter by, for example Status or Priority.
3. Set the condition
Choose an operator and value for the condition, for example "is" Active. The operators on offer depend on the field's type - see Filters and sorting for the full list.
4. Review the results
The list updates as soon as you set the condition, showing only matching records.
5. Add further conditions
Click Add filter again to combine more conditions, for example "Due Date is in the past", to narrow the results further.
You can filter by the character count of a text field. Look for the "Field Name - Length" option in the field dropdown.
6. Start from a column header
In Table or Timeline, right-click a column header and select Filter. The filter bar opens with that field ready, so you can set the condition straight away. For an address, select the part first, such as City or Country. This also works on relationship tabs inside a record and on the Colleagues list.
Filtering by relationship
When records in a collection link to other records - including records in the same collection, such as a parent/child structure - you can filter by which records they connect to.
1. Select a relationship option
In the Add filter dropdown, select a connection such as Has Parent to find records linked through a particular field.
2. Select the anchor records
Search for and tick up to 500 records to anchor the filter.
3. Turn on Match at any level
When the relationship points back to the same collection, such as a Parent Project or Manager field, tick Match at any level to include indirect connections through a chain of that relationship.
4. Apply the filter
Click Add to apply a new filter, or Save if you're editing an existing one. The filter bar summarises the rule, for example "Parent is Project Alpha at any level".
Relationship filters work the same way in views, reports, dashboards and automation conditions.
Filtering with AI
1. Describe what you want
In the search bar, type your request in plain language, for example "show me the active projects due this week".
2. Let Kinabase build the filter
Kinabase's AI interprets your request and applies the matching filter conditions automatically.
3. Review the results
Check the filtered records that appear, and adjust the filter manually if you need to refine it further.
4. Sorting records
Click any column header in a collection list to sort by that field. Click it again to reverse the direction. You can also right-click the header and select Sort. The active view's default sort applies until you choose a different column.
5. Grouping records
Group by clusters records in a list by a shared value, so you can see trends and manage related records together - for example, grouping by Stage
1. Open Group by
In the collection toolbar, click the Group by select box.
2. Choose a field
Select the field you want to group by. Text, option and yes/no fields group by their exact value; date fields let you choose a precision, such as month or year.
3. Clear grouping
Select Off in the same box to return to a flat list.
4. Group from a column header
In Table, right-click a column header and select Group. For a date, select a precision such as Day, Month or Year; for an address, select City, County, Region or Country. The grouping in use shows a tick - select it again to turn grouping off.
6. Setting column widths
In Table or Timeline, drag the edge of a column header to resize it, or right-click the header and select Column width:
- Size to fit - fit the column to its content.
- Fill remaining space - give the column any spare room in the table. Select it again to turn it off.
- Reset width - let the column size itself again. You can also double-click the edge of the header.
- Size all columns to fit and Reset all widths - do the same for every column at once.
Widths are saved in your browser for the view you set them on, so each person keeps their own layout without changing what anyone else sees. On the Colleagues list, which has no saved views, widths last only while the page stays open.
When Kinabase sizes columns automatically, the Primary Field
Search, filters, sorting and grouping work together - use search for a specific record, filters to define a subset, and sorting or grouping to organise what's left. When you find a combination you'll want again, save it as a view.
Need more help? Ask your System admin, or contact our support team via Help & Support.