Mastering Advanced Search

Learn to find anything in your knowledge base instantly using Lokus’s powerful search features, from basic queries to advanced quantum search.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to:

• Use search operators for precise queries
• Apply filters to narrow results
• Write regex patterns for complex searches
• Use quantum search for fuzzy matching
• Create and save custom searches
• Search across metadata and properties
• Use search modifiers and flags
• Build complex search queries
• Optimize search performance

Prerequisites

• Completed Building Your First Workspace or have an existing workspace
• Some notes to search through (at least 10-20)
• Basic familiarity with regular expressions (helpful but not required)
• 25 minutes of focused time

Time Estimate

25 minutes - Master search and find anything instantly

Understanding Lokus Search

Before diving into advanced features, let’s understand how search works.

Search Architecture

Lokus uses a multi-layered search system:

1. Quick Search: Fast text matching (Cmd/Ctrl + F)
2. Full-Text Search: Comprehensive content search
3. Quantum Search: Fuzzy matching with AI-powered relevance
4. Metadata Search: Search properties and frontmatter
5. Structured Search: Query bases and structured data

Search Index

Lokus maintains a search index that updates in real-time:

• Content: All note text content
• Metadata: Frontmatter, tags, properties
• Links: Wikilinks and backlinks
• Structure: Headings, lists, tables
• Files: File names and paths

Note: Info: The search index rebuilds automatically when you add, edit, or delete notes. Large workspaces may take a few seconds to reindex.

Step 1: Basic Search Operators

Let’s start with fundamental search operators.

1.1 Text Search

Simple word search:

habit

Finds notes containing “habit”

Phrase search (exact match):

"atomic habits"

Finds exact phrase “atomic habits”

Multiple words (AND):

habit building

Finds notes containing both “habit” AND “building”

1.2 Boolean Operators

OR operator:

habit OR routine

Finds notes containing either word

NOT operator:

habit -routine

Finds “habit” but excludes notes with “routine”

Complex combinations:

(habit OR routine) AND building -productivity

Finds notes about habit/routine building, excluding productivity

Note: Pro Tip: Use parentheses to control operator precedence, just like math: (A OR B) AND C is different from A OR (B AND C).

1.3 Wildcard Search

Asterisk wildcard (*):

habit*

Matches: habit, habits, habitual, habitually

Question mark wildcard (?):

wom?n

Matches: woman, women

Multiple wildcards:

habit* AND build*

Matches: habits building, habitual builder, etc.

Step 2: Field-Specific Search

Search within specific note properties.

2.1 Common Fields

Title search:

title:"project management"

Searches only in note titles

Content search:

content:zettelkasten

Searches only in note content (excludes titles, metadata)

Tag search:

tag:habits
tag:#productivity

Finds notes with specific tags

Path search:

path:Projects/

Finds notes in specific folder

2.2 Metadata Search

Date created:

created:2024-01-15
created:>2024-01-01
created:<2024-02-01

Date modified:

modified:today
modified:yesterday
modified:this-week
modified:>7days

Author search:

author:"John Doe"

Custom fields:

status:active
priority:high
project:"Website Redesign"

2.3 Combining Field Searches

tag:habits AND created:>2024-01-01 AND title:atomic

Finds habit-tagged notes created this year with “atomic” in title

Note: Pro Tip: Use field searches to quickly filter large result sets. Start broad, then add field constraints to narrow down.

Step 3: Advanced Operators

Powerful operators for precise queries.

3.1 Proximity Search

NEAR operator:

habit NEAR building
habit NEAR/5 building

Finds “habit” and “building” near each other (within 5 words)

BEFORE/AFTER:

system BEFORE thinking
cause AFTER effect

Finds words in specific order

3.2 Numeric Operators

Greater than/less than:

wordcount:>1000
wordcount:<500
wordcount:500..2000

Exact match:

wordcount:1500

Range:

created:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-01-31]
priority:[1 TO 5]

3.3 Special Operators

Has operator:

has:tag
has:backlinks
has:frontmatter
has:image
has:code
has:table

Is operator:

is:favorite
is:pinned
is:archived
is:unlinked
is:orphan

Count operator:

backlinks:>10
links:5
tags:>3

3.4 Fuzzy Search

Tilde (~) for fuzzy matching:

habbit~

Matches: habit (allows 1 edit distance)

Custom edit distance:

habbit~2

Allows up to 2 character differences

Step 4: Regular Expressions

Use regex for pattern-based searching.

4.1 Basic Regex

Enable regex mode:

/pattern/

Common patterns:

/\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}/        # Dates: 2024-01-15
/[A-Z]{2,}/                 # Acronyms: API, REST, CRUD
/https?:\/\/[^\s]+/         # URLs
/\b[A-Z][a-z]+\b/          # Capitalized words

4.2 Practical Regex Searches

Find TODO items:

/- \[ \] .+/

Find headers:

/^#{1,6}\s.+$/

Find email addresses:

/[\w.-]+@[\w.-]+\.\w+/

Find wikilinks:

/\[\[[^\]]+\]\]/

Find phone numbers:

/\(?\d{3}\)?[-.\s]?\d{3}[-.\s]?\d{4}/

4.3 Regex with Field Search

Combine regex with field operators:

title:/Project \d+/
content:/TODO|FIXME|HACK/
tag:/^dev-.*/

Note: Warning: Complex regex patterns can slow down search. Test on small result sets first, then expand.

Step 5: Quantum Search

Lokus’s AI-powered semantic search.

5.1 What is Quantum Search?

Quantum Search uses machine learning to find semantically related content, not just keyword matches.

Traditional search:

habit building

Finds notes containing those exact words

Quantum search:

~habit building

Finds notes about: habits, routines, behavior change, consistency, discipline, etc.

5.2 Semantic Queries

Concept search:

~learning effectively

Finds: study techniques, memory, spaced repetition, note-taking methods

Question search:

~how to stay motivated?

Finds relevant answers even if question isn’t explicitly stated

Context search:

~productivity in remote work

Understands context and finds related concepts

5.3 Similarity Search

Find similar notes:

similar:[[Note Title]]

Finds notes similar to the specified note

Find related:

related:current

Finds notes related to currently open note

5.4 Quantum Search Settings

Configure in Settings → Search → Quantum:

• Sensitivity: How loosely to match (0-100)
• Context window: How much text to consider
• Relevance threshold: Minimum match score
• Max results: Limit quantum results

Note: Info: Quantum search requires an active internet connection and processes queries server-side for privacy-respecting AI analysis.

Step 6: Search Filters

Narrow results with powerful filters.

6.1 Quick Filters

Filter panel (click funnel icon in search):

• File type: Notes, Images, PDFs, All
• Date range: Today, This week, This month, Custom
• Tags: Select from tag list
• Folder: Select from folder tree
• Has property: Frontmatter, Tags, Links, etc.

6.2 Saved Filters

Create reusable filter combinations:

1. Build your search query
2. Apply desired filters
3. Click “Save Filter”
4. Name it: “Recent Project Notes”

Example saved filters:

Name: Active Projects
Query: tag:project AND status:active AND modified:>30days

Name: Unlinked Notes
Query: is:orphan AND created:>7days

Name: High Priority Tasks
Query: tag:todo AND priority:high AND due:<7days

Name: Long Form Content
Query: wordcount:>2000 AND tag:writing

6.3 Filter Combinations

Stack filters for precise results:

Base query: productivity
+ Filter: tag:habits
+ Filter: created:this-month
+ Filter: has:backlinks
+ Sort: modified (newest first)

Step 7: Search Views and Sorting

Control how results are displayed.

7.1 View Modes

List view:

• Compact list of matching notes
• Shows title and snippet
• Fast scanning

Card view:

• Rich cards with metadata
• Shows tags, dates, properties
• Visual browsing

Table view:

• Spreadsheet-like display
• Sortable columns
• Bulk actions

Graph view:

• Visual network of results
• Shows connections
• Cluster analysis

7.2 Sort Options

Sort results by:

• Relevance: Best matches first (default)
• Title: Alphabetical
• Created: Newest/oldest first
• Modified: Recently updated
• Word count: Longest/shortest
• Backlinks: Most connected
• Custom field: Any metadata property

7.3 Grouping

Group results by:

• Folder: Organize by location
• Tag: Group by tags
• Date: Group by creation/modification date
• Property: Any custom field

Example:

Search: tag:project
Group by: status
Sort by: priority (descending)

Results:
- Active (5)
  - Project Alpha (high)
  - Project Beta (medium)
- On Hold (2)
- Completed (12)

Step 8: Search in Context

Search within specific contexts.

8.1 Scope Search

Search in current folder:

path:"Projects/" productivity

Search in subtree:

path:"Projects/**" productivity

Exclude folders:

productivity -path:"Archive/"

8.2 Link Context Search

Search backlinks:

backlinks:[[Atomic Habits]]

Search forward links:

links-to:[[Project Management]]

Search link network:

connected:[[Zettelkasten]]

Finds all notes in the same link network

8.3 Temporal Context

Recent activity:

modified:today
modified:this-week
created:this-month

Historical search:

created:[2023-01-01 TO 2023-12-31]

Relative dates:

modified:>30days      # Modified in last 30 days
created:<90days       # Created more than 90 days ago

Step 9: Advanced Search Techniques

Power user techniques.

9.1 Multi-Step Search

Progressive refinement:

Step 1: habit
Results: 234 notes

Step 2: habit AND (building OR formation)
Results: 87 notes

Step 3: habit AND (building OR formation) AND tag:personal-development
Results: 23 notes

Step 4: Add filter: created:>2024-01-01
Results: 8 notes

9.2 Search Macros

Create search shortcuts:

Settings → Search → Macros:

Macro: recent
Expands to: modified:>7days

Macro: todo
Expands to: content:/- \[ \]/ AND -tag:archive

Macro: long
Expands to: wordcount:>2000

Usage:
recent todo         # Recently modified todos
long tag:essay      # Long essay notes

9.3 Search Templates

Save complex search patterns:

Template: Project Status
Query: tag:project AND status:{{status}} AND owner:{{owner}}
Variables: status, owner

Template: Reading Queue
Query: tag:reading AND status:unread AND priority:{{priority}}
Variables: priority

9.4 Embedded Search

Use search in notes:

# My Dashboard
 
## Recent Activity
```query
modified:>7days
```
 
## Unfinished Tasks
```query
content:/- \[ \]/ AND -tag:done
sort: due
```
 
## Most Connected Notes
```query
backlinks:>10
sort: backlinks desc
limit: 10
```

Note: Pro Tip: Embedded search queries update dynamically. Use them to create living dashboards that always show current data.

Step 10: Search Performance Optimization

Make searches faster and more efficient.

10.1 Query Optimization

Do: -Use field searches to narrow scope -Put most restrictive terms first -Use exact phrases when possible -Limit wildcard usage

Don’t:

• Start queries with wildcards (*term)
• Use too many OR operators
• Over-use regex for simple searches
• Search without any constraints

10.2 Index Management

Reindex workspace:

Settings → Search → Rebuild Index

When to reindex:

• After importing many notes
• If search results seem incorrect
• After major Lokus updates
• Monthly maintenance

10.3 Search Settings

Optimize in Settings → Search:

• Index depth: Balance speed vs. completeness
• Cache size: More cache = faster repeated searches
• Async indexing: Index in background
• Excluded folders: Don’t index archives

10.4 Performance Tips

Large workspaces (>10,000 notes):

1. Use specific field searches
2. Search within folders
3. Exclude archived content
4. Use saved searches
5. Enable async indexing
6. Increase cache size

Example optimized search:

# Slow (searches everything)
productivity

# Fast (narrow scope)
path:"Active Projects/" AND tag:productivity AND modified:>30days

Real-World Search Scenarios

Practical examples for common tasks.

Scenario 1: Finding Old Ideas

Goal: Find notes about habits from last year

tag:ideas AND content:habit* AND created:[2023-01-01 TO 2023-12-31]

Scenario 2: Research Review

Goal: Find all literature notes not yet processed

tag:literature AND -tag:processed AND created:>30days
sort: created asc

Scenario 3: Content Audit

Goal: Find long, unlinked notes that might need backlinks

wordcount:>1500 AND is:orphan AND -path:"Archive/"
sort: wordcount desc

Scenario 4: Project Cleanup

Goal: Find stale project notes to archive

tag:project AND status:active AND modified:<90days
sort: modified asc

Scenario 5: Knowledge Gaps

Goal: Find topics mentioned but not expanded

# Find brackets without corresponding notes
content:/\[\[[^\]]+\]\]/ AND is:orphan

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master search with keyboard shortcuts.

Essential Shortcuts

Advanced Shortcuts

Tips and Best Practices

Do’s

Start broad, then narrow: Begin with simple query, refine with filters

Use field searches: Much faster than full-text search

Save frequent searches: Don’t retype complex queries

Learn regex basics: Powerful for pattern matching

Use quantum for concepts: Great for exploring related ideas

Test on small sets: Verify query works before expanding scope

Don’ts

Don’t over-complicate: Simple searches work for most cases

Don’t start with wildcard: *term is very slow

Don’t ignore errors: Red underlines indicate syntax problems

Don’t search without thinking: Formulate query before typing

Don’t forget operators: Use AND/OR/NOT explicitly

Troubleshooting

No Results Found

Check:

1. Spelling and typos
2. Case sensitivity settings
3. Field search syntax
4. Excluded folders
5. Active filters

Try:

• Simplify query
• Use wildcards
• Check if notes actually exist
• Rebuild search index

Too Many Results

Solutions:

• Add field constraints
• Use AND operators
• Apply filters
• Increase specificity
• Use exact phrases

Slow Search

Fixes:

1. Narrow scope with path:
2. Avoid leading wildcards
3. Use field searches
4. Rebuild index
5. Increase cache size
6. Exclude archives

Unexpected Results

Verify:

• Operator precedence (use parentheses)
• Field syntax is correct
• Regex is escaped properly
• Filters are applied
• Sort order is as expected

Next Steps

You’re now a search master! Here’s what to do next:

This Week

• Practice search operators daily
• Create 3-5 saved searches for common queries
• Try quantum search for exploration
• Set up search macros for your workflow

This Month

• Learn basic regex patterns
• Create embedded search dashboards
• Optimize your search settings
• Share search tips with others

Continue Learning

• Next Tutorial: Content Creation Pipeline - Use search to power your writing
• Related: Zettelkasten System - Search is crucial for networked notes
• Advanced: Plugin Development - Build custom search features

Summary

In this tutorial, you learned:

Basic and advanced search operators (AND, OR, NOT, wildcards) Field-specific searching (title, content, tags, metadata) Advanced operators (proximity, numeric, special) Regular expressions for pattern matching Quantum search for semantic queries Search filters and saved searches View modes and result sorting Context-aware searching Performance optimization Real-world search scenarios

You can now find anything in your knowledge base within seconds, no matter how large it grows. Effective search is the foundation of a powerful knowledge management system.

Happy searching!

Resources:

• Search Syntax Reference
• Regular Expressions Guide
• Quantum Search Documentation
• Search API for Plugins

Estimated Completion Time: 25 minutes Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate Last Updated: January 2024