Filter

Filtering narrows a table to the records that match a condition. XPortal gives you a quick search, a filter control inside each column header, and a full Filter editor for combining conditions.

The three ways to narrow a table

The table updates only when the condition is complete and valid. An unfinished value is not a reliable filter and should be completed or removed before you interpret the results.

Search

Use the search field at the top of a table when you are looking for a name, identifier, email address, or another piece of text quickly.

Search is useful for discovery, but it is intentionally broad. It does not explain the rule that produced the result as clearly as a structured filter does. When another person needs to repeat your work, or when the result will be exported, use the Filter control and leave the condition visible.

Filter one column from its header

Each supported column has a small filter button in its header. The button is usually hidden until you hover over or focus the column header, as shown in the table reference.

Create the Column → Action → Value unit

1. Move your pointer over the column header. The column actions become visible.

2. Select the small filter button with the funnel icon.

3. XPortal exposes a single filter unit for that column:

   Column → Action → Value

4. Choose the action, such as contains, equals, is any of, after, or between.

5. Enter or choose the value. For some actions, no value is needed, such as is empty, is not empty, is true, or is false.

6. Review the active filter indicator and the rows returned by the table.

The column header unit is intentionally small and focused. It represents one condition for one column. It does not provide a place to add another condition beside it, and it does not let you chain header conditions with AND or OR in the header itself.

When the header filter is the right choice

Use it when the question is simple:

• First Name contains “Sam”
• Status is “Active”
• Created At after 1 January 2026
• Outstanding Balance greater than 0
• Orientation Completed is false

When the question involves multiple columns, return to the table's Filter button.

Build a combined filter with the Filter button

The Filter button opens the full filter editor. It is the place to combine several Column → Action → Value units into one query.

Add a condition

1. Select Filter in the table toolbar.
2. Select Add filter.
3. Choose the column you want to use.
4. Choose the action for that column.
5. Enter the value or values required by that action.
6. Select Add filter again to add another condition.

The editor lays the conditions out as a chain. After the first condition, each condition has a connector that you can set to AND or OR.

AND and OR

• AND means both sides must match.
• OR means either side may match.

For example:

Status is Active AND Program contains Health

returns students who are active and whose program contains “Health”.

Status is Active OR Program contains Health

returns students who are active, students whose program contains “Health”, or students who match both.

The connector belongs to the condition that follows it. Read the chain from left to right so you can see how each new condition joins the result already built.

How evaluation order works

XPortal evaluates an ungrouped filter chain from left to right. It does not automatically give every AND higher precedence than every OR.

Let:

• A = Status is Active
• B = Location is Brisbane
• C = Orientation Completed is true

This chain:

A OR B AND C

is evaluated as:

(A OR B) AND C

The result of A OR B is created first, then C is applied to that result. If your intended meaning is different, use brackets rather than relying on the reader to infer your intention.

Group expressions with brackets

The Filter editor lets you group adjacent filter units so that the group is evaluated first. This is the filtering equivalent of putting parentheses around part of a mathematical expression.

Example: change the meaning of a chain

Suppose you want:

Show students who are active, or who are in Brisbane and have completed orientation.

The intended expression is:

A OR (B AND C)

To build it:

1. Add Status is Active.
2. Add Location is Brisbane and set its connector to OR.
3. Add Orientation Completed is true and set its connector to AND.
4. Select Group filters.
5. Select the adjacent Location and Orientation Completed units.
6. Select Wrap in brackets.
7. Confirm that the editor now shows the group around B AND C.
8. Select Apply filters.

The resulting expression is A OR (B AND C), not (A OR B) AND C.

Grouping rules

• You must select at least two filter units.
• The selected units must be adjacent in the chain.
• The bracketed group is evaluated before it joins the surrounding chain.
• You can remove a group by selecting either bracket.
• The Filter editor supports nested groups where the filter structure allows them.
• Grouping does not change the meaning of a condition; it changes when that condition is evaluated.

Choose the right action for the data type

The middle cell in the filter unit is the Action menu. It is not a free-text instruction: XPortal chooses the available actions from the column's data type, so the action and the value editor always agree.

The seven column data types

XPortal currently defines seven filter data types. Integer, decimal, currency, and percentage are number display formats, not separate filter types; they use the same numeric actions.

The same action label can appear for different data types but still mean something type-specific. For example, between on a number checks a numeric interval; between on a date checks a calendar interval; and duration between on a date range checks the length of the span.

String actions

String columns hold free-form text. Text matching follows the column's matching settings, which can include case sensitivity, trimming surrounding whitespace, accent sensitivity, and a fuzzy similarity threshold.

Comparison

Text

Pattern matching

Lists

Length

Length actions compare the number of characters in the column after the configured whitespace handling is applied.

Presence

Enum actions

Enum columns use a controlled list of options. Choose the option shown by XPortal rather than typing a spelling variation. This is the usual type for statuses, salutations, genders, locations, and other finite choices.

Selection

Presence

Enum columns also support is empty and is not empty. Use these when the question is whether an option has been recorded, not which option it is.

Boolean actions

Boolean columns represent a yes/no fact. The action itself supplies the value, so the Value cell does not need a separate input.

is false and is empty are different. A missing answer is not the same as a recorded false answer.

Number actions

Number columns can be formatted as integer, decimal, currency, or percentage, but all four use the numeric action menu. The formatting changes how the value is displayed; it does not change the comparison rules.

Comparison

Range

Lists

Presence

Number columns support is empty and is not empty. A zero is a value, so it is not empty.

Date actions

Date columns represent one calendar date. XPortal evaluates dates in the application's configured Australia/Brisbane date context and lets you use absolute dates, named presets, or relative dates.

Calendar date

Relative date

The date picker also provides presets such as today, yesterday, tomorrow, the start or end of this week, month, quarter, or year.

Presence

Date columns support is empty and is not empty. A missing date is not matched by a comparison such as not on; use is not empty when presence is what matters.

Date-range actions

Date-range columns contain a start and end date. These actions compare the stored span with a date or another span.

Range relationship

Start date

These actions compare only the start of the stored range:

End date

These actions compare only the end of the stored range:

Duration

Duration actions compare the length of the stored range. The available units are days, weeks, months, and years.

Presence

Date-range columns support is empty and is not empty. Use these when the range itself has not been recorded or has been recorded, regardless of its length.

Multiple-value actions

Multiple-value columns store a set or list inside one field. XPortal normalizes the individual values before comparing them, so the actions below are about membership in that set, not about substring matching across the whole display string.

Membership

Set comparison

Item count

Count actions compare the number of distinct normalized values in the set:

Presence

Multiple-value columns support is empty and is not empty. An empty set is different from a set containing one value.

What appears in the Value cell

The Action determines the kind of control that appears in the third cell:

If the Value cell says Set value…, the filter is not ready. Complete it before applying the filter.

How “not” actions treat missing values

For most data types, a missing value is not treated as a successful not equals, does not contain, or other negative comparison. Use is empty or is not empty when you need to include or exclude missing values deliberately. This keeps “different from X” separate from “not provided”.

Enter values carefully

Text values

Text filters can expose matching options such as case sensitivity, trimming surrounding whitespace, accent sensitivity, and fuzzy similarity. Use the simplest matching option that answers the question. Regex, wildcard, and fuzzy matching are powerful, but they can return more records than a simple contains or equals action.

Lists and status values

For a status or another finite list, select the canonical option rather than typing a variation. Use is any of when several values are acceptable and is none of when they should all be excluded.

Numbers and ranges

For a range, enter a lower bound, an upper bound, or both. Check whether each boundary is inclusive or exclusive. For example, “at least 10” includes 10, while “greater than 10” does not.

Dates

Absolute dates answer questions about a known calendar date. Relative dates answer questions that should move with time, such as “in the next 30 days” or “in the last 3 months”. Use a relative action for a recurring work queue so you do not have to edit the date every morning.

Apply, clear, and review filters

The full Filter editor keeps changes as a draft while you work:

• Select Apply filters to apply the complete chain to the table.
• Select Cancel to close the editor without applying the draft changes.
• Select Clear all to remove the filters in the editor.
• Use the active filter count on the Filter button as a reminder that the table is restricted.
• Review the table after applying filters; a correct expression can still return zero rows if no records match it.

When you open a previously configured filter, review the column, action, value, connectors, and brackets as one expression. Changing one part can change the result substantially.

Filter checklist

• Are you filtering the correct page, organisation, and row type?
• Did you choose the correct column rather than a similarly named field?
• Does the action match the value type?
• Does the value use the exact status or option required?
• Should the next condition use AND or OR?
• Does the expression need brackets?
• Did you apply the filter after reviewing the whole chain?
• If you export next, did you check the resulting row count and visible columns? See Export.