Skip to main content

Advanced Search

Open Register provides powerful search capabilities that allow filtering objects based on their properties using a flexible query syntax.

Overview​

The search system enables you to filter objects using query parameters. However, it's important to note that this approach is limited by the maximum URL length supported by browsers and servers (typically 2,048 characters for most browsers).

For more complex queries that exceed URL length limitations, we are planning to implement GraphQL support in the future. This would enable:

  • Deeply nested queries
  • Complex filtering logic
  • Precise field selection
  • Batch operations
  • Real-time subscriptions

Note: GraphQL implementation is currently pending funding. If you're interested in supporting this feature, please contact us.

In the meantime, here are the available search capabilities using URL parameters:

OperatorDescriptionExample
=Equals (case insensitive)name=nemo
!=Not equals (case insensitive)name[!=]=nemo
>Greater thanage[>]=5
<Less thanweight[<]=10
>=Greater than or equalage[>=]=2
<=Less than or equalage[<=]=10
~Contains (case insensitive)name[~]=ne
^Starts with (case insensitive)name[^]=ne
$Ends with (case insensitive)name[$]=mo
===Equals (case sensitive)name[===]=Nemo
existsProperty exists checkmicrochip[exists]=true
emptyEmpty value checknotes[empty]=true
nullNull value checkowner[null]=true

Full Text Search​

The _search parameter allows searching across all text properties of objects in a case-insensitive way:

GET /api/pets?_search=nemo

This searches for "nemo" in all text fields like name, description, notes etc.

You can use wildcards in the search term:

  • * matches zero or more characters GET /api/pets?_search=ne*o Matches "nemo", "negro", "neuro" etc.

  • ? matches exactly one character GET /api/pets?_search=ne?o Matches "nemo", "nero" but not "neuro"

Pattern Matching​

  • ^ matches start of text GET /api/pets?_search=^ne Matches text starting with "ne"

  • $ matches end of text GET /api/pets?_search=mo$ Matches text ending with "mo"

Use quotes for exact phrase matching: GET /api/pets?_search="orange fish" Matches the exact phrase "orange fish"

Simple equals search (case insensitive): GET /api/pets?name=nemo

This returns all pets named "nemo", "Nemo", "NEMO", etc.

Case sensitive search: GET /api/pets?name[===]=Nemo

This returns only pets named exactly "Nemo".

Comparison Operators​

Not Equals (!=)​

GET /api/pets?name[!=]=nemo Returns all pets NOT named "nemo" (case insensitive)

Greater Than (>)​

GET /api/pets?age[>]=5 Returns pets older than 5 years

Less Than (<)​

GET /api/pets?weight[<]=10 Returns pets weighing less than 10kg

Greater Than or Equal (>=)​

GET /api/pets?age[>=]=2 Returns pets 2 years or older

Less Than or Equal (<=)​

GET /api/pets?age[<=]=10 Returns pets 10 years or younger

Contains (~)​

GET /api/pets?name[~]=ne Returns pets with "ne" in their name (like "nemo", "nero", "Nemo", etc) - case insensitive

Starts With (^)​

GET /api/pets?name[^]=ne Returns pets whose names start with "ne" (case insensitive)

Ends With ($)​

GET /api/pets?name[$]=mo Returns pets whose names end with "mo" (case insensitive)

Combining Multiple Conditions​

AND Operations​

GET /api/pets?name=nemo&type=fish Returns pets named "nemo" (case insensitive) AND of type "fish"

OR Operations​

GET /api/pets?name[]=nemo&name[]=dory Returns pets named either "nemo" OR "dory" (case insensitive)

Special Filters​

Exists Check​

GET /api/pets?microchip[exists]=true Returns pets that have a microchip property

Empty Check​

GET /api/pets?notes[empty]=true Returns pets with empty notes

Null Check​

GET /api/pets?owner[null]=true Returns pets with no owner

Between Range​

GET /api/pets?age[>=]=2&age[<=]=5 Returns pets between 2 and 5 years old (inclusive)

GET /api/pets?age[>]=2&age[<]=5 Returns pets between 2 and 5 years old (exclusive)

Searching Nested Properties​

GET /api/pets?owner.city=Amsterdam Returns pets whose owners live in Amsterdam (case insensitive)

GET /api/pets?vaccinations.date[>]=2023-01-01 Returns pets with vaccinations after January 1st, 2023

Best Practices​

  1. Use URL encoding for special characters
  2. Keep queries focused and specific
  3. Use pagination for large result sets
  4. Consider URL length limitations
  5. Break complex queries into multiple requests if needed