Search Query Syntax
Learn about basic filtering operations
Basic Search
When multiple keywords are entered, for example logo
, design
, website
, the search engine finds projects containing any of these words in the title, description, or skills. To customize the search scope, use the checkboxes under ‘Advanced Keywords Options’ to enable/disable searching within title, description, or skills fields.
All Keywords Search
To find projects that contain all of your keywords, use the AND
operator between words:
logo AND design AND website
- Must include all three wordsreact AND developer
- Must include both “react” and “developer”
Wildcards
Use *
to match variations of a word:
develop*
- Matches “developer”, “development”, “developing”, etc.
Exact Phrases
Use quotes for exact phrase matches:
"website design"
- Finds the exact phrase “website design”
Must-Include Terms
Use the +
symbol before any word that must be present. For example:
+website +design logo
- Must include both “website” and “design”, “logo” is optional
Excluded Terms
Use the -
symbol to exclude specific terms. For example:
+developer -wordpress
- Must include “developer” but exclude projects with “wordpress”
Advanced Mode
Advanced Search Mode provides the same functionality as Basic Search, but uses a text field instead of tags for greater control and visibility. This makes it easier to:
- Write and edit complex queries
- See your entire search at once
- Copy and save queries for later use
- Fine-tune your search terms
To enable Advanced Mode, click on the ‘Advanced Keywords Options’ and select ‘Advanced Search Mode’. This will switch you to single search field.
All instructions from Basic Search work in Advanced Mode:
Operation | Example | Description |
---|---|---|
AND operator | logo AND design AND website | Finds projects containing all specified terms |
Must-include (+) | +website +design logo | Terms with + must be present, others optional |
Exclude (-) | +developer -wordpress | Excludes projects containing terms with - |
Wildcards (*) | develop* | Matches variations like “developer”, “development” |
Exact phrases | "website design" | Matches the exact phrase in order |
Default Search Behavior
By default, all terms are optional. By entering app design mobile
you’ll find projects that contain any of these words.
More Advanced Operators
Advanced Mode adds these powerful features:
Search by Field
You can search within specific fields using field prefixes:
Available fields:
title:
- Search in project titlesdescription:
- Search in project descriptionsskills:
- Search in required skills
Examples:
title:wordpress AND skills:php
- Find WordPress in projects title and PHP in Skillsdescription:"mobile app" AND NOT skills:flutter
- Find “mobile app” in projects descriptions and Skills doesn’t contain Flutterskills:(react OR vue) AND title:frontend
- Find frontend in projects title and Skills contains React or Vue
Boolean Operators
You can use AND, OR, NOT for complex queries:
Examples:
mobile OR web
ui AND design NOT wordpress
Grouping Terms
Use parentheses to group terms and create sub-queries:
Examples:
(frontend OR backend) AND (react OR node)
(ui OR ux) AND mobile AND NOT (wordpress OR shopify)
Pro Tips
- Always use parentheses when combining different operators
- You can mix basic and advanced syntax:
"react (vue OR angular)"
- Group similar alternatives within parentheses
- Start simple and add complexity as needed