Skip to main content
Question

Search API: Exact Match on a Metadata Field

  • May 22, 2025
  • 4 replies
  • 10 views
C
Forum|alt.badge.img

I found this thread to be useful when pointing out that adding quotes to an API search will make that search term "exact"

https://community.box.com/t5/Box-Developer-Forum/Is-there-a-way-to-do-an-quot-exact-quot-search/m-p/21099#M789

 

I've found that this works very well with a keyword search but found that it didn't hold up when applied to exact matches on Metadata Fields. It appears as though metadata fields still do partial matching even with escaped double quotes being used.

 

Is there a different technique when searching on a Metadata field? I know that you can build an mdfilter and for some types (like numbers) it does take "lt" and "gt." Maybe theres a different thing that is used in an mdfilter to get an exact match on a string? Thanks for your time and your help.

    4 replies

    C
    Forum|alt.badge.img

    This is still not working - and is a major constraint for using BOX metadata.

    Is there anyone at Box working this issue?

    C
    Forum|alt.badge.img

    Here is another example of the problem this creates:

     

    If there are two files stored in BOX, both having a metadata field called "title" - one containing content of "autonomous vehicle" and the other containing content of " autonomous system" and BOX search is executed on the "title" field for "autonomous vehicle" - BOX search results include both files. It appears that for metadata fields, if the search has multiple words, BOX ALWAYS does a wildcard search on both words, so its not possible to just return the field which matches the exact search.
     
     
     
    C
    Forum|alt.badge.img

    Good morning  and ,

    yes, we also have an incident open with this topic. The by default type of search in BOX is a fuzzy one based on words. The problem is that operators such as AND, OR, NOT, etcetera or the usage of quotes is only limited, I would say, at omnibox level. At least when using the UI.

     

    To perform exact matches we use the omnibox because metadata (that should be even more restrictive) works the way you have already explained. Or at least, we have not found a way to perform a real exact match using metadata.

     

    Hope this will be implemented soon. 

    C
    Forum|alt.badge.img

    Thanks for the feedback.

     

    Any idea when this metadata search feature will be fixed?

    Terms & ConditionsCookie settingsAccessibility statement