How to search in Hives
Click the magnifier in the top bar to search the hive you’re in. You can find ideas, collections, surveys and people, but only the things you’re allowed to see.
Who can do this: members, Managers and Admins of the hive.
Search the hive
- Click the magnifier in the top bar. Admins and Managers on a phone or small screen: open Menu and click Search.
- Type a word or part of a word in the Search box. Results appear as you type.
- Choose a tab to see that type of result. Each tab shows how many matches it has.
- Click a result to open it.
To clear your search, click the x in the search box.
What each tab searches
| Tab | What it looks in | Who sees the tab |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions | The title and description of ideas | Everyone who can search |
| Collections | The title and description of collections | Everyone who can search |
| Surveys | The name, title and description of surveys | Admins and Managers |
| Users | People’s first and last names. Admins and Managers can also search by email address. | Everyone who can search |
“Contributions” is the general word Hives uses for ideas, feedback, posts, insights, solutions and suggestions.
Filter idea results
On the Contributions tab, open the filter to:
- sort the results, for example Newest first, A to Z or Most reactions,
- show only ideas assigned to a certain person,
- show only ideas from a certain contributor.
Search inside one collection
If you already know which collection the idea is in, search there instead:
- Open the collection.
- Click Filter.
- Type in Search, or choose a Step, Assignees or Contributors. You can also change Sort by.
The filters you’ve chosen appear as small labels above the ideas. Remove a label to remove that filter.
How matching works
Hives finds results that contain what you typed, anywhere in the text. Capital letters don’t matter.
- Part of a word works: “lubric” finds “lubricated” and “lubrication”.
- Other forms of a word don’t: “lubrication” doesn’t find “lubricated”.
Tip: if you don’t get the results you expect, search for the shortest part of the word that all forms share.
Why can’t I find something?
You’re in a different hive. Search only looks in the hive you’re in. Switch hives from your profile menu under Hives.
You’re not allowed to see it. Search only shows what you can open. Hidden ideas, and collections on pages that aren’t shared with you, don’t appear and aren’t counted.
The word is in a comment or a different answer. For ideas, search only looks at the title and description. Comments and answers to other questions aren’t searched.
The word has a different form. Try a shorter part of the word, as described above.
You’re looking for a survey. Only Admins and Managers have the Surveys tab. Members find surveys on the pages shared with them.
You’re looking for a person by email. Only Admins and Managers can search people by email address. Everyone else searches by name.
You filtered by contributor in a collection that hides names. In collections that hide who submitted ideas, the contributor filter only finds your own ideas.
You’re a guest. Search is for members of the hive. Guests open what was shared with them directly. See What guests can do.
Related: Finding your way around Hives and Hidden ideas, hidden names and anonymous collections.