Search Bar

The search bar can be found on many windows in Abacus Accounting. The search bar is used to find matching items for instant retrieval and review. You can search lists of records throughout Abacus Accounting when you see the search bar on a window.

Search Bar Navigation Keys

Press Shift+Tab to move focus into the search bar.

Searching for Records

Enter the desired keyword in the search bar then press Enter (or wait the user-defined time period and the search will initiate automatically). Use the wildcard (*) before and/or after a search term to substitute for a subset of all possible characters. The keyword you enter is checked against all of the items in the columns on the window. Then, the list of items is filtered so that only items matching the keyword are listed.

If no records match the keyword, the search bar is colored a user-defined color (default color is red).

Partial Match / Full Word Match

Click the search bar's Partial/Full Match box and click:

  • Partial match (words start with) to perform a partial search for the keyword entered. Partial matching finds words that start with the keyword. For example, entering "bird" would find "birdie."

  • Full word matching to perform a full word search for the keyword entered. Full word matching finds exactly what you have entered. For example, entering "bird" would not find "birdie." You must enter "birdie" to find "birdie."

TIP: If you use full word matching, you can use the wildcard (*) where needed to get a partial match. For example, entering "fed*" would find "federal." With either setting, you can enter a starting asterisk to find words that start with anything but contain your text. For example, entering "*oger" might find "roger."

Clearing Search Keywords

Click Clear. The list will no longer be filtered and all items will be listed.

Configuring Search Bar Settings

User-defined settings for the search bar are controlled in AbacusLaw.