Filtering on Mac
Learn powerful filtering techniques to unlock your Daylite data. Segment contacts, find opportunities, organize work—harness the full potential of your database.
Filtering lets you narrow a list — People, Companies, Projects, Opportunities, Tasks, and more — down to only the records that match rules you set.
Key facts:
Filtering works on one record type at a time (filtering People won't also search Companies).
Filters are temporary. To keep a filter's rules permanently, save it as a Smart List.
Smart Lists are Mac-only — they aren't available on iPhone or iPad.
Rules can be grouped into Rule Groups: a Rule Group on a linked record like a Company's People can itself contain more Rule Groups on that linked record's own fields, several levels deep.
What Is a Filter?
A filter is a temporary view of a list, narrowed down to records that match rules you define — for example, Companies in the "Client" category, or People whose linked Company is in a specific industry. Filtering only looks within the record type you're currently viewing; it won't search across other types at the same time.
Filtering is related to, but different from, two other Daylite features:
Search looks across your whole database at once, across multiple record types, matching on name/title and other major fields.
Smart List is a filter you've saved. The rules stay attached to the list, and Daylite keeps it up to date automatically as records are added, edited, or removed.
How Do I Create a Filter?
This section walks you through creating a filter quickly. For a deeper breakdown of match logic, field types, and comparisons, see How Filters Work below.
Daylite filters the list immediately. While a filter is active, the list is marked Filtered.
Anatomy of a Filter
Record Type
The kind of record you're filtering — People, Companies, Tasks etc.
Filter Match Logic
One rule gives one true or false. The match logic sets how the rules combine, and it is the dropdown at the top of the filter.
Rule
A rule is the smallest test, and it has three parts, field - comparison - value
like Category · is · Lead
Field
The field on a record you are testing (Category, Job Title, Create Date)
Comparison
A comparison is the test applied between the field and the value. The comparisons available depend on the field's type.
Value
The value is what you're testing the field against. Some comparisons like is blank need no value.
Rule Group and Nested Rule Group
A rule group holds rules and other groups, and it has its own match logic. That match logic combines everything inside the group into one true or false. That result then acts as a single rule in the group above. Groups can nest several levels deep.
Match Count logic
A linked record and multi part fields can point to many records or fields, so one true or false is not enough. You must say how many of these items must pass.
Add Rules / Add Match Logic
The + and ... buttons, at the top bar or below any row, for adding another Rule or another Filter Match Logic.
Remove Rule
Remove a rule, including a rule group.
Each filter rule is a condition that either matches a record or does not for it to appear in your list. The Filter Match Logic determines how those conditions are combined, such as requiring all of them, any of them, or excluding certain matches. Rule Groups use the same approach when filtering linked records, then pass the result back up as a single rule to the group above.
The sections below cover Filter Match Logic and the Filter Comparisons Reference. Filter Match Logic explains the controls that combine rules. The Comparisons Reference lists the specific comparisons available for each field type.
How Filters Work
Filters use two separate logic controls. Filter Match Logic appears at the top of the filter bar, and again at the top of every Rule Group — it's how that level combines its rules. Match count Logic appears only when a Rule Group comes from a linked record or multi-part field — it decides how many of those linked records or fields need to pass before the group counts as true.
A Rule Group doesn't require a field. Adding one directly creates a bare Rule Group used purely to group a set of rules together, the way parentheses do in a math expression, without it being tied to single rule.
Filter Match Logic
Match All
every rule is true
Match Any
at least one rule is true
Do Not Match Any
no rule is true
Do Not Match All
not every rule is true (at least one is false)
Match Count Logic
At Least One Matching
at least one linked record meets the filter group
None Matching
no linked record meets the filter group
All Matching
every linked record meets the filter group
At Least One Exists
at least one linked record of that record type exists (filter group contents ignored)
None Exist
no linked record of that record type exists
Example: Combining Nested Groups
Here's how that filter breaks down:
Main Match Logic
People that Match All
Include all the People who match all of the following:
Rule Person Field
Category · is · Client
The Person's category is Client.
Group Rule Match Logic
Match All
…and all of the rules in this group are also true:
Nested Rule 1 Multi-part Field
Addresses · at least one · match any
City·is·TorontoStat/Province·is·Quebec
At least one of the Person's addresses has City Toronto or Province Quebec
Nested Rule 2 Linked Record
Companies · at least one · do not match any
Type·is·GovernmentType·is·Non-Profit
The Person must have a linked Company AND that Company is not a Government or Non-Profit type.
Filter Comparison Reference
Once you've picked a field, the comparisons available depend on what type of field it is:
Text
Text fields match on content. The value can be exactly right, contain a fragment, or start/end a certain way.
is
is not
contains
does not contain
begins with
does not begin with
ends with
does not end with
is blank
is not blank
Examples: Name, Details, Job Title, Tagline, SIC Code, Ticker Symbol, Custom Fields, composite sub-fields (City, Street, Number, etc.)
Date
Dates can be compared to a fixed point in time, or to a moving window relative to today. That's why "is in last" and "is in next" need a number and a unit.
is
is after
is before
is in last [N] days/weeks/months/years
is in next [N] days/weeks/months/years
is in range
is blank
is not blank
Examples: Create Date, Modify Date, Extra Date 1–4
Activity
Activity isn't a value stored on the record. It's a measure of recency, so it behaves like a Date but measured against right now rather than a fixed date. It only appears nested inside a linked-record group.
on
after
before
in the last [N] + unit
in next [N] + unit
in range
Examples: Activity (nested inside a linked-record group only)
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a filter, a Smart List, and Search? A filter is temporary and works on one object type at a time. A Smart List is a filter you've saved, kept updated automatically. Search spans your whole database and multiple object types at once.
Can I filter by how recently a record has activity? Yes, but only inside a linked record's nested group. For example, filtering People where at least one Activity is in the last 30 days. It's not a standalone field.
Is "Items Matching Text" the same as Search? Similar, but scoped to whatever one object type you're filtering, instead of your whole database.
Can I filter within a Smart List without changing it? Yes. That's a sub-filter. It narrows the list temporarily without touching the Smart List's saved criteria.
Are Smart Lists available on iPhone or iPad? No, Smart Lists are Mac-only. Filtering itself is available on iPhone and iPad, with a more limited set of criteria. See [Filtering on iPhone & iPad] for details.
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