Searching the Simulation Tree

With a common search command, you can search the entire simulation object tree quickly.

Search for objects using the following techniques:

Action Instructions
Open a simple search With the Explorer window active, select Edit > Search from the top menus, or press <Ctrl>+<F>.

A search results window opens in the workspace.

When you open the search from any special mode, such as 3D-CAD or Surface Repair:

  • In Surface Repair, use the Edit > Search technique since <Ctrl>+<F> executes the Show Selected Faces action.
  • The search still covers the whole simulation tree.
  • Choosing Select in Application takes you out of the tool window and back into the simulation tree, but does not close the tool.
Search for objects whose names contain specified text
  1. In the search field near the top of the search results window, enter text by which to filter object names.

  2. To do more with your search results, use query editing (described below).
Access one or more found objects in the main simulation tree
  1. Select (or multi-select) the objects in the search results list.
  2. Right-click and choose Select in Application.
Use advanced search techniques (query editing)
  1. To start an advanced search, click (Search by Query) at the top right of the search results window.
  2. In the search results window, edit the default predicate. Alternatively, replace it or supplement it with additional predicates. For more information about predicates and the filters that use them, see Object Filters.

    For example, you can use the compound predicate editors AND and OR to find all object names in the simulation that contain Pressure, along with either Absolute or Relative.



  3. To save the search results, right-click the predicate and select Create New Filter. If you have multiple predicates, perform this right-click action in the view outside the components of the predicate.

    A new filter node appears in the Automation > Filters node.

NoteBecause this feature is designed to work similar to the filter functionality, it includes the following limitations:
  • Typically objects that you can rename are included in the search results. For example, a search for Plot yields individual plots, but not the Plots manager object. Exceptions include system field functions. For more information on named objects, see The 'Pre-11.06 Results' Predicate.
  • Some objects that are not visible in the main tree may appear in search results. For example, the results of a search for Plot includes XY Plot 1.StarUpdate.DeltaTime.LogicEvent.