How to search for an item

The general steps on how to search for an item.

1. Define the search scope

Searching for an item in a portal helps you locate maps, layers, web apps, and other content. The sharing levels of an item determines who can search and access content. Below are sharing levels available for an item based on ArcGIS product types:

Item sharing level	ArcGIS product type support	Requires access token	Search results
Owner (private)	ArcGIS Location Platform ArcGIS Online ArcGIS Enterprise	Yes	Items owned by the user.
Group	ArcGIS Online ArcGIS Enterprise	Yes	Items shared by members in a group.
Organization	ArcGIS Online ArcGIS Enterprise	Yes	Items shared by members in the organization.
Everyone (public)	ArcGIS Online ArcGIS Enterprise	No	All items shared publicly.

The following are items and their sharing levels an authenticated or non-authenticated user can perform searches on:

Authenticated user	Requires access token	Search results
No	No	Only public items - Everyone (public) sharing level.
Yes	Yes	1. Items owned by the user - Owner (private). 2. Items shared by members in a group the user is a member - Group. 3. Items shared in the organization the user is a member - Organization. 4. All items shared publicly - Everyone (public)

2. Provide search parameters

When searching for an item in a portal, you can refine your search by specifying search parameters. These parameters help narrow down the search criteria and filter the results to find the exact item you are looking for. Here are some key search parameters you can use:

Type	Description
`Keywords`	`Include relevant keywords related to the item. This could be the item's name, description, or any other relevant information.`
`Type search`	`Specify the type of item you are searching for. For example, you can use terms like "map," "app," "layer," or other item types to filter the results based on the item's category.`
`Owner`	`If you know the owner of the item, you can include their username to narrow down the search to items owned by a specific user.`
`Date Modified`	`You can filter items based on the date they were last modified. This is useful when you are looking for recently updated or added items.`
`Access`	`Specify the access level of the item, such as "public," "private," or "shared." This helps filter items based on their accessibility.`
`Tags`	`Use tags associated with the item to refine the search. Tags are descriptive labels that provide additional information about the item.`

Additionally, you can use SQL operators during a search to construct complex queries to further refine your search. Listed below are some of the supported operators that can be used in a search operations.

SQL Operator	Description
`=`	Equal to
`<>` or `!=`	Not equal to
`<`	Less than
`>`	Greater than
`<=`	Less than or equal to
`>=`	Greater than or equal to
`LIKE`	Pattern matching with wildcard characters (%)
`IN`	Matches any of a list of values
`NOT IN`	Does not match any of a list of values
`AND`	Logical AND
`OR`	Logical OR
`NOT`	Logical NOT
`IS NULL`	Tests for a NULL value
`IS NOT NULL`	Tests for a non-NULL value

3. Run search

Once the search parameters are provided, you can then run the search.

Search for tags and an owner example

Find items by searching for tags and an owner name.

APIs

ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScriptArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS REST JS
Expand
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    portal = new Portal(); // Default is "https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest"
    portal.load().then(()=>{
      const query = {
        query: "tags:\"USA Demographics\" AND owner:\"esri\""
      };
      portal.queryItems(query).then((response)=>{
        console.log(response);
      });
    });
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REST API

cURL

HTTP

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curl https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/search \
-d 'q=tags:"USA Demographics" AND owner:"esri"' \
-d 'f=pjson'

Run in Postman

Use dark colors for code blocksCopy
{
  "query": "tags:\"USA Demographics\" AND owner:\"esri\"",
  "total": 36,
  "start": 1,
  "num": 10,
  "nextStart": 11,
  "results": [
      {
          "id": "d77560f788c04f1ea186cbdab654b053",
          "owner": "esri",

Public and private search example

ArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS REST JSArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript
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from arcgis.gis import GIS

def search_public_item(arcgis_url, search_query):
    # Connect to ArcGIS Online anonymously
    gis = GIS(arcgis_url)

    # Perform a public search
    search_results = gis.content.search(query=search_query, outside_org=True)

    # Display search results
    print(f"Search Results for '{search_query}':")
    for result in search_results:
        print(f" - Item Title: {result.title}, Item ID: {result.id}")

# Replace 'https://www.arcgis.com' with the URL of your ArcGIS Online organization
arcgis_url = 'https://www.arcgis.com'

# Replace 'your_search_query' with the term you want to search for
search_query = 'your_search_query'

# Perform the search
search_public_item(arcgis_url, search_query)

ArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS API for PythonArcGIS REST JSArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript
Use dark colors for code blocksCopy
from arcgis.gis import GIS

def search_arcgis_online(access_token, query):
    # Create a GIS object with the provided access token
    gis = GIS("home", username=None, password=None, key=access_token)

    # Perform the search using the provided query
    search_result = gis.content.search(query)

    # Display the search results
    print("Search Results:")
    for item in search_result:
        print(f" - Item Title: {item.title}, ID: {item.id}")

# Replace 'your_access_token' with your actual access token
access_token = 'your_access_token'

# Replace 'your_query' with the search query
query = 'your_query'

# Call the search function
search_arcgis_online(access_token, query)

Tools

Use tools to access the portal and create and manage content for applications.

ArcGIS Enterprise

Create, manage, analyze, and share data, maps, and applications in your organization.

Portal

Create, manage, and access content and data services for applications.

Map Viewer

Create, explore, and share web maps for 2D applications.

Scene Viewer

Create, style, and explore web scenes.

Vector Tile Style Editor

Create styles for basemap and vector tile layers.

Content management tools

Create, manage, organize, and share items in a portal.

Data management tools

Import data and create hosted layers and data services. Upload and manage documents, images, and other files.

Spatial analysis tools

Perform feature and raster analysis to create new datasets with the Map Viewer.

Developer credentials tool

Create API key and OAuth 2.0 developer credentials for custom applications.

Items

Manage and share items.

ArcGIS Pro

Create, style, and explore maps and scenes.

Geoprocessing tools

Import, manage, and analyze data.

Services

Portal service

Store, manage, and access private and public content.

How to search for an item

1. Define search scope

2. Provide search parameters

3. Run search

1. Define the search scope

2. Provide search parameters

3. Run search

Search for tags and an owner example

APIs

REST API

Public and private search example

Tools

ArcGIS Enterprise

Portal

Map Viewer

Scene Viewer

Vector Tile Style Editor

Content management tools

Data management tools

Spatial analysis tools

Developer credentials tool

Items

ArcGIS Pro

Geoprocessing tools

Services

Portal service