Searching and filtering

All filtering happens in the Search and filter panel on the right side of the screen (or behind a toggle on mobile). The panel provides filter buttons for every data dimension the project author has configured as filterable, as well as a free-text search box. Below is an overview of all options. What you actually see will depend on what kind of data the project author rendered.

Dynamic filters

At the top of the panel, buttons are grouped into Taxa filters (one per taxonomic rank) and Data filters (one per data field, grouped by category if the project defines them). Tapping a button opens a dropdown for that filter.

Text and category filters

These show a scrollable list of all values present in the dataset. Values that exist in the currently filtered set are selectable; values that are ruled out by other active filters are shown greyed out. A search box within the dropdown lets you type to find specific values quickly. When multiple values match a search term, a Check all shown button selects them all at once.

Month filters

Show a 12-month grid - tap to toggle individual months. Useful for filtering by phenology (flowering period, breeding season, observation window, etc.). Multiple months selected will return taxa active in any of those months.

Numeric, interval, and date filters

These offer two modes:

• List mode - pick from the specific values that exist in the data.
• Operator mode - use conditions such as equal to, less than, greater than, between, or around. In operator mode, the Apply button shows a live count of matching results before you commit.

For interval data (fields that store a range such as a minimum and maximum body length), a taxon matches if any part of its range satisfies the condition you set. List mode is not available here.

Distribution map filters

When a project includes regional distribution data, the filter shows region names as checkboxes. Depending on how the project author has configured the data, an additional status sub-filter may appear - for example, letting you filter by breeding status or establishment means within each region. The sub-filter may be categorical (checkboxes) or a numeric range depending on the data.

Match mode

By default, selecting multiple values from a category filter returns taxa that match any of them - for example, ticking "Forest" and "Wetland" shows taxa found in either habitat.

Inside the dropdown, a small match mode indicator shows the current behaviour. Tap the Change button next to it to switch between three modes:

• Match any (default) - returns taxa that have at least one of the selected values. Use this for broad, inclusive searches.
• Match all - returns only taxa that have every one of the selected values simultaneously. Use this when you need taxa that genuinely combine multiple attributes (think multiple growth forms a plant may have). (This option may not be available for all filter types.)
• Exclude - returns taxa that have none of the selected values. Use this to filter out unwanted categories.

The active mode is shown as a short label inside the dropdown so you always know how your selections are being interpreted.

The search box

The free-text search at the bottom of the panel searches across all fields simultaneously - taxon names, authorities, and all data columns. It applies immediately when you start or clear a term.

Or logic

To search for multiple terms with OR logic, separate them with the / character:

Litoria / Pelamis

This returns taxa whose data contains either "Litoria" or "Pelamis". The search box placeholder shows the separator character as a reminder.

Multiple words without a separator are treated as AND - all words must appear somewhere in the taxon's searchable data. Only begining of the text will be matched, accents and case is ignored. Searching for "lit" will return "Litoria" but not "Stromatolite"

Combining search and filters

Individual filters and text search combine with AND: a taxon must satisfy all active filter selections AND the text search to appear in the results.

Active filter pills

Each active filter appears as a colored pill below the search box. Click any pill to remove that single filter. A Clear all button (trash icon, also visible in the search box row) removes everything at once.

If your filters return no results, the panel shows an "nothing-to-show" state with the current search query displayed.