global search on custom field #4417

New Issue

adam · 2025-12-29T18:35:48+01:00

adam commented

2025-12-29 18:35:48 +01:00

Originally created by @ecoutinho on GitHub (Dec 30, 2020).

The global search on all objects is not searching on custom fields' contents.

Environment

Python version: 3.6
NetBox version: 2.10.2

Steps to Reproduce

Create a text custom field on Devices or Virtual Machine.
Create a new device with some text in that custom field
On the global search at the top, enter that text.

Expected Behavior

Return devices that have that text in the custom field.

Observed Behavior

That device was not returned.

Originally created by @ecoutinho on GitHub (Dec 30, 2020). The global search on all objects is not searching on custom fields' contents. ### Environment * Python version: 3.6 * NetBox version: 2.10.2 ### Steps to Reproduce 1. Create a text custom field on Devices or Virtual Machine. 2. Create a new device with some text in that custom field 3. On the global search at the top, enter that text.  ### Expected Behavior Return devices that have that text in the custom field.  ### Observed Behavior That device was not returned.

adam added the status: duplicate label 2025-12-29 18:35:48 +01:00

adam closed this issue

2025-12-29 18:35:48 +01:00

adam commented

2025-12-29 18:35:48 +01:00

@candlerb commented on GitHub (Jan 4, 2021):

I'd say this is "feature request" rather than "bug". You can already search on individual custom fields by going to the Devices or Virtual Machines pages as appropriate.

To search for CF values, global search would have to add a new condition to every table it checks, something like:

netbox=# select d.id, kv.key, kv.value from dcim_device d, jsonb_each_text(d.custom_field_data) kv where value like '%ba%';
 id |  key  | value
----+-------+--------
  1 | label | foobar
  2 | label | bazqux
(2 rows)

By default this requires a full table scan:

netbox=# explain select d.id, kv.key, kv.value from dcim_device d, jsonb_each_text(d.custom_field_data) kv where value like '%ba%';
                                  QUERY PLAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Nested Loop  (cost=0.00..27.28 rows=360 width=68)
   ->  Seq Scan on dcim_device d  (cost=0.00..1.18 rows=18 width=36)
   ->  Function Scan on jsonb_each_text kv  (cost=0.00..1.25 rows=20 width=64)
         Filter: (value ~~ '%ba%'::text)

Hence making this efficient would require some funky indexing, possibly an expression index but I'm not sure how that works when searching multiple values from the same row.

@candlerb commented on GitHub (Jan 4, 2021): I'd say this is "feature request" rather than "bug". You can already search on individual custom fields by going to the Devices or Virtual Machines pages as appropriate. To search for CF values, global search would have to add a new condition to every table it checks, something like: ``` netbox=# select d.id, kv.key, kv.value from dcim_device d, jsonb_each_text(d.custom_field_data) kv where value like '%ba%'; id | key | value ----+-------+-------- 1 | label | foobar 2 | label | bazqux (2 rows) ``` By default this requires a full table scan: ``` netbox=# explain select d.id, kv.key, kv.value from dcim_device d, jsonb_each_text(d.custom_field_data) kv where value like '%ba%'; QUERY PLAN ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nested Loop (cost=0.00..27.28 rows=360 width=68) -> Seq Scan on dcim_device d (cost=0.00..1.18 rows=18 width=36) -> Function Scan on jsonb_each_text kv (cost=0.00..1.25 rows=20 width=64) Filter: (value ~~ '%ba%'::text) ``` Hence making this efficient would require some funky [indexing](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.6/datatype-json.html#JSON-INDEXING), possibly an [expression index](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.6/indexes-expressional.html) but I'm not sure how that works when searching multiple values from the same row.

adam commented

2025-12-29 18:35:49 +01:00

@candlerb commented on GitHub (Jan 4, 2021):

Possible duplicate of #1190

@candlerb commented on GitHub (Jan 4, 2021): Possible duplicate of #1190

adam commented

2025-12-29 18:35:49 +01:00

@DanSheps commented on GitHub (Jan 5, 2021):

Duplicate of #1190

@DanSheps commented on GitHub (Jan 5, 2021): Duplicate of #1190

adam commented

2025-12-29 18:35:49 +01:00

@DanSheps commented on GitHub (Jan 5, 2021):

Thank you for submitting this issue, however it appears that this topic has already been raised. Please see issue #1190 for further discussion.

@DanSheps commented on GitHub (Jan 5, 2021): Thank you for submitting this issue, however it appears that this topic has already been raised. Please see issue #1190 for further discussion.

adam referenced this issue

2025-12-29 22:23:55 +01:00

[PR #4417] [MERGED] Release v2.7.11 #12842

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21142-device-component-graphql-filters

21050-device-oob-ip-may-become-orphaned

21102-fix-graphiql-explorer

20911-dropdown

20239-plugin-menu-classes-mutable-state

21097-graphql-id-lookups

feature

fix_module_substitution

20923-dcim-templates

20044-elevation-stuck-lightmode

feature-ip-prefix-link

v4.5-beta1-release

20068-import-moduletype-attrs

20766-fix-german-translation-code-literals

20378-del-script

7604-filter-modifiers-v3

circuit-swap

12318-case-insensitive-uniqueness

20637-improve-device-q-filter

20660-script-load

19724-graphql

20614-update-ruff

14884-script

02496-max-page

19720-macaddress-interface-generic-relation

19408-circuit-terminations-export-templates

20203-openapi-check

fix-19669-api-image-download

7604-filter-modifiers

19275-fixes-interface-bulk-edit

fix-17794-get_field_value_return_list

11507-show-aggregate-and-rir-on-api

9583-add_column_specific_search_field_to_tables

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Reference: starred/netbox#4417