Hosted Document Library Pro adds a keyword search box to your library so visitors can quickly find what they need. A common question is whether that search can match information you have not shown as a column. This article explains how the search works and how to make sure the data you want people to find is searchable.
What the search box looks at
The library’s search box matches against the content shown in the table. When someone types a keyword, the library looks through the data displayed in the columns and filters the rows to the matching documents. The search box itself can be shown above or below the table, repositioned, or hidden, in your library’s design settings.
Making a field searchable
Because the search reads what is in the table, the way to let people search a particular piece of information is to include it as a column. For example, if you want visitors to be able to search by a document’s description, tags or author, add those as columns to the library in the columns settings. Once a field is displayed, its text becomes part of what the search matches.
If you want the data to be searchable but would rather it did not clutter the table on smaller screens, you can include the column and use the responsive options to hide it on mobile. The information still counts toward search even when a column is collapsed on narrower devices.
In short
To make something findable through the search box, include it as a column in your library. If it is not shown anywhere in the table, the search box will not be able to match it.