Search

The Search feature in specifications provides a way to add SQL-like pattern matching to your queries.

• The Search feature is supported by all provider packages, including in-memory evaluation.
• For in-memory evaluation, Search is translated to custom C# implementation of SQL LIKE operator.
• For ORM providers (like EF Core), it is translated to the appropriate SQL LIKE expression.

How to Use Search

The Search method is an extension on ISpecificationBuilder and accepts:

• A property selector (e.g., x => x.Name)
• A search term (e.g., "%foo%" for contains, "foo%" for starts with, etc.)
• An optional int group to control how multiple search predicates are grouped and combined.

public class CustomerSpec : Specification<Customer>
{
    public CustomerSpec(string name)
    {
        Query.Search(x => x.Name, "%" + name + "%");
    }
}

Grouping and Logical Operators

The group parameter is an optional parameter that allows you to control how search predicates are grouped and combined.

By default, multiple Search statements are grouped together and combined using OR logic. This means if any of the Search conditions match, the entity will be included in the result. If you want to combine Search conditions using AND logic, you must specify a different group for each Search statement.

In the following example, we use Search to match on any of the properties (OR logic).

public class CustomerSpec : Specification<Customer>
{
    public CustomerSpec(string searchTerm)
    {
        Query
            .Search(x => x.Name, "%" + searchTerm + "%")
            .Search(x => x.Email, "%" + searchTerm + "%");
    }
}

In the following example, both Search conditions must match (AND logic) because they are in different groups.

public class CustomerSpec : Specification<Customer>
{
    public CustomerSpec(string? name, string? email)
    {
        Query
            .Search(x => x.Name, "%" + name + "%", group: 1)
            .Search(x => x.Email, "%" + email + "%", group: 2);
    }
}

Conditional Overloads

Like other builder methods, Search supports an overload with a bool condition parameter. If the condition is false, the search is not applied. This is useful for dynamic filtering.

public class CustomerSpec : Specification<Customer>
{
    public CustomerSpec(string? name)
    {
        Query.Search(x => x.Name, "%" + name + "%", !string.IsNullOrEmpty(name));
    }
}

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Tip: Use Search for flexible, user-driven filtering scenarios, such as search boxes or advanced filtering UIs. Use the group parameter to control whether multiple search conditions are combined with OR (default) or AND (by specifying different groups).