A "filter" is a criteria (or set of criteria) that an entry either
matches or doesn't match. Password Safe allows you to define filters,
and display only those entries that match a
given filter. You can define a filter for a one-time query, or you can
define several filters, naming them and store them persistently, for
repeated use. Filters may be either stored along with the database, or
externally, for sharing the same filter across several databases.
As you can see, each Filter consists of one or more rows,
where each row defines a criteria on a given field.
The conditions defined in each row can be either "and" or "or" the
condition defined in the previous row. This allows you to define the
following kinds of filters:
All entries with a username containing "joe" or "Joe" or "JOE":
All entries with a username "Joe" (exactly) created after May 1st 2008
All entries with a username containing "joe" or "mary"
As you can see, the filters can be arbitrarily complex.
The columns in the Filter table are as follows:
'#' - This is the row number. It's displayed for
convenience, and cannot be modified.
'?' - The checkbox in this column determines if the row is active
or not. Only active rows are used when applying the filter. Clicking on the checkbox
enables/disables the row.
'+' - Click on this to insert a new row below a given row.
'-' - Click on this to delete the current row. Note: ince
deleting a row is permanent, you might wish to disable it
instead.
'And/Or' - This allows you to determine the relation of the
rule you're adding to the previous rule.
'Field' - Select the entry field you're interested in,
e.g., username, title, group, notes, etc.
'Criteria' - Define the value you're interested in for the
selected field. Once you've selected a field, clicking on this will
bring up a dialog box allowing you to specify the criteria, which is
the displayed in the table.
Applying a Filter
Once you've defined a filter, clicking on 'Apply' will apply the filter
on the entries in the database, while leaving the Set Filter dialog box
open. This is useful for fixing and refining the filter based on the
results. Clicking on 'OK' will also apply the filter, but will close
the Set Filter dialog box.
Managing Filters
Set/Edit Filter is a good way to work with filters for a one-time task.
If, however, you find that you have several filters that you wish to
use repeatedly, then you can store them and manage them effectively via the
"View → Filter → Manage..."
dialog box
The Manage Filters dialog box has two tables. The upper table lists the
filters, and the lower table displays the contents of the currently
selected filter.
To edit an existing filter, select is and then click on Edit.
To apply an existing filter, click on the Apply checkbox in
the desired filter's row. Note that only one filter can be applied at a
given time.
Storing Filters
Filters can be stored either as part of the current database, or
externally, as XML files. Storing filters externally is a good way to
share filters across databases, whereas storing them as part of the
database ensures that potentially sensitive information in the filters'
definitions is protected.
To store filters in an external file: Set the
Export checkbox of the filters you wish to store externally, then click
on the Export button.
To store filters in the current database: Set the Copy to
DB checkbox, and then click on the Copy button.
To load an externally stored filter: Click on the Import
button.
Note:
Upon Startup, Password Safe searches for a file named autoload_filters.xml in
the same directory as the pwsafe.cfg file (by default the directory
where Password Safe is installed). If such a file exists, then it is
automatically imported and the filters it contains are ready for use.
This is useful if you've a set of filters that you wish to share across
several databases, without having to explicitly import them each time.