About Global Search
Global Search is the platform-wide search users run from the search box in the portal header. It searches across the entities and items an administrator has configured, returns results the user is permitted to see, and lets them open a record directly or browse a full results page grouped by entity.
This page is the administrator's overview. Detailed configuration, the end-user experience, and troubleshooting each have their own pages.
Global Search requires a standard theme. The configuration page is unavailable when a custom theme is enabled. If your portal uses a custom theme, contact success@magentrix.com.
Two Parts: The Search Box and the Configuration
| Part | Who Uses It | What It Is |
|---|
| Search box (portal header) | End users | The header search input. Typing two or more characters shows suggestions; pressing Enter opens the full results page. |
| Global Search configuration (Setup) | Administrators | Where you choose which entities and items are searchable, set per-role configurations, and turn the feature on or off. See Configuring Global Search. |
The End-User Experience
From the search box in the portal header:
- The user types a search term. A minimum of two characters is required before a search runs.
- As they type, a suggestions dropdown appears (when the active configuration has suggestions enabled for one or more items). Each suggestion shows the matching record name with the matched text in bold, and the entity it belongs to underneath.
- The user can use the Up and Down arrow keys to move through suggestions and press Enter to open the highlighted record.
- Pressing Enter without a highlighted suggestion opens the full results page for the typed term.
- On mobile, a magnifying-glass icon opens a full-screen search panel with the same behavior.
On the full results page:
- A list of the searchable entities appears, each labeled with its plural name and a result count.
- Counts load independently — each entity shows a spinner until its own count arrives, so the page is usable immediately rather than waiting for every count. Counts under 1,000 show as exact numbers; larger counts are abbreviated (for example, 1.2K, 3M).
- If the active configuration has the 'All' tab enabled, an "All" entry appears at the top and shows up to five results per entity together. Selecting a specific entity shows its results with pagination.
- If nothing matches, the page shows a "no results" message.
Security and Visibility
Global Search results respect the user's security. Users see only records their Security Role and User Group viewing permissions allow. The same search run by two different users can return different results based on what each is permitted to see.
What Can Be Searched
- Entities — native Magentrix entities, custom entities, and synced CRM objects (Salesforce, Dynamics, HubSpot) that the administrator adds to a configuration.
- Search items — non-entity searchable resources the platform exposes for inclusion in a configuration.
- A single configuration can include up to 50 selected entities and items, and up to 5 of those can have suggestions enabled.
Per-Role Configurations
Global Search uses one default configuration plus any number of role-specific configurations. The default configuration applies to users whose Role is not covered by a more specific configuration. The default configuration does not apply to guest (unauthenticated) roles.
Role-specific configurations let you tailor what each persona searches. For example, partners might search Accounts, Cases, and Knowledge, while internal employees search a broader set. See Configuring Global Search for how to create and assign configurations.
Result Columns
The columns shown for an entity's results come from that entity's Search List Layout. Administrators control which fields appear and in what order by editing the entity's Search layout. See Configuring Global Search for the steps.
Use Cases
- Cross-entity record lookup. Users find an Account, Contact, Case, or Article from one search box without navigating to each module first.
- Persona-tailored search. Different Roles search different entity sets via role-specific configurations, so partners aren't shown internal-only objects and vice versa.
- Fast navigation via suggestions. With suggestions enabled on high-traffic entities, users jump straight to a record from the header without loading the full results page.
Troubleshooting Tips
- If the Global Search configuration page returns "not found," the portal is on a custom theme. Global Search configuration requires a standard theme.
- If a user reports they can't find a record that exists, confirm the entity is included in the configuration that applies to their Role, and that the user has permission to view that record.
- If no suggestions appear while typing, confirm at least one item in the active configuration has suggestions enabled, and that the term is at least two characters.
- For full symptom-by-symptom resolutions, see Global Search Troubleshooting.
Where to Go Next
Global Search Checklist >>