mirror of https://github.com/zulip/zulip.git
151 lines
5.1 KiB
Markdown
151 lines
5.1 KiB
Markdown
# Construct a narrow
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A **narrow** is a set of filters for Zulip messages, that can be based
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on many different factors (like sender, stream, topic, search
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keywords, etc.). Narrows are used in various places in the the Zulip
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API (most importantly, in the API for fetching messages).
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It is simplest to explain the algorithm for encoding a search as a
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narrow using a single example. Consider the following search query
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(written as it would be entered in the Zulip web app's search box).
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It filters for messages sent to stream `announce`, not sent by
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`iago@zulip.com`, and containing the words `cool` and `sunglasses`:
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```
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stream:announce -sender:iago@zulip.com cool sunglasses
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```
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This query would be JSON-encoded for use in the Zulip API using JSON
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as a list of simple objects, as follows:
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```json
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[
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{
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"operator": "stream",
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"operand": "announce"
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},
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{
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"operator": "sender",
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"operand": "iago@zulip.com",
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"negated": true
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},
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{
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"operator": "search",
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"operand": "cool sunglasses"
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}
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]
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```
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The Zulip help center article on [searching for messages](/help/search-for-messages)
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documents the majority of the search/narrow options supported by the
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Zulip API.
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Note that many narrows, including all that lack a `stream` or `streams`
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operator, search the current user's personal message history. See
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[searching shared history](/help/search-for-messages#searching-shared-history)
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for details.
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Clients should note that the `is:unread` filter takes advantage of the
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fact that there is a database index for unread messages, which can be an
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important optimization when fetching messages in certain cases (e.g.
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when [adding the `read` flag to a user's personal
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messages](/api/update-message-flags-for-narrow)).
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**Changes**: In Zulip 9.0 (feature level 250), support was added for
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two filters related to stream messages: `channel` and `channels`. The
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`channel` operator is an alias for the `stream` operator. The `channels`
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operator is an alias for the `streams` operator. Both `channel` and
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`channels` return the same exact results as `stream` and `streams`
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respectively.
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In Zulip 9.0 (feature level 249), narrows gained support
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for a new filter `has:reaction`. This allows clients to retrieve only
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messages that have at least one reaction.
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In Zulip 7.0 (feature level 177), support was added
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for three filters related to direct messages: `is:dm`, `dm` and
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`dm-including`. The `dm` operator replaced and deprecated the
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`pm-with` operator. The `is:dm` filter replaced and deprecated
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the `is:private` filter. The `dm-including` operator replaced and
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deprecated the `group-pm-with` operator.
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The `dm-including` and `group-pm-with` operators return slightly
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different results. For example, `dm-including:1234` returns all
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direct messages (1-on-1 and group) that include the current user
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and the user with the unique user ID of `1234`. On the other hand,
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`group-pm-with:1234` returned only group direct messages that included
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the current user and the user with the unique user ID of `1234`.
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Both `dm` and `is:dm` are aliases of `pm-with` and `is:private`
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respectively, and return the same exact results that the deprecated
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filters did.
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## Narrows that use IDs
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### Message IDs
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The `near` and `id` operators, documented in the help center, use message
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IDs for their operands.
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* `near:12345`: Search messages around the message with ID `12345`.
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* `id:12345`: Search for only message with ID `12345`.
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The message ID operand for the `id` operator may be encoded as either a
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number or a string. The message ID operand for the `near` operator must
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be encoded as a string.
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**Changes**: Prior to Zulip 8.0 (feature level 194), the message ID
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operand for the `id` operator needed to be encoded as a string.
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```json
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[
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{
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"operator": "id",
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"operand": 12345
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}
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]
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```
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### Stream and user IDs
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There are a few additional narrow/search options (new in Zulip 2.1)
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that use either stream IDs or user IDs that are not documented in the
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help center because they are primarily useful to API clients:
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* `stream:1234`: Search messages sent to the stream with ID `1234`.
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* `sender:1234`: Search messages sent by user ID `1234`.
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* `dm:1234`: Search the direct message conversation between
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you and user ID `1234`.
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* `dm:1234,5678`: Search the direct message conversation between
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you, user ID `1234`, and user ID `5678`.
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* `dm-including:1234`: Search all direct messages (1-on-1 and group)
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that include you and user ID `1234`.
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!!! tip ""
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A user ID can be found by [viewing a user's profile][view-profile]
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in the web or desktop apps. A stream ID can be found when [browsing
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streams][browse-streams] in the web app via the URL.
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The operands for these search options must be encoded either as an
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integer ID or a JSON list of integer IDs. For example, to query
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messages sent by a user 1234 to a direct message thread with yourself,
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user 1234, and user 5678, the correct JSON-encoded query is:
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```json
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[
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{
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"operator": "dm",
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"operand": [1234, 5678]
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},
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{
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"operator": "sender",
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"operand": 1234
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}
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]
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```
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[view-profile]: /help/view-someones-profile
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[browse-streams]: /help/browse-and-subscribe-to-streams
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