Criteria

Overview

The Criteria object is a commonly used model within the Clear API for defining complex filter rules. It is used when generating reports as well as searching across various resources.

A criteria is a recursively nested JSON object composed of branches of conditions, it takes the following base form:

{
    "COMPARATOR": [
        { FIELD },
        "VALUE"
    ]
}

The root key of a Criteria object is known as a Comparator, and the value will always be an Array of values to compare. This object is known as an Operation, and the power of the Criteria object comes in its ability to combine multiple operations together.

{
    and: [
        {
            "COMPARATOR": [
                { FIELD },
                "VALUE"
            ]
        },
        {
            "COMPARATOR": [
                { FIELD },
                "VALUE"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

At its most simplest, a criteria could simply be matching on a single field:

{
    "=": [
        { type: "attribute", key: "Country" },
        "Australia"
    ]
}

When used in Actor search, the above criteria will return all actors with a Country attribute matching Australia.

However, more advanced examples permit deep nesting to build infinitely complex filter rules:

{
    and: [
        { "=": [
            { type: "attribute", key: "Country" },
            "Australia"
        ] },
        { or: [
            { "=": [
                { type: "attribute", key: "Department" },
                "Marketing"
            ] },
            { "!=": [
                { type: "attribute", key: "Job Title" },
                "*Manager"
            ] }
        ] }
    ]
}

When used in Actor search, the above criteria will return all actors who meet the following conditions:

• The actor must contain a Country attribute of Australia, AND;

• The actor must match any of the following:

  • The actor must contain a Department attribute of Marketing, OR;

  • The actor must not contain a Job Title attribute ending in Manager

Reference

Comparators

Key	Description
and	All operations in the Array must be met for the filter to match.
or	Any operation in the Array must be met for the filter to match.
=	The resource field must match any of the values in the Array.
!=	The resource field must not match any of the values in the Array.
<	The resource field must be less than the second value in the Array.
<=	The resource field must be less than or equal to the second value in the Array.
>	The resource field must be greater than the second value in the Array.
>=	The resource field must be great or equal to the second value in the Array.
><	The resource field must be between the first and second values in the Array (non-inclusive).
<>	The resource field must be less than the first value in the Array and greater than the second value in
exists	A value for the resource field must exist.
!exists	A value for the resource field must not exist.
belongsTo	Used with the Actors resource and Groups field, indicates the Groups field must contain the second value in the Array.
!belongsTo	Used with the Actors resource and Groups field, indicates the Groups field must not contain the second value in the Array.

Values

Resource	Field	Example
Actor	Name	{ type: "name" }