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WARNING You're browsing the documentation for an upcoming version of Laravel DataTables. The documentation and features of this release are subject to change.

Smart Search

Smart search controls how DataTables matches search keywords against your data. The package offers multiple search modes to suit different use cases.

Search Modes Overview

Mode Behavior Use Case
Default (Smart) %keyword% - wraps with wildcards General search
Starts With keyword% - prefix only Autocomplete, suggestions
Ends With %keyword - suffix only File extensions, codes
Exact Match keyword - no wildcards IDs, codes, exact terms

Basic Usage

By default, smart search is enabled with automatic wildcards:

Route::get('user-data', function () {
    return DataTables::eloquent(User::query())->toJson();
});

Searching for "john" becomes %john%.

Disable Smart Search

Use ->smart(false) for exact matching:

Route::get('user-data', function () {
    return DataTables::eloquent(User::query())
        ->smart(false)
        ->toJson();
});

Searching for "john" matches exactly "john", not "Johnny".

Starts With Search

Search for records that start with the given keyword:

Route::get('user-data', function () {
    return DataTables::eloquent(User::query())
        ->startsWithSearch()
        ->toJson();
});

Behavior Comparison

When searching "John":

Search Type SQL Pattern Matches
Default (Contains) %John% "John", "Johnny", "Long John"
Starts With John% "John", "Johnny" only
Ends With %John "Long John" only
Exact Match John "John" only

How Smart Search Works

Smart search automatically transforms user input:

  1. Wildcard Wrapping - Terms are wrapped with % for partial matching
  2. Multi-word AND Logic - Spaces split terms, all must match
User Types Generated SQL
john WHERE name LIKE '%john%'
john doe WHERE name LIKE '%john%' AND name LIKE '%doe%'

Global Configuration

Configure defaults in config/datatables.php:

return [
    // Wrap search terms with % wildcards
    'smart' => true,
 
    // Case insensitive searching
    'case_insensitive' => true,
 
    // Use wildcards in search
    'use_wildcards' => false,
];

When to Use

  • Use Smart Search (default): When you want users to find results by typing any part of a word
  • Use Starts With: When building autocomplete fields or suggestions
  • Disable Smart Search: When searching for exact IDs, codes, or precise values

See Also

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