# Supported search terms for finding samples ## Categorical features Our search is 'contains' search, meaning the term you enter can be at the beginning, end or in the middle of a matched term. Our search is case-independent. An example is > IIA will match 'Stage IIIA' and 'Stage IIA'. To specify a specific string, use quotes > "Stage IIA" ## Numerical and Continuous features You can specify a certain column and mathematical expression such as > A:>2 which will find all values greater than 2 in the first column. We support the following operators * \= (equal) * \>= (less than or equal) * \>= (greater than or equal) * < (less than) * \> (greater than) * != (not equal) ## Mutation data You can search any annotation on a mutation, such as the functional impact, protein position, or gene name itself To find all samples with mutations with the protein change, enter: > V600E To find all samples where the functional impact has the text 'frame' or 'nonsense' in it: > frame OR nonsense To find all samples that have a mutation, search the gene annotation: > TP53 To find all samples that do not have a mutation, use the negation of the gene annotation: > !=TP53 ## No data or 'null' To find all samples that do not have data in one or more columns, use: > null and choose 'Remove samples'. To find all samples that do not have data for just one column, use: > B:null ## Sample IDs Enter a sample ID to find a sample of interest. An example: > TCGA-DB-A4XH If you are searching for multiple sample IDs, you will need to separate each by an 'OR'. You can copy and paste a list of sample IDs into the search bar as long as they are separated by a space, tab, or return (new line). > TCGA-DB-A4XH OR TCGA-2F-A9KO-01 OR TCGA-02-0001 [Use 'alt-click' to freeze](/project/how-do-i/freeze-and-un-freeze-tooltip.md) for copying a sample ID from the tooltip. ## Search a specific column To make it easy to search a specific column, we use shorthand to annotate the first column as 'A:', the second as 'B:', etc. An example is > A:YES This will search ONLY the first column for the word 'YES'. Note that we will retain your original search if you move the columns around. ## Boolean operators: OR, AND, and != You can enter multiple search terms and we will match all of them with an implicit 'AND'. We also support 'OR'. Use parentheses to group search terms. For example: > "Stage II" (B:Negative OR C:Negative) will search for samples that match 'Stage II' in any column and are 'Negative' for either the second or third column. You can also use '!=' to negate a term such as: > !=null which will match all samples that have data across all columns. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://ucsc-xena.gitbook.io/project/overview-of-features/filter-and-subgrouping/supported-search-terms-for-finding-samples.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.