The Input Box and Advanced Filter are two controls in Looker Studio that function similarly to a search box, allowing the report’s end user to filter the data presented in the charts.
For the examples in this post, I’ve used the Superstore Products dataset. Visit the post on how to add data sources to Looker Studio to learn more about it.
Visit the post on how to add controls to your report in Looker Studio, if you need a refresher.
1. Input Box
What is it?
The Input Box is a text or number field where the user can type to search within the control’s dimension and filter the charts on the page accordingly. The available conditions are Equal to, Contains, Starts with, Regex, and In. It’s important to note that the input is case-sensitive.
When to use it?
Use the Input Box when you want to allow your users to filter by specific values they define themselves.
Example
Suppose you have a table with product names, quantities, and gross revenue, and you want to see only those products from the Wilson Jones brand. Since the product name contains the brand, you can use that dimension in your input box.
To add it, select the dimension as the control field in the input box settings. Choose Contains as the search type, allowing the user to filter by any occurrence of the term Wilson Jones, regardless of its position within the product name.
With the above configuration, the input box should look like this:
Remember, the input is case-sensitive.
2. Advanced Filter
What is it?
The Advanced Filter is similar to the input box, but the conditions (Equal to, Contains, Starts with, Regex, In) appear in a dropdown list inside the box.
When to use it?
Use the Advanced Filter when you want to give users the option to both input a specific text to filter by and choose the condition for filtering that text. It’s a more advanced filter compared to the input box.
Example
We can use the same example as the input box. Personally, I prefer using the advanced filter so that the user has the flexibility to select the filtering condition that best suits their needs.
If you want to change the default condition that appears, you can do so in Search Type under Settings.
What do you think of these two controls? Did you already know about them?