Purpose

This document is intended to act as a basic guide on how you can use Smart Filters and Composite Filters in Shavlik Patch for Microsoft System Center.

Creating and Using a Smart Filter

The default Filter that is set to be used when veiwing Shavlik Patch items is "*All", which is intended to display all products and updates. However, it can make it easier to set up some filters that you can use to access certain information more quickly. There are a few default filters already set up, but for creating your own the simplest filtering to set up is a "Smart Filter". Here's how:

1) Click the 'New Smart Filter' button.

2) Create the filter with the rules you'd like to use. In this example, we're creating a basic filter to only show Mozilla Firefox updates by using the rule;

     Product > contains > Firefox

3) You can click 'Add Rule' if you want your smart filter to contain multiple rules. Click Save when you're done.

3) Click the 'Filter' drop-down and choosing the filter you want to use.

     You can see in the example below the filter Mozilla Firefox now only shows updates where the product contains "Firefox".

Creating and Using Composite Filters

Sometimes you may want a little more complicated filtering or need to combine multiple Smart Filters that you've set up. Composite Filters are the method to complete this.

1) For this example we're showing how you can use a Composite Filter to combine multiple Smart Filters, so let's set up another Smart Filter first. This one is intended as a filter to show only updates that are marked as superseded, using the rules; Is Superseded > contains > Yes.

2) Now click 'New Composite Filter'.

3) We are creating a filter that will combine the use of the other two previously created Smart Filters so we can display all Firefox updates that are superseded, using the rules;

     Start with updates selected by SmartFilter: 'Mozilla Firefox' then Filter again using SmartFilter: 'Superseded Updates'

4) Click Save when done.

5) Check the results of your new Composite Filter by choosing it from the Filter drop-down.

     In the example, you can see this filter successfully shows all the Firefox updates that are currently superseded.

Editing a Filter

1) Ensure the filter you want to edit is chosen in the drop-down, then click the 'Edit Filter' button.

     For the example we are editing our Composite Filter "All Superseded Firefox Updates".

2) You can edit existing rules/settings in the filter, but for this example we are going to add a filter into the mix so that the filter shows all the superseded Firefox updates from only the last 30 days.

3) Click the 'Add filter' button.

4) Set up the rules for the additional filter. In the example we use; Filter again using SmartFilter: 'Last 30 days'.

5) Change the name of the filter if you wish, then click Save.

6) If you changed the name of the filter, you will be prompted by the 'Save Filter' window stating the name of the filter was changed. It will provide you the old and new name.

7) Click 'Rename the existing filter' if you want to overwrite the old filter with the new one, or choose 'Save a copy with the new name' to save it separately.

8) You can see that the edited filter now displays only the Firefox updates that are superseded from the last 30 days.

9) As an alternate example showing how you can use some of the logic rules, we are editing the filter once more so that it shows any Firefox updates from within the last 30 days except those updates that are superseded. Rules in the example below;

Start with the updates selected by SmartFilter 'Mozilla Firefox' then 'Remove' updates slected by SmartFilter 'Superseded Updates then Filter again using SmartFilter: 'Last 30 days'

10) We renamed the filter again so the prompt comes up. We are saving this as a copy with a new name.

11) You can see now the list shows only the Firefox updates from the last 30 days that are NOT superseded.

That should be enough to get you started using the filters available in Shavlik Patch. Try playing around with the logic rules and fields available to come up with your own Smart or Composite filters you like using best.

If there's anything you feel is missing from this feature, please feel free to submit a feature request at our Shavlik Feature Request Form.

Affected Product(s)

Shavlik Patch Plugin for Microsoft System Center