How to search for multiple element names within AFElementSearch's query string?

Question

I keep receiving an error when calling AFElementSearch.FindObjects that involves the passed query string. The query string and error message provided below.

Query string:

"Element:IN('45'; '46') Template:'My Template Name' Root:'MyAFServer\MyAFPath'"

Error message:

'The search criteria 'Element:IN(45;46)' is not valid for Element search.'

I've confirmed the error was not present before the Element-based filter was appended to the beginning of the query string. I had also originally tried filtering on "Name" rather than "Element", but that did not work either. I switched the filter to "Element" after I found an example on the PI AF SDK Search Overview page that used the "Element:IN" condition, but no examples that used "Name:IN".

AF SDK Search Overview:

https://docs.aveva.com/bundle/af-sdk/page/html/search-overview.htm

Rick_Davin_3.0 · Accepted Answer

According to the help link you posted, the Element filter is not supported in an AFElementSearch query: Click to enlarge:   The Name filter is allowed but not ElementName. However, the Name filter is a strict equals, and cannot use an IN( ) clause. See Search Query Syntax from your own help link:   That said, you could consider using an OR condition in conjuction with the Name filter , but OR's perform more sluggish than if not using an OR. What I would suggest is first performing a skinny search by using FindObjectFields to return the guid ID and string Name. You can then filter on name for just the few elements that you desire.   Once you have a small set of guid ID's, you can then use another AFElementSearch to FindObjects passing in an ID filter that does allow for IN( ) . I would recommend this if you were still expecting a large number of elements matching just the 2 names, and you want to process them in pages.   If you really are just expecting a reasonably small number of elements to be found, then I would grab the guid IDs from the skinny search, and then use the AFElement.FindElements(PISystem, Guid[]) method.

How to search for multiple element names within AFElementSearch's query string?

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