Search and filter elements in a model

Depending on the size of your model, it may be difficult to find an element with a specific name or type. You can search and filter to find a specific element in ModelBuilder.

Search for elements

To search for a model element, type the name of the element in the Search box in the top right of the model view. As you type, you will see a list of suggested model elements that match the characters you have entered. Select an element name from the suggestions list to select the element in the model.

Regular expressions can be used to search for model elements. The table below contains a number of examples using regular expressions.

Example	Action	Result
Polygon	Select elements that match the exact keyword.
Polygon*	Find elements that start with the characters before *.
*Polygon	Find elements that end with the characters after *.
Polygon&Raster*	Find elements that contain multiple keywords.
*Polygon*	Find elements that contain characters between two *.
*[()]*	Find elements with any character in a list [ ].
Buffer|Near	Find elements that match keywords on either side of |.
Buffer|(*Near*)	Find elements that matches one keyword and contains another keyword.
Buffer|Near*	Find elements that contain either a keyword or elements that begin with a specific keyword.

Search results

If the search returns multiple selected elements, use the Next and Previous arrows to navigate between the selected elements. Previous search history can be accessed from the Recent Searches drop-down menu.

Filters

Filters in a model help refine the search results. Checking multiple filters returns elements matching any of the selected filters. When you apply filters, the model zooms to selected elements that match the filter. When the filter is unchecked, the model zooms back to the original level.

Filter	Action
All	Selects all model elements.
Input	Selects only the input variables (blue ovals).
Output	Selects all tool outputs (green ovals).
Parameters	Selects all variables that are model parameters.
Add To Display	Selects all variables that have Add To Display checked.
Delete Intermediate Data	Selects all variables that have Delete Intermediate Data checked.
Model Tools	Selects all model tools, nested models, or submodels.
Built-In-Tools	Selects all built-in-tools in the model.
Script Tools	Selects all script tools in the model.
Elements with Preconditions	Selects all element pairs that use preconditions.
Elements with Inline Variable Substitution	Selects all elements that use inline variable substitution.
Uncheck everything	No elements are selected.

You can combine filters and search to find elements that meet both the filter and the search criteria. For example, searching for an element with the keyword *Polygon* and the Parameter, Add To Display and Model Tools filters checked will select elements with the word Polygon in the name that are a model parameter, have Add To Display checked on, or are a model tool.