Skip to main content

​
Overview

If you have a few saved searches that you use more than the rest, quick links let you access them with a single click from your dashboard. You can create a quick link directly from any saved search dialog — just choose the output format and you’re done. Saved search quick links support five output formats:
  • Search results — view records on-screen where you can browse and edit them
  • Map — see the search results as markers on a map (see Map quick links)
  • PDF — download a PDF file of the search results
  • Spreadsheet (XLSX) — download a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
  • Spreadsheet (CSV) — download a comma-separated values file
The fastest way to create a quick link is directly from the saved search dialog. You can do this when editing an existing search or when saving a new one.
  1. Open the saved search dialog. You can do this from:
    • The Saved Searches page — click the actions menu (⋯) on a search and select Edit
    • The search dropdown in the top navigation — click the edit icon on a saved search
    • The search results page — click Save search to save a new search
  2. In the dialog footer, click Save as quick link. Saved search dialog showing the Save as quick link button in the footer
  3. The Create quick link dialog opens. Here you can configure:
    • Display name — the label that appears on your dashboard (defaults to the search name)
    • Format — choose how you want to see the results
    Create quick link dialog with format and assignment options
  4. Click Create quick link to finish. The quick link is added to your dashboard immediately.
If you haven’t saved the search yet (creating a new search), clicking Save as quick link saves the search first, then opens the quick link dialog. You don’t need to save separately.
When you select Map as the format, no additional options appear. Only saved search quick links offer the Map format; quick search quick links do not. On a computer, clicking a map quick link on the Quick Links tab or in the Search hub opens the Maps page with the saved search’s results shown as markers. From there you can switch the results to dots or a heat map, as described in How maps work. On a phone, the home screen shows your map quick links alongside your search results quick links. Tap a map quick link to open a full-screen map of every result of the saved search. Quick links whose format is PDF or a spreadsheet do not appear on the phone. For more about the phone’s map, see Viewing contacts on a map.

​
PDF options

When you select PDF as the format, additional options appear:
  • Title — the title printed on the PDF
  • Paper size — choose from US-Letter, A4, and other standard sizes
  • Orientation — portrait or landscape
  • Shrink to fit — scale content to fit the page width
  • Large font — increase the font size for readability
  • Wall chart mode — format the output for large-format printing
  • Show followers — include follower records in the output
Create quick link dialog with PDF format options

​
Spreadsheet options

When you select Spreadsheet (XLSX) or Spreadsheet (CSV), additional options appear:
  • File name — the name of the downloaded file
  • One row per contact — consolidate multiple rows for the same contact into a single row
  • Value separator — when using one row per contact, choose how multi-values are separated: no separator (”-----”), pipe character (”|”), comma (”,”), or line break
  • One column per contact info type — split contact info into separate columns (with options for metadata placement)
  • Separate contact info columns by external system — create separate columns for each external system
  • Show followers — include follower records in the output
Create quick link dialog with Spreadsheet (XLSX) selected, One row per contact checked, and the Value separator list open on its four choices: -----, pipe character, Comma, and Line break

​
Map

When you choose Map as the format, no additional options appear. The quick link opens every result of the saved search on a full-screen interactive map. On the phone, each result that has an address appears as a pin; tap a pin to open that contact’s card. On the full web site, a map quick link opens the Maps page with the search applied as markers. Administrators see an additional Who is this for? section in the quick link creation dialog. This lets you create quick links on behalf of other people:
  • Me — create the quick link for yourself (the default)
  • Other user or users — search for and select one or more users to receive the quick link
  • A user group — select a user group, and all members will receive the quick link
Create quick link dialog with the Other user or users assignment option selected
When you assign a quick link to multiple users or a user group, Broadstripes creates individual quick links for each user. A summary message shows how many were created and how many were skipped (if some users already had that quick link).
If you already have a quick link for a particular search in a given format, the Me option will be disabled for that format and a note will indicate the quick link already exists.
You can also create quick links from the Quick Links tab on your homepage dashboard. This method uses a step-by-step wizard:
  1. Go to your homepage and open the Quick Links tab.
  2. Click edit, then click Add new quick link.
  3. Choose a saved search as the type of quick link.
  4. Select the saved search you want from the list and click Next.
  5. Choose the output format and click Next.
  6. Name the quick link and click Done.
For full details on creating quick links from the dashboard, see Create quick links. To remove a quick link from your dashboard, click the ellipsis icon on the quick link button on the Quick Links tab to open the Quick link actions menu, then click Delete. Deleting the link removes it from your dashboard but does not delete the underlying saved search. Quick link delete button