# Apply filter only if field exists **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [March 27, 2017, 8:05am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087 "2017-03-27T08:05:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zajca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/zajca/32/26576_2.png) [@zajca](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/zajca)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 8:05am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/1 "2017-03-27T08:05:27Z")
Hi, I'm searching across multiple index and multiple types. But some of my types needs to be filtered by field which is not existing in all types. my query looks like this: ``` curl -XGET 'http://esdb:9200/index1,index2/_search' -d '{ "query":{ "bool":{ "must":[ { "query_string":{ "query":"*komi*", "rewrite":"scoring_boolean" } } ], "should":[ { "term":{ "_type":{ "value":"type2", "boost":5 } } } ] } }, "size":10, "from":0, "indices_boost":{ "index1":2, "index2":1 } }' ``` but to get better results I need to filter out some of the results. so I add filter for this ``` "filter":[ { "nested":{ "path":"revisions", "query":{ "wildcard":{ "revisions.context":{ "value":"*n*", "boost":1 } } } } } ] ``` query: ``` curl -XGET 'http://esdb:9200/index1,index2/_search' -d '{ "query":{ "bool":{ "must":[ { "query_string":{ "query":"*Management*", "rewrite":"scoring_boolean" } } ], "filter":[ { "nested":{ "path":"revisions", "query":{ "wildcard":{ "revisions.context":{ "value":"*n*", "boost":1 } } } } } ], "should":[ { "term":{ "_type":{ "value":"type2", "boost":5 } } } ] } }, "size":10, "from":0, "indices_boost":{ "index1":2, "index2":1 } }' ``` If I apply this filter I will lost all results from types which don't have field `revisions.context` It's possible to apply filter only when field exists in mappings? ---
**Author:** ![xavierfacq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/xavierfacq/32/8744_2.png) [@xavierfacq](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/xavierfacq)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 8:20am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/2 "2017-03-27T08:20:24Z")
Hi, Note: you should format your code here, for readability. For you problem, did you try the following solution ? must ((revisions.context NOT EXISTS) OR (you revisions.context query)) bye, Xavier ---
**Author:** ![zajca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/zajca/32/26576_2.png) [@zajca](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/zajca)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 9:44am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/3 "2017-03-27T09:44:29Z")
I'm to entirely sure how to make this work. I try to add bool query with should and another bool query with must and must not. But no results from types without `revisions.context` are returned. ``` { "query":{ "bool":{ "must":[ { "query_string":{ "query":"*Vodn\u00ed*", "rewrite":"scoring_boolean" } } ], "filter":[ { "bool":{ "should":[ { "bool":{ "must_not":[ { "exists":{ "field":"revisions.context" } } ], "must":[ { "nested":{ "path":"revisions", "query":{ "wildcard":{ "revisions.context":{ "value":"*n*", "boost":1 } } } } } ] } } ] } } ], "should":[ { "term":{ "_type":{ "value":"type2", "boost":5 } } } ] } }, "indices_boost":{ "index1":2, "index2":1 } } ``` //Thank's I formated post. ---
**Author:** ![xavierfacq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/xavierfacq/32/8744_2.png) [@xavierfacq](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/xavierfacq)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 9:53am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/4 "2017-03-27T09:53:36Z")
you query have to be somthing like: ``` { "query":{ "bool":{ "must":[ { "query_string":{ "query":"*Vodn\u00ed*", "rewrite":"scoring_boolean" } } ], "must":[ "bool":{ "minimun_should_match" : 1, "should":[ { "bool":{ "must_not":[ { "exists":{ "field":"revisions.context" } } ] } }, { "nested":{ "path":"revisions", "query":{ "wildcard":{ "revisions.context":{ "value":"*n*", "boost":1 } } } } } ] } ], "should":[ { "term":{ "_type":{ "value":"type2", "boost":5 } } } ] } }, "indices_boost":{ "index1":2, "index2":1 } } ``` bye, Xavier ---
**Author:** ![zajca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/zajca/32/26576_2.png) [@zajca](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/zajca)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 10:06am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/5 "2017-03-27T10:06:20Z")
If I move query from filter to must and add `minimum_number_should_match` It will not make much difference. I get same results but this will affect scoring. Or I miss something? ``` { "query":{ "bool":{ "must":[ { "query_string":{ "query":"*Vodn\u00ed*", "rewrite":"scoring_boolean" } }, { "query_string":{ "query":"*hospod\u00e1\u0159stv\u00ed*", "rewrite":"scoring_boolean" } }, { "bool":{ "minimum_number_should_match":1, "should":[ { "bool":{ "must_not":[ { "exists":{ "field":"revisions.context" } } ], "must":[ { "nested":{ "path":"revisions", "query":{ "wildcard":{ "revisions.context":{ "value":"*n*", "boost":1 } } } } } ] } } ] } } ], "should":[ { "term":{ "_type":{ "value":"type2", "boost":10 } } } ] } }, "indices_boost":{ "index1":2, "index2":1 } } ``` ---
**Author:** ![xavierfacq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/xavierfacq/32/8744_2.png) [@xavierfacq](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/xavierfacq)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 12:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/6 "2017-03-27T12:16:01Z")
You must have 2 should clauses in your bool with minimum\_number\_should\_match = 1 your query is: ``` ((NOT EXISTS) OR (NESTED revisions.context="*n*") ``` In JSON: ``` "bool":{ "minimum_number_should_match":1, "should":[ { bool no exists }, { nested {...} ] } ``` ---
**Author:** ![zajca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/zajca/32/26576_2.png) [@zajca](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/zajca)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/7 "2017-03-27T13:09:26Z")
Ii looks like that nested query is not used: I now have query bellow. I know that for my search string there is exactly one document which match `NOT EXISTS` part of query. So result should be query without `NOT EXISTS` + 1 Document. But I get much more documents since `*n*` is not matched. And I get documents like `revisions.context:'D'`, but when I just remove not exists I get right results with right context string. //EDIT: I just try to remove only nested should part of query, and I get exact same number of results ``` { "query":{ "bool":{ "must":[ { "query_string":{ ... } }, { "bool":{ "minimum_number_should_match":1, "should":[ { "nested":{ "path":"revisions", "query":{ "wildcard":{ "revisions.context":{ "value":"*n*" } } } } }, { "bool":{ "must_not":[ { "exists":{ "field":"revisions.context" } } ] } } ] } } ], "should":[ ... ] } }, ... } ``` ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2017, 1:09pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/apply-filter-only-if-field-exists/80087/8 "2017-04-24T13:09:26Z")
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