# Searching on arrays of strings works, but on arrays of integers fails **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [October 11, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/searching-on-arrays-of-strings-works-but-on-arrays-of-integers-fails/5567 "2011-10-11T21:54:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![doug\_livesey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/doug_livesey/32/2114_2.png) [@doug\_livesey](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/doug_livesey)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/searching-on-arrays-of-strings-works-but-on-arrays-of-integers-fails/5567/1 "2011-10-11T21:54:51Z")
Hi -- if I have this object indexed like so: $ curl -XPUT "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items)" '{ "id": 999, "colours": ["red", "blue"], "colour\_ids": [4, 9], "status": "forsale" }' When I do a search on the "colours" array like this: $ curl -XGET "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colours": "red" } } }' It returns the object in the results as I would expect. However, when I try to search on "colour\_ids" like this: $ curl -XGET "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colour\_ids": 4 } } }' It returns nothing. Could someone advise me on how I can modify my second search so that it can search for items dependent on the "colour\_ids" array of integers? Thankyou for any & all assistance, Doug. ---
**Author:** ![doug\_livesey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/doug_livesey/32/2114_2.png) [@doug\_livesey](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/doug_livesey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 9:38am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/searching-on-arrays-of-strings-works-but-on-arrays-of-integers-fails/5567/2 "2011-10-12T09:38:27Z")
Okay, for now I'll just use strings for the ids (which does work), but if anyone can suggest a better way, I'd be really grateful. Thanks, Doug. On Oct 11, 10:54 pm, doug livesey [biot...@gmail.com](mailto:biot...@gmail.com) wrote: > Hi -- if I have this object indexed like so: > $ curl -XPUT "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items)" '{ "id": 999, > "colours": ["red", "blue"], "colour\_ids": [4, 9], "status": "forsale" }' > > When I do a search on the "colours" array like this: > $ curl -XGET "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colours": "red" } } }' > It returns the object in the results as I would expect. > > However, when I try to search on "colour\_ids" like this: > $ curl -XGET "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colour\_ids": 4 } } }' > It returns nothing. > > Could someone advise me on how I can modify my second search so that it can > search for items dependent on the "colour\_ids" array of integers? > Thankyou for any & all assistance, > Doug. ---
**Author:** ![doug\_livesey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/doug_livesey/32/2114_2.png) [@doug\_livesey](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/doug_livesey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 10:15am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/searching-on-arrays-of-strings-works-but-on-arrays-of-integers-fails/5567/3 "2011-10-12T10:15:24Z")
Huh. It started working this morning. Which is worrying, but I'll start a new thread for that particular worry. On 12 October 2011 10:38, biot023 [biot023@gmail.com](mailto:biot023@gmail.com) wrote: > Okay, for now I'll just use strings for the ids (which does work), but > if anyone can suggest a better way, I'd be really grateful. > Thanks, > Doug. > > On Oct 11, 10:54 pm, doug livesey [biot...@gmail.com](mailto:biot...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > Hi -- if I have this object indexed like so: > > $ curl -XPUT "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items)" '{ "id": 999, > > "colours": ["red", "blue"], "colour\_ids": [4, 9], "status": "forsale" > > }' > > > > When I do a search on the "colours" array like this: > > $ curl -XGET " > > [http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colours": "red" } } }' > > It returns the object in the results as I would expect. > > > > However, when I try to search on "colour\_ids" like this: > > $ curl -XGET " > > [http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colour\_ids": 4 } } }' > > It returns nothing. > > > > Could someone advise me on how I can modify my second search so that it > > can > > search for items dependent on the "colour\_ids" array of integers? > > Thankyou for any & all assistance, > > Doug. ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/searching-on-arrays-of-strings-works-but-on-arrays-of-integers-fails/5567/4 "2011-10-12T21:16:34Z")
If you can recreate when it did not work, it would be great. On Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 12:15 PM, doug livesey [biot023@gmail.com](mailto:biot023@gmail.com) wrote: > Huh. > It started working this morning. > Which is worrying, but I'll start a new thread for that particular worry. > > On 12 October 2011 10:38, biot023 [biot023@gmail.com](mailto:biot023@gmail.com) wrote: > > > Okay, for now I'll just use strings for the ids (which does work), but > > if anyone can suggest a better way, I'd be really grateful. > > Thanks, > > Doug. > > > > On Oct 11, 10:54 pm, doug livesey [biot...@gmail.com](mailto:biot...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > > > Hi -- if I have this object indexed like so: > > > $ curl -XPUT "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items)" '{ "id": 999, > > > "colours": ["red", "blue"], "colour\_ids": [4, 9], "status": > > > "forsale" }' > > > > > > When I do a search on the "colours" array like this: > > > $ curl -XGET " > > > [http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > > > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colours": "red" } } }' > > > It returns the object in the results as I would expect. > > > > > > However, when I try to search on "colour\_ids" like this: > > > $ curl -XGET " > > > [http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > > > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colour\_ids": 4 } } }' > > > It returns nothing. > > > > > > Could someone advise me on how I can modify my second search so that it > > > can > > > search for items dependent on the "colour\_ids" array of integers? > > > Thankyou for any & all assistance, > > > Doug. ---
**Author:** ![doug\_livesey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/doug_livesey/32/2114_2.png) [@doug\_livesey](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/doug_livesey)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2011, 8:49am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/searching-on-arrays-of-strings-works-but-on-arrays-of-integers-fails/5567/5 "2011-10-13T08:49:59Z")
I haven't been able to yet, sorry -- I will try again, but I suspect that this was just some weird, anomalous behaviour. On 12 October 2011 22:16, Shay Banon [kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com) wrote: > If you can recreate when it did not work, it would be great. > > On Wed, Oct 12, 2011 at 12:15 PM, doug livesey [biot023@gmail.com](mailto:biot023@gmail.com) wrote: > > > Huh. > > It started working this morning. > > Which is worrying, but I'll start a new thread for that particular worry. > > > > On 12 October 2011 10:38, biot023 [biot023@gmail.com](mailto:biot023@gmail.com) wrote: > > > > > Okay, for now I'll just use strings for the ids (which does work), but > > > if anyone can suggest a better way, I'd be really grateful. > > > Thanks, > > > Doug. > > > > > > On Oct 11, 10:54 pm, doug livesey [biot...@gmail.com](mailto:biot...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > > > > > Hi -- if I have this object indexed like so: > > > > $ curl -XPUT "[http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items)" '{ "id": 999, > > > > "colours": ["red", "blue"], "colour\_ids": [4, 9], "status": > > > > "forsale" }' > > > > > > > > When I do a search on the "colours" array like this: > > > > $ curl -XGET " > > > > [http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > > > > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colours": "red" } } }' > > > > It returns the object in the results as I would expect. > > > > > > > > However, when I try to search on "colour\_ids" like this: > > > > $ curl -XGET " > > > > [http://localhost:9200/items\_test/items/\_search?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/items_test/items/_search?pretty=true)" > > > > -d '{ "query": { "term": { "colour\_ids": 4 } } }' > > > > It returns nothing. > > > > > > > > Could someone advise me on how I can modify my second search so that it > > > > can > > > > search for items dependent on the "colour\_ids" array of integers? > > > > Thankyou for any & all assistance, > > > > Doug. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:52am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/searching-on-arrays-of-strings-works-but-on-arrays-of-integers-fails/5567/6 "2017-07-06T03:52:07Z")