Create filters with user-based wildcards

Last update: June 26, 2025

Topics:
Reports and Dashboards

CREATED FOR:

Intermediate
User

In this video, you will learn how to:

Understand why to use wildcards
Build a filter with a user-based wildcard

Transcript

In this video, you will learn how to understand why to use wildcards, and how to build a filter with a user-based wildcard. User-based wildcards are a powerful tool you can use when building filters in Adobe Workfront. Wildcards make the filters and reports you build more flexible, allowing them to be used by multiple people across your team or organization without making changes, all the while providing each user with individualized results. When a filter contains a user-based wildcard, Workfront recognizes the logged in person using that filter, then applies that information to the filter results, which results in personalized results for the user. For example, you can write a single filter rule that contains a user-based wildcard, then share that rule with 3 people, 30 people, or 300 people, each person would get individualized results. Building filters with wildcards can also cut down on the amount of customization that’s needed when sharing a filter with others. Let’s start exploring user-based wildcards by taking a look at how to use the most common one, $$USER.ID.

You want to write a filter that shows incomplete tasks that are due this week that can be used by each person on your 30 member team, but you want each person to see their individual results. You could build the exact same filter for each team member, entering their name in the assignment users ID filter rule, but this would be time consuming. In addition, you’d have to maintain all 30 filters when changes are needed. This is a situation when user-based wildcards are ideal to use. With a wildcard, you can create a single filter that will provide personalized results for each of the 30 people on your team.

Workfront has a number of user-based wildcards. The most popular is $$USER.ID, which identifies the logged in user. This is the person whose Workfront username and password were used to log in. $$USER.ID wildcard is the one you can use to build the incomplete tasks filter for your team. You’ve already built the filter rules for finding tasks that aren’t yet completed and that are due this week. Now you can add the final filter rule for who the task is assigned to. Select assignment users ID, and then equal. Instead of entering a specific person’s name the $$USER.ID wildcard makes this filter dynamic, so it gives the user their personalized results. You’ll notice as you start typing the dollar signs, the wildcard pops up for you to select. Workfront knows that wildcards start with two dollar signs. So it shows you the wildcards available to use with the field source and field name you selected. Pro tip. Many of the field names that contain ID can be used with wildcards. If you’re not sure if a wildcard is available for a field, just type two dollar signs. If a wildcard pops up, then you’re in luck. Finally, make sure all the filter rules are joined with and. This ensures that each task that shows up in the search results meets all three of those criteria.

Once you name and say the filter, it’s ready to test.

Finally, share the filter with everyone on your team so they can start using it.

Workfront has a number of user-based wildcards in addition to $$USER.ID. For example, $$USER.homeTeamID looks at the logged in user and then identifies the home team they’ve been assigned in Workfront. It then shows results related to that team. The group and team user wildcards are great to use in filters instead of the names of specific individuals. This way you don’t have to update filters each time someone joins or leaves the teams. As long as the system or group administrator updates the user configurations in Workfront, this wildcard will keep on working.

Try out some of these wildcards as your writing filters or reports for your organization. Workfront recommends using wildcards, especially dollar $$USER.ID whenever you can when writing filters. Wildcards make filters more flexible, allowing them to be used by multiple users without having to modify the filter or make an endless number of copies. -

TIP

Use the Assignment Users >> ID field source and name when building filters that look at task or issue assignment information. This option looks at all of the users assigned to the task or issue, not just the “owner” or primary assignee.

TIP

Use the $$USER.ID (instead of your name) even when building filters for yourself. This way, if someone sees a filter you’re running and says “share that with me,” the filter is already set up so each person using it sees their own information.

TIP

You always must use the Equal filter qualifier when using user-based wildcards.

“Create filters with user-based wildcards” activities

Activity 1

You have a bit of extra time this week, so you want to see if there’s anyone on your team who could use some assistance with their assignments. Create a task filter to find tasks assigned to your home team that are due this week and haven’t been completed yet.

Answer 1

You’re awesome for helping out your teammates! With the filter set up like the image below, you’ll find tasks:

That haven’t been completed (meaning they don’t have a Complete status or status that equates to Complete);
That are in projects with a Current status (after all, you don’t want to find tasks for projects that haven’t launched yet);
That are assigned to someone on your home team, as defined by Workfront team settings;
And that have a completion date of sometime this week (this rule used the pre-built date filter to define “this week”).

An image of the screen to create a task filter with a user-based wildcard

You may need to add some additional filters if you need to limit the list a bit more. For example, you may want to add a filter rule that looks at a specific program or portfolio that your team works out of.

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