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Create a Search table
Add a Search table based on your preferred data source. This is a table that will control the searches, not the table to be searched; the table to be searched will be determined later. In this example, the data source is Google Sheets.
This table needs at least two normal (not virtual) columns: a key column and a column to receive the search term. In this example, the key column is named user and the search term will be stored in search.
Configure the user column
Set Initial value
In this example, the key column value is set to the email address of the user who adds the Search row. This allows for only one Search row per user.
Add the results virtual column
Return to the Search table column list and click Add virtual column to add a column to contain the search results. In this example, the column is named results.
Identify search targets
The App formula of the results column is used to gather the rows that match the user's search term. In this example, the results are rows of another table that contain the search term in either of several of its columns. The App formula expression should be tailored to your particular needs and the structure of your target table.
Confirm column configuration
After entering the App formula expression for the results column, ensure the remaining column configuration is appropriate. For this example, the search results will be rows of the Example table. Rows of a table are best displayed as a List. A row is represented by a Ref column type. The Referenced table name (the name of the table containing the rows in the List) should match the table used by the App formula.
Configure the Search table
Return to the column list of the Search table and click the Table settings icon.
Add a security filter
The current user should only have access to their own Search table row, both to protect the privacy of other users and to avoid the performance impact of loading unneeded searches of other users. The view configurations below assume that the Search table will include only the on row of the current user.
Create the Search view
The Search view itself is a detail view for the Search table. For this example, the Search table loads only the current user's row, so the table will have at most only one row and this view will only ever show the current user's row of the Search table.
Allow the user to enter a search term
Add the search column to the list of Quick edit columns for the row. This will allow the user to edit the search term within the detail view itself without needing to navigate to and submit a form view.
Only display if user's search is setup
If the user doesn't yet have a row in the Search table, this detail view will have nothing to show and the view's appearance will likely cause confusion. Therefore, it's best to hide the Search view if the user's Search table row doesn't exist.
Create Add Search view
If the user does not yet have a row in the Search table, the user should be presented with the option to add it. For this example, the option is given as a form view named Add Search.
Allow search term and continue to Search view
In addition to simply adding the user's Search table row, this Add Search form allows the user to enter a search term to perform their first search by displaying the search column in the view. Setting Finish view to the Search view created previously will present the user with the results of their first search and allow further searches upon submitting this form.
Only display if the user's search isn't setup
The Add Search view is intended only to add the user's Search table row if the row does not already exist. If the row already exists, the Add Search view should not be displayed.
Open the Add Search view
In the app emulator or from the app itself, navigate to the Add Search view.
Save the new search row
From the Add Search form, optionally enter a search term, then click Save.
Behold your new custom search feature!
If configured as described here, the resulting view should be similar to this:
