Signals Notebook: Understanding Date Search Filters: "State Modified" vs. "Edited"

When searching for experiments in Signals Notebook based on modification dates, users may encounter unexpected results depending on which date filter is selected. This article explains the difference between the "State Modified" and "Edited" search filters and how to use them effectively.

Signals Notebook offers two similar but distinct date-based search filters that function differently:

1. State Modified (Self):
- Searches based on when the experiment entity itself was last modified
- Does not consider modifications to child elements within the experiment
- If an experiment was created a year ago but contains elements modified yesterday, searching for items modified more than 30 days ago using this filter will still return this experiment

2. Edited (Self):
- Searches based on when the experiment OR any of its child elements were last modified
- Considers the most recent modification date across all content within the experiment
- Provides a more accurate picture of when any content within the experiment was last changed

To find experiments with no recent activity:
- Use "Edited (Self)" with "more than n days ago" to find experiments where neither the experiment nor its contents have been modified recently
- Avoid using "State Modified (Self)" for this purpose as it may return experiments containing recently modified content

To find experiments where only the experiment properties were modified:
- Use "State Modified (Self)" to focus on changes to the experiment entity itself
- This is useful when tracking experiment status changes rather than content changes

By selecting the appropriate date filter, users can ensure their search results accurately reflect the activity status of experiments in their system.