> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.exowizz.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Search & queries

> Add search to your resources and customize the underlying queries.

This is an advanced Resource topic. Use it when your base endpoints work and you need better query behavior.

Exo resources support searching via the `?search=` query parameter on the list endpoint. You can also customize the base query to add eager loading, default ordering, or scopes.

## Adding search

The quickest way to enable search is to list the columns you want to be searchable:

```php theme={null}
public function searchableColumns(): array
{
    return ['name', 'email'];
}
```

When a user requests `GET /exo-api/resources/contact?search=jane`, Exo runs an `OR LIKE` query across these columns, matching any record where `name` or `email` contains "jane".

## Custom search logic

For more control, override the `applySearch` method. This is useful for full-text search, searching across relationships, or other custom matching:

```php theme={null}
public function applySearch(Builder $query, string $search): Builder
{
    return $query->where(function (Builder $q) use ($search) {
        $q->where('name', 'like', "%{$search}%")
          ->orWhere('email', 'like', "%{$search}%")
          ->orWhereHas('company', function (Builder $q) use ($search) {
              $q->where('name', 'like', "%{$search}%");
          });
    });
}
```

When you override `applySearch`, the `searchableColumns` return value is ignored — your custom method takes full control.

## Customizing the base query

The `baseQuery` method defines the starting Eloquent query for all list and show operations. Override it to add eager loading, default scopes, or ordering:

```php theme={null}
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Builder;

public function baseQuery(): Builder
{
    return parent::baseQuery()
        ->with(['company', 'tags'])
        ->orderBy('created_at', 'desc');
}
```

<Tip>
  If your `transform` method accesses relationships, eager-load them in `baseQuery` to avoid N+1 query problems.
</Tip>

## Pagination

List endpoints return paginated results. The default page size is 15. API consumers can change it with the `?per_page=` query parameter:

```
GET /exo-api/resources/contact?per_page=50
```

The response includes standard Laravel pagination metadata:

```json theme={null}
{
  "data": [...],
  "current_page": 1,
  "last_page": 3,
  "per_page": 50,
  "total": 142,
  "next_page_url": "http://your-app.test/exo-api/resources/contact?page=2&per_page=50",
  "prev_page_url": null
}
```