SetGet Query Language (SGL)

The SetGet Query Language (SGL) is a text-based syntax for expressing filter conditions on work items. While the graphical filter builder covers common scenarios, SGL gives you full control over complex queries including OR logic across different properties, nested conditions, and precise date arithmetic.

When to use SGL

Use SGL when:

• You need OR logic across different properties (the graphical builder only supports AND across properties).
• You want to type a query faster than clicking through dropdowns.
• You are building reusable query templates to share with your team.
• You need to express conditions that the graphical builder does not support.

For simple filters, the graphical filter builder is usually faster and more discoverable.

Syntax overview

An SGL query is a sequence of conditions connected by logical operators:

property operator value [AND|OR property operator value ...]

Basic structure

Component	Description	Example
Property	The work item property to filter on	state, priority, assignee
Operator	How to compare the value	=, !=, IN, NOT IN, <, >, BETWEEN
Value	The target value to compare against	"In Progress", "Urgent", "2026-04-01"
Logical connector	Combines multiple conditions	AND, OR

Example

state = "In Progress" AND priority = "Urgent" AND assignee = "alice@example.com"

This query returns work items that are In Progress, Urgent priority, and assigned to Alice.

Property names

Use the following property names in SGL queries:

SGL property	Description	Value type
state	Workflow state name	String
state_group	Logical state group	String (backlog, unstarted, started, completed, cancelled)
priority	Priority level	String (urgent, high, medium, low, none)
assignee	Assigned member email or display name	String
label	Label name	String
cycle	Cycle name	String
module	Module name	String
project	Project identifier (workspace views)	String
created_by	Creator email or display name	String
subscriber	Subscriber email or display name	String
mention	Mentioned member email or display name	String
due_date	Target completion date	Date
start_date	Planned start date	Date
created_date	Creation date	Date
updated_date	Last modification date	Date
estimate	Effort estimate	Number

Property names are case-insensitive. State, state, and STATE are all equivalent.

Operators

Comparison operators

Operator	Meaning	Applicable to
=	Equals	All types
!=	Not equals	All types
IN	Matches any value in a list	Strings, numbers
NOT IN	Does not match any value in a list	Strings, numbers
<	Less than	Dates, numbers
>	Greater than	Dates, numbers
<=	Less than or equal	Dates, numbers
>=	Greater than or equal	Dates, numbers
BETWEEN	Within a range (inclusive)	Dates, numbers
CONTAINS	Property includes the value (for multi-value properties)	Assignees, labels, subscribers
NOT CONTAINS	Property does not include the value	Assignees, labels, subscribers
IS EMPTY	Property has no value set	All types
IS NOT EMPTY	Property has a value set	All types

Logical operators

Operator	Meaning
AND	Both conditions must be true
OR	At least one condition must be true

Use parentheses to control precedence when mixing AND and OR:

(state = "In Progress" OR state = "In Review") AND priority = "Urgent"

Without parentheses, AND takes precedence over OR.

Value formats

Strings

Enclose string values in double quotes:

state = "In Progress"
label = "Bug"
assignee = "alice@example.com"

Multiple values (IN operator)

Use parentheses with comma-separated quoted values:

state IN ("Todo", "In Progress", "In Review")
priority NOT IN ("None", "Low")

Dates

Use ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) in double quotes:

due_date < "2026-04-01"
created_date BETWEEN "2026-03-01" AND "2026-03-31"

Relative dates

SGL supports relative date expressions for dynamic queries:

Expression	Meaning
TODAY	Current date
TODAY - 7d	7 days ago
TODAY + 14d	14 days from now
START_OF_WEEK	Monday of the current week
END_OF_WEEK	Sunday of the current week
START_OF_MONTH	First day of the current month
END_OF_MONTH	Last day of the current month

Example:

due_date BETWEEN TODAY AND TODAY + 7d

This returns items due within the next 7 days.

Numbers

Use bare numbers without quotes:

estimate > 5
estimate BETWEEN 1 AND 8

Empty checks

Use IS EMPTY and IS NOT EMPTY without a value:

assignee IS EMPTY
due_date IS NOT EMPTY

Combining conditions

AND logic

All conditions connected with AND must be true:

state = "In Progress" AND priority = "Urgent" AND assignee = "bob@example.com"

OR logic

At least one condition connected with OR must be true:

priority = "Urgent" OR priority = "High"

Mixed logic with parentheses

Parentheses group conditions and control evaluation order:

(priority = "Urgent" OR priority = "High") AND state != "Done" AND assignee IS NOT EMPTY

This returns items that are Urgent or High priority, not Done, and have at least one assignee.

Nested parentheses

You can nest parentheses for complex expressions:

(state = "In Progress" AND priority = "Urgent") OR (state = "Todo" AND due_date < TODAY)

This returns items that are either Urgent and In Progress, or overdue items still in Todo.

Examples for common queries

My overdue items

assignee = "me" AND due_date < TODAY AND state_group != "completed" AND state_group != "cancelled"

The special value "me" refers to the current logged-in user.

Unassigned backlog items in a specific project

project = "BACKEND" AND assignee IS EMPTY AND state = "Backlog"

Items created this month but not yet started

created_date >= START_OF_MONTH AND state_group = "unstarted"

High-priority items without an estimate

priority IN ("Urgent", "High") AND estimate IS EMPTY

Items in a specific cycle with a particular label

cycle = "Sprint 14" AND label CONTAINS "Frontend"

Items updated recently but not assigned to the current sprint

updated_date >= TODAY - 7d AND cycle != "Sprint 14"

Items blocking other work

label CONTAINS "Blocker" AND state_group IN ("unstarted", "started")

Workspace-wide triage query

priority = "Urgent" AND state_group != "completed" AND state_group != "cancelled" AND due_date <= TODAY + 3d

Interactive query editor

The SGL editor is accessible from any view:

1. Click the Filter button in the toolbar.
2. Click Query Editor (or the code icon) to switch from the graphical builder to the text editor.
3. Type your SGL query in the text field.
4. Press Enter or click Apply to execute the query.

Autocomplete

The editor provides autocomplete suggestions as you type:

Trigger	Suggestions offered
Start typing a property name	Matching property names
After typing an operator	Expected value format hint
After typing = on a state property	Available state names
After typing = on a priority property	Priority level names
After typing = on an assignee property	Workspace member names
After typing = on a label property	Available label names

Syntax highlighting

The editor highlights different parts of the query:

Element	Color
Property names	Blue
Operators	Purple
String values	Green
Date values	Orange
Logical connectors (AND, OR)	Bold
Errors	Red underline

Error handling

If your query contains a syntax error, the editor shows an error message below the input:

Error	Cause	Fix
Unknown property	Typo in the property name	Check the property name table above
Invalid operator for property type	Using < on a string property	Use =, !=, IN, or NOT IN for strings
Expected value	Missing value after an operator	Add a quoted string, date, or number
Unmatched parenthesis	Opening ( without closing )	Add the missing parenthesis
Invalid date format	Date not in YYYY-MM-DD format	Use the format "2026-04-01"
Empty query	No conditions specified	Add at least one condition

The query is not applied until all errors are resolved. The previous filter state remains active while you fix errors.

TIP

If you are unsure about the syntax, start with the graphical filter builder and then switch to the query editor to see the SGL equivalent. This is an effective way to learn the syntax.

Save SGL queries as views

SGL queries can be saved as views just like graphical filters:

1. Write and apply your SGL query.
2. Click Save as View.
3. Enter a name and click Save.

The view stores the raw SGL query. When you open the view, the query editor shows the saved query text. You can also switch to the graphical builder to see the conditions visually (when the query is compatible with the builder's capabilities).

SGL vs. graphical filters

Capability	Graphical filter	SGL
AND across properties	Yes	Yes
OR within same property	Yes (multi-select)	Yes
OR across different properties	No	Yes
Nested conditions	No	Yes
Relative dates	Limited presets	Full expression syntax
Autocomplete	Built-in	Built-in
Shareable as text	No	Yes (copy/paste the query string)
Learning curve	Low	Medium

Related pages

• Filters — Graphical filter builder for common filter scenarios.
• Views Overview — Save SGL queries as reusable views.
• Display Options — Configure grouping and ordering alongside filters.
• Your Work — Personal dashboard with pre-filtered sections.
• Work Items Overview — Understand the properties available for querying.