Content Filters in Share URLs

The contentFilters URL parameter filters a dashboard or widget when it loads. This lets you send one shared dashboard to different audiences, each seeing only their own customer, region or date range.

contentFilters works with:

• Dashboard and widget Shareable URLs
• Secure URL Embed, where the parameter must be encrypted along with the rest of the request
• The JavaScript Embed API, where filters are passed as a contentFilters array instead of a URL parameter

Note: On a plain Shareable URL, the filter values are visible and can be edited by anyone with the link. Use content filters in a plain URL for convenience, not security. To restrict the data a viewer can see, use User Level Filters or Secure URL Embed.

Syntax

contentFilters takes a JSON array. Each object in the array is one filter:

[{"fieldName":"customer","values":["Costco"],"operator":"="}]

To use the filter in a link, URL encode the whole JSON string and append it to the share URL:

<share URL>?contentFilters=<URL-encoded JSON>

For example, the filter above becomes:

https://www.knowi.com/d/<dashboardShareId>?contentFilters=%5B%7B%22fieldName%22%3A%22customer%22%2C%22values%22%3A%5B%22Costco%22%5D%2C%22operator%22%3A%22%3D%22%7D%5D

Tip: Write the JSON in plain text first, then run it through a URL encoder. Spaces in field names, apostrophes in values (such as Macy's) and other special characters need no extra escaping beyond normal URL encoding.

Supported Operators

Word operators are lowercase with single spaces (not in, is null). For >, >=, < and <=, only the first value in the array is used.

Note: Use != for "not equal", not <>. The <> operator is not supported and returns the matching rows instead of excluding them. Operators such as starts with are also not supported and return no data. Use like instead.

Examples:

{"fieldName":"customer","values":["Costco"],"operator":"="}
{"fieldName":"customer","values":["Costco","Target"],"operator":"in"}
{"fieldName":"customer","values":["Costco","Target"],"operator":"not in"}
{"fieldName":"customer","values":["Ma"],"operator":"like"}
{"fieldName":"opened","values":[90000],"operator":">"}
{"fieldName":"customer","values":[],"operator":"is not null"}

Combining Filters

All filters in the array are combined with AND. For example, the following returns only Marketing rows for Costco and Target:

[{"fieldName":"customer","values":["Costco","Target"],"operator":"in"},
 {"fieldName":"message_type","values":["Marketing"],"operator":"="}]

To match one value OR another on the same field, put all the values in a single filter with in. Two separate filters on the same field must both be true, so the following returns no data:

[{"fieldName":"customer","values":["Costco"],"operator":"="},
 {"fieldName":"customer","values":["Target"],"operator":"="}]

There is no way to combine filters on different fields with OR.

Filtering by Date Range

There is no range or between operator. To filter a date range, use two filters on the same field: a lower bound and an upper bound.

Date strings such as "2026-07-28" are read as midnight UTC. If your dates are stored at a different time of day, an inclusive upper bound (<=) can leave out the last day. To include the full last day, use < with the day after:

[{"fieldName":"Sent Date","values":["2026-07-25"],"operator":">="},
 {"fieldName":"Sent Date","values":["2026-07-29"],"operator":"<"}]

This returns July 25 through July 28. You can also pass exact timestamps as epoch milliseconds, for example [1784966400000].

The = operator is the exception: "values":["2026-07-27"] with = matches the whole day, regardless of time.

The same two-filter pattern works for number ranges.

Troubleshooting

• The dashboard is empty. A value that does not exist in the data returns no rows, with no error. Check that the value matches the data exactly, including capitalization when using =, in or !=.
• Numbers are not filtering correctly. Make sure numeric values are unquoted: [90000], not ["90000"].
• A date range is missing the last day. Use < with the following day as the upper bound. See Filtering by Date Range.
• The link value is not applied to a dashboard filter. If a dashboard filter has a fixed default value, it can conflict with the value passed in the link. Set the dashboard filter to Require Value and leave the default value blank.