how to create a filtered deck in anki

3 min read 23-01-2025

Anki's power lies in its customization. One crucial aspect of this is creating filtered decks. This allows you to dynamically select cards based on specific criteria, providing focused reviews tailored to your needs. This article will guide you through creating your own filtered decks in Anki. We'll cover everything from basic filtering to more advanced techniques.

Understanding Anki's Filtering System

Before diving into the specifics, it's essential to grasp Anki's filtering logic. Anki uses a powerful query language based on tags, note types, fields, and other card properties. These queries allow you to precisely define which cards are included in your filtered deck.

Creating Your First Filtered Deck

Let's start with a simple example. Imagine you have a deck containing vocabulary cards tagged "French" and "Spanish." You want to review only your French vocabulary. Here's how to create a filtered deck for just those cards:

Create a new deck: In Anki, go to "Browse" and click the "Add" button. Name your new deck (e.g., "French Vocabulary (Filtered)"). Importantly, don't add any cards directly to this new deck.
Configure the filter: In the deck options, find the "Add" button under the "Filtered Deck" section. You'll see a text box where you'll input your filter.
Enter the filter: In the text box, type tag:French. This simple filter selects all cards tagged with "French." Click "OK".
Review your filtered deck: Your new deck now only contains cards tagged with "French." Start your review, focusing solely on French vocabulary.

Advanced Filtering Techniques

The basic tag: filter is just the beginning. Anki's filtering system supports more complex queries. Let's explore some advanced options:

Combining Filters

You can combine multiple filters using logical operators:

AND: Use this to select cards matching all conditions. For example, tag:French AND tag:Verbs will select only cards tagged with both "French" and "Verbs".
OR: Use this to select cards matching at least one condition. For example, tag:French OR tag:Spanish will select cards tagged with either "French" or "Spanish" (or both).
NOT: Use this to exclude cards based on specific criteria. For example, tag:French NOT tag:Beginner will select French cards that are not tagged as "Beginner".

Filtering by Note Type

You can filter based on the note type of your cards. Suppose you have different note types like "Basic," "Advanced," and "Image occlusion." To filter for "Advanced" note types, use:

notetype:"Advanced"

Filtering by Field Content

You can filter based on the contents of specific fields within your notes. Let's say you have a field called "Difficulty" and want to review only the "Hard" cards:

Difficulty:Hard

You can also use wildcards (*) for partial matches. Difficulty:*Hard* would select cards containing "Hard" anywhere in the "Difficulty" field.

Using Regular Expressions

For complex pattern matching, you can utilize regular expressions. Anki supports this using the regexp: keyword. This is advanced and requires familiarity with regular expressions. Use this carefully!

Example: Filtering by Due Date and Tag

Let's create a filter that selects cards due today and tagged "Important":

is:due AND tag:Important

This combination ensures focused review of high-priority items due today.

Troubleshooting Your Filtered Decks

If your filtered deck isn't displaying the expected cards, double-check the following:

Case sensitivity: Anki's filtering is case-sensitive. Make sure your tags and field names match exactly.
Spaces: Use spaces correctly within your filter query, especially when using multiple filters.
Quotes: Use quotes around text values, especially those containing spaces.
Syntax: Carefully review the Anki documentation on the filtering language for correct syntax.

Conclusion

Creating filtered decks dramatically enhances Anki's flexibility. Mastering Anki's filtering system will allow you to tailor your reviews, optimize your study sessions, and achieve better learning outcomes. Experiment with the various filtering options, and customize your Anki experience to perfectly suit your learning style and needs. Remember to consult Anki's official documentation for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on filtering.