# Filter masks

You use masks in GEDKeeper to select persons, events, or locations having a specific name. Text of a mask consists of general printable characters, allowed for object names, and two special symbols: "`*`" and "`?`".

The Mask name is used because the "`*`" and "`?`" symbols mask some arbitrary parts of a value.

- "`*`" inside a mask matches any number of any characters.
- "`?`" matches any single character.

If you want to specify several different masks, you use the "`|`" symbol to delimit each mask. For example, to get all persons with names Mitch and John you can use the "`*Mitch*|*John*`" mask. The "`|`" symbol acts as an "OR" conjunction, therefore any person whose name matches one of the masks, matches the entire "`Mitch*|John*`" mask.

Any person's name, event, or location always matches the "`*`" mask. When you use such a mask in a filter, it will show all objects.

When you need to get all persons with "Johnson" as a last name, you use the "`Johnson*`" mask in the "Name mask" filter. The "`*`" symbol matches any characters after the initial substring "Johnson". This way you get all persons with Johnson, Johnsons, and so on as their last name. If you want to filter all persons with "Joe" as a first name, you would use the "`*Joe *`" mask; thus you are masking any last name and surname. To get all people with the "Smith" surname you use "`*Smith`", masking any first name and last name.

Examples:

- The names "Mary Anne Johnson" and "Elizabeth Anne Johnson" can be filtered with the "`*Anne Johnson`" mask.
- Any person with a first name, last name, or surname having "George" inside, matches the "`*George*`" mask.
- Any person with the names "Natalia" or "Natalya" matches the "`Natal?a*`" mask.

See also: options of filtering and navigation.