In v2.18.0, the external search data column can be set to multiple columns (data-column="0-2,4,6-7"). Please see the Filter Widget External Inputs demo for more details.
In v2.17.8, added a default fuzzy search to the "First Name" column.
An external input data-column can now target multiple columns:
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When designating a column for an external input, you can now set multiple columns and/or a range of columns (e.g. data-column="0-2,4,6-7".
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This type of search acts essentially the same as when the column is set to "all" in that "range", "notMatch" and "operators" searches are ignored.
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The last search performed using either multiple columns or "all" columns will override all other queries; meaning the other inputs won't clear or update (e.g. performing a search for "foo" in an "all" column search input will override any previous searchs, and the input with a data-column="0-2,4,6-7" will not change its value) - this might be confusing to the user if multiple inputs are visible on the page (placeholder text won't help).
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The selector in the demo below has two additional options: "Columns 0,3" and "Columns 1-2"; as you can see, switching the column to search between "all", "0,3" and "1-2" does not change the query.