Collections in Magento 2 (Now Adobe Commerce), are among the most powerful tools for retrieving and manipulating data directly from the database. Whether you’re working with products, customers, or orders — knowing how to filter and refine your collection data efficiently is essential for any Magento 2 developer.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything about applying conditions to collections, including all condition types (eq, neq, like, in, nin, gt, lt, from-to, and more), along with real-world examples and best practices to help you write optimized, production-ready Magento 2 code.
Collections in Magento 2
In Magento 2, collections are the backbone of data retrieval.
They use two primary filtering methods depending on the entity type:
addFieldToFilter()→ Used for flat tables (e.g., sales, customers)addAttributeToFilter()→ Used for EAV-based entities (e.g., products, categories)
Each method accepts a field name and a condition array that defines the filtering logic.
Basic Syntax
$collection->addFieldToFilter($field, $condition);or for product/category (EAV) collections:
$collection->addAttributeToFilter($attribute, $condition);Condition Types in Magento 2
Let’s break down all the commonly used condition operators with clear examples.
1. Equals (eq)
Filters records where the field equals the given value.
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('status', ['eq' => 1]);
$orderCollection->addFieldToFilter('state', ['eq' => 'complete']);Shorthand:
$orderCollection->addFieldToFilter('state', 'complete');Use case: Most common condition, when you need exact matches.
2. Not Equals (neq)
Filters records where the field does not equal the given value.
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('status', ['neq' => 0]);
$customerCollection->addFieldToFilter('group_id', ['neq' => 1]);Use case: Exclude specific values (e.g., disabled, archived, or inactive data).
3. Like (like)
Performs SQL LIKE pattern matching.
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('sku', ['like' => '%ABC%']);
$customerCollection->addFieldToFilter('email', ['like' => '%gmail%']);Use case: Searching text or patterns (e.g., partial SKU, email domain).
Use % as a wildcard:
%ABC%→ containsABC%→ starts with%ABC→ ends with
4. In (in)
Filters where the field value is in an array of values.
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('entity_id', ['in' => [1, 2, 3]]);
$orderCollection->addFieldToFilter('state', ['in' => ['processing', 'complete']]);Use case: Match against multiple allowed values efficiently.
5. Not In (nin)
Filters where the field value is not in an array.
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('entity_id', ['nin' => [5, 10]]);
$orderCollection->addFieldToFilter('state', ['nin' => ['closed', 'canceled']]);Use case: Exclude a list of specific values.
6. Greater Than (gt)
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('price', ['gt' => 100]);Use case: Numeric or date comparisons where value > X.
7. Greater Than or Equal (gteq)
$orderCollection->addFieldToFilter('grand_total', ['gteq' => 500]);Use case: Include values equal to the threshold as well.
8. Less Than (lt) & Less Than or Equal (lteq)
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('price', ['lt' => 50]);
$orderCollection->addFieldToFilter('grand_total', ['lteq' => 1000]);Use case: Find data below or up to a certain limit.
9. Range: From–To (from, to)
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('price', ['from' => 50, 'to' => 100]);Use case: Date ranges, numeric ranges, price filters.
10. Null / Not Null (null, notnull)
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('description', ['null' => true]);
$orderCollection->addFieldToFilter('customer_note', ['notnull' => true]);Use case: Find records with or without specific data filled in.
Combining Multiple Conditions
AND Logic (Default)
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('status', 1);
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter('price', ['gt' => 50]);All conditions must be true.
OR Logic
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter([
['attribute' => 'status', 'eq' => 1],
['attribute' => 'status', 'eq' => 2]
]);At least one condition must match.
Complex AND/OR Combinations
$productCollection->addAttributeToFilter([
[
['attribute' => 'status', 'eq' => 1],
['attribute' => 'price', 'gt' => 50]
],
[
['attribute' => 'status', 'eq' => 2],
['attribute' => 'price', 'lt' => 100]
]
]);Inner arrays = AND
Outer arrays = OR
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Active Products in Price Range
$collection->addAttributeToFilter('status', 1)
->addAttributeToFilter('price', ['from' => 50, 'to' => 100])
->addAttributeToFilter('visibility', ['in' => [2, 4]]);Example 2: Recent Orders by Customer Group
$dateFrom = date('Y-m-d H:i:s', strtotime('-30 days'));
$collection->addFieldToFilter('customer_group_id', ['in' => [2, 3, 4]])
->addFieldToFilter('created_at', ['gteq' => $dateFrom])
->addFieldToFilter('state', ['nin' => ['canceled', 'closed']])
->setOrder('created_at', 'DESC');
Example 3: Search Products by Name or SKU
$collection->addAttributeToFilter('status', 1)
->addAttributeToFilter([
['attribute' => 'name', 'like' => '%'.$searchTerm.'%'],
['attribute' => 'sku', 'like' => '%'.$searchTerm.'%']
]);Example 4: Customers with Valid Email
$collection->addFieldToFilter('is_active', 1)
->addFieldToFilter('email', ['notnull' => true])
->addFieldToFilter('email', ['neq' => ''])
->addFieldToFilter('created_at', ['gteq' => '2024-01-01 00:00:00']);Best Practices
Select only needed attributes:
$collection->addAttributeToSelect(['name', 'price']);Limit results for performance:
$collection->setPageSize(20)->setCurPage(1);
Prefer in over multiple ORs:
$collection->addFieldToFilter('status', ['in' => [1, 2, 3]]);Filtering by entity_id, status, etc., is faster than unindexed text columns.
That’s it i think, will see you in the next upcoming blog.
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