The quick answer
Open the saved search in edit mode and go to the Highlighting subtab. On Highlight if..., click the icon beside Condition and build a filter, for example Days Overdue is greater than 30. Pick a Text Color, Background Color, or Bold, click Add, and save the search. Criteria decide which rows come back. Highlighting only changes how the matching rows look, so every open invoice stays in the results.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own search and values when following the steps.
Before you start
You need a saved search you can edit, as its owner or through a role that lets you edit it. In this example it's a Transaction saved search called Open Invoice Follow-Up. Its criteria are Type is Invoice, Main Line is true, and Amount Remaining is greater than 0, so it returns one row per invoice with a balance, including invoices that aren't overdue yet. Its results show Document Number, Name, Due Date/Receive By, Days Overdue, and Amount Remaining, sorted by Days Overdue from oldest to newest.
If you don't have a search like that yet, build an invoice saved search first. The Main Line criterion matters here. Without it you get a row per invoice line, and the same invoice gets highlighted several times.
Days Overdue is calculated when the search runs. Which rows are highlighted changes as invoices age and get paid, even if nobody touches the search. The rows anyone sees still depend on their role and, in OneWorld accounts, their subsidiary access.
If you want a list of only the overdue invoices, put the Days Overdue condition on the Criteria subtab instead. This guide keeps every open invoice and marks the old ones.
01. Preview the search before highlighting
Open Open Invoice Follow-Up from Reports > Saved Searches in edit mode. The Standard subtab under Criteria shows the three filters that limit the results to open invoices.
Click Preview so you have a before picture. The results show Total: 7, from INV-2207 at 75 days overdue down to INV-2241 at 6 days. Every row looks the same.
02. Build the Highlight if... condition
Click Return To Criteria and open the Highlighting subtab. Stay on Highlight if.... The Highlight if... (Summary) subtab is for summary searches that group results, and this one doesn't.
Click the icon next to the Condition field. A popup opens with the same Filter list you use for criteria. Choose Days Overdue as the filter. A second popup opens for that field. Choose greater than, enter 30 in Value, and click Set.
Back in the first popup, the filter row reads Days Overdue, is greater than 30. Click Set there too. The Condition field now reads Days Overdue is greater than 30.
greater than 30 leaves out an invoice that is exactly 30 days overdue. Use greater than or equal to if day 30 should count.
A condition can hold more than one filter, and you can add more than one rule. When a row matches several rules, the first matching rule on the sublist sets its options, and a later rule can only fill in options the earlier one left blank. Put the most specific rule first.
03. Choose the color and bold, then add the rule
Click in the Text Color column of the line, then click the swatch button beside the field to open the palette. Pick a color. This example uses #83401e, the brown swatch third from the left in the middle row.
Check Bold on the same line and click Add. The committed rule shows its condition, a color chip under Text Color, and Yes under Bold. Leave Background Color empty unless you want a fill color as well.
04. Preview the highlighted results
Click Preview. Total: 7 is the same as before. INV-2207 (75 days), INV-2213 (51 days), and INV-2219 (40 days) now show in brown and bold across the whole row, not only in the Days Overdue column. INV-2224 at 26 days and the three newer invoices are still in the list, unformatted.
Check the result
- The total matches the preview from step 01. Here it's Total: 7 both times.
- Every row with Days Overdue above 30 is colored and bold across the whole row.
- Rows at 30 days or fewer are still listed and unformatted. This sample has none at exactly 30, so check one in your own data if you have it.
05. Raise the threshold to 60
To see that the condition controls the formatting, change it. Click Return To Criteria, open Highlighting, and click the rule's Condition to edit the line. Click the icon next to Condition again. In the first popup, click the is greater than 30 description to reopen the Days Overdue popup.
Change Value to 60 and click Set in both popups. Click OK on the rule line, then Preview. Total: 7 again, but now only INV-2207, at 75 days overdue, is highlighted.
Preview doesn't save anything. When the threshold is where you want it, click Save on the search, or the highlighting is gone next time you open it.
Highlighting is for results on screen. Don't count on the colors showing up in a CSV, Excel, or PDF export or in a scheduled email. If you email past-due invoices on a schedule, handle the overdue cutoff in that search's criteria instead. If the search is on a dashboard, check how it looks there.
Common questions
What's the difference between saved search criteria and highlighting?
Criteria decide which records the search returns. Highlighting decides how the returned rows look. Here the criteria return all seven open invoices, and the highlight rule only changes the formatting of the ones more than 30 days overdue.
Does highlighting change the number of results?
No. The total stays at 7 with no rule, with the rule at greater than 30, and with it raised to greater than 60. Only the number of formatted rows changes, from three to one.
Why isn't an invoice that's exactly 30 days overdue highlighted?
Because the condition is greater than 30, so an invoice needs 31 days or more. If day 30 should count, change the operator to greater than or equal to.
Which rule wins when a row matches two highlighting rules?
The first matching rule on the sublist sets its options, and a later matching rule can only fill in options the first one left blank. So order matters. Put the narrowest or most urgent rule at the top.
Can I color aging bands like 30, 60, and 90 days differently?
Yes. Add one rule per band, such as Days Overdue greater than 90, greater than 60, and greater than 30, each with its own text or background color, and keep them in that order. An invoice 95 days overdue matches all three, and the 90-day rule at the top sets its color.
Do the colors show up in exports or scheduled emails?
Don't count on it. Treat highlighting as formatting for search results on screen, not for CSV, Excel, or PDF exports or scheduled emails. If a dashboard shows the search, check it there too, because it can look different.