Getting started with the list plugin can be frustrating and tricky, so here are a few things that might get you started.

Admins can debug and test your list syntax and the results using the pluginList experiment plugin. You can access from your admin pages: Control Panels => Search => Tools or go directly (from your Tiki) to:

tiki-pluginlist_experiment.php

When experimenting on your LIST options, add {output template="debug"} and you will see all available variables and their values. (introduced in Tiki20).

One good tip is to use the search page (tiki-searchindex.php) to experiment and check the search index is working properly. Entering some text in the search box (in this case "test") and on this site you will find lots of results, e.g.

tiki-searchindex.php?filter~content=test

Or if you want to find just one type of object try

tiki-searchindex.php?filter~type=trackeritem

If you get no results at all (and you know for sure you have stuff with "test" in it, or tracker items) then you probably need to rebuild your search index. Go to Settings -> Control Panels -> Search (or Admin -> Search in previous versions) and click "rebuild". Then try your search again.