To choose either 'by' or 'with', you need to see if the phrase/word that comes next indicates a method or an instrument. If you want to show a method, you use by. If it's an instrument with which the activity was done, you use with:
I opened the bottle by removing the cap
I opened the bottle with a corkscrew
I hit him by using a bat (the method is using something)
I hit him with a bat
In your case, 'names' are a method used for filtering users list, not an instrument. So, you have to use 'by'. See the examples below:
I want to filter the users list by names
I want to filter the users list with a software that filters user lists by name
By doesn't have the right meaning for this situation. With could work, but it sometimes connotes along with, as in with a companion, which is not the case. Using is the best bet, since that connotes using a tool, which is what we want. Also, do exploration is clunky, and sounds wrong. Explore means the same thing, but sounds much more natural:
Best Answer
To choose either 'by' or 'with', you need to see if the phrase/word that comes next indicates a method or an instrument. If you want to show a method, you use by. If it's an instrument with which the activity was done, you use with:
I opened the bottle by removing the cap
I opened the bottle with a corkscrew
I hit him by using a bat (the method is using something)
I hit him with a bat
In your case, 'names' are a method used for filtering users list, not an instrument. So, you have to use 'by'. See the examples below:
I want to filter the users list by names
I want to filter the users list with a software that filters user lists by name