Andornot Starter Kit: Help
Basic searching
- Type query criteria or click a Browse Index button. If you fill in
more than one box, results must meet all criteria. Example: Find documents
that contain the word "marketing" AND have a file date of 10-11-2002.
- Click the Submit Query button.
- Records that meet your criteria are displayed as a report.
- To change the way records appear, select a form from the drop-down
list.
Finding words and phrases
Type the word you want to find (computer) or type a phrase (blue harvest
moon) to find those words in that order. To find variations of words, type
an asterisk at the end of one or more word stems (comput* tech*). Use the
symbols & / ! between words or phrases to represent Boolean AND, OR,
NOT. Include a space before and after the symbol. Use the proximity operators
w# (within) and p# (preceding) to find words near each other. See the examples
below.
| Type this… |
To find… |
| sales meeting |
a phrase (those words, in that order) |
| sales / marketing |
either word (or both) |
| sales & marketing |
items that contain both words (items that contain just
one of the words will be ignored) |
| health policy ! medical benefit |
“health policy” but not “medical benefit” |
| sales p5 market* |
“sales” preceding “marketing” by 5 words or fewer. You
can include an asterisk at the end of either word. Do not string together
phrases (roosevelt w5 white house). |
| sales w5 marketing |
“sales” within 5 words of “marketing” (before or after).
Do not include phrases. |
Words joined by & / ! are evaluated in left-to-right order. For example,
red & white / blue finds index items that contain "red" and "white",
or items that contain "blue". Use parentheses to control evaluation
order: For example, red & (white / blue) finds index items that contain "red" and "white" OR "red" AND "blue".
Finding a date
To find a date, use any acceptable format, including, but not limited
to, the examples shown below:
- 31-Dec-02
- Dec 31, 2002
- 2002 Dec
- Dec 02
- December 2002
- 12-02
Do not use a forward slash to separate date elements unless you surround
the date with quotation marks (for example, "12/31/2002").
You can use the symbols & / ! between dates to do AND-OR-NOT searches.
For example, May 2002 / June 2002 finds all dates in May or June 2002.
You can do "less than", "greater than", and range
searches for dates (see examples below).
Doing "less than", "greater than", and "between" searches
You can search for items greater than or less than a certain value, or
within a range. This is most commonly done when searching for dates, but
can also be done when searching for values or text. Use the symbols shown
below. When used with a partial date, these symbols search from the beginning
of the date (first day of the month or year). A range consists of two values,
low and high, separated by a colon. Include spaces around the colon.
| Symbol |
Meaning |
Example |
| < |
less than
(before) |
< 2003 finds dates before January 1, 2003 |
| <= |
less than or equal to
(on or before) |
<= 6-15-98 finds dates on or before June 15, 1998 |
| > |
greater than
(after) |
> 2002 finds dates after December 31, 2001 |
| >= |
greater than or equal to
(on or after) |
>= 500 finds values greater than or equal to 500 |
| : |
between |
1997 : 1998 finds dates from Jan. 1, 1997 through
Dec. 31, 1998 (inclusive)
200 : 300 finds values between 200 and 300 (inclusive)
|
Using a regular drop-down list
If a search form includes a drop-down list next to a box, you can open
the list and select one item for which to search. To clear the box, open
the list again and select the blank line at the very top of the list.
Finding a term (exact, complete match)
A term is a complete item, with no additional text before or after. To
search for a term, precede it with an equal sign (=). For example, =macintosh
apples finds only that complete term (does not find just "macintosh" or
just "apples" or that phrase embedded in other text).
Case and punctuation
Case in query criteria is usually ignored (e.g. a search for content server
finds Content Server). Punctuation is also ignored, except for the AND-OR-NOT
symbols (& / !) and search symbols (for example, : = < >). If
you do not want these characters to be interpreted as search symbols, use
quotation marks ("Johnson & Johnson") or replace the punctuation
with a space (Johnson Johnson).
Note: For Code fields, punctuation and case are not ignored. Code fields
are often used for URLs. If the query box has a Browse button, click it
and see if the term entries include punctuation. If they do, the field
is a Code field.
Clear / Reset button
To clear query criteria, click the Clear or Reset button on the search
screen.
Search button
To start your search, click the Search button.
Displaying records after a search
A successful search finds one or more records, which are displayed in
your Web browser as a report. Use the browser controls as you normally
would, to browse, print, go back, and so forth. You can also:
- Change the report's appearance. Select a form from the drop-down list
on the page.
- Jump to other locations. Click links on the report to display more
detail or jump to other pages.
- Display additional pages. Click the Next and Previous links on the
report page.
Troubleshooting
If you are having trouble with a search, some of the most common problems
and potential solutions are listed below.
I got the message "Unable to recognize as a correctly formed
query."
The program cannot understand the search criteria. Possible problems include:
- Typographical errors
- Mismatched quotes or parentheses
- Extra Boolean search symbols (for example, you should have typed car
/ auto instead of car / auto / )
- Missing quotation marks around symbols that can be misinterpreted.
For example, search for "http://www.inmagic.com".
If you cannot determine what caused the error, try a simpler search (for
example, just a word in a box) to see if it works. If the search form includes
Browse buttons, use them to construct the query, instead of typing criteria.
If even simple searches do not work, contact the Webmaster for the site.
I found too many records.
If you used an asterisk, omit it and try an exact search instead (for
example, search for computer technology instead of comp*).
Try using a Boolean symbol (& / !) between words to construct more
precise queries. For example, to find articles about mythology, not cartoons,
search for hercules ! cartoon.
If the item you are searching for includes punctuation, substitute spaces
for punctuation (for example, search for db textworks, not db/textworks)
or surround the item with quotation marks ("db/textworks").
If you are searching for a date, do not use a forward slash between date
components (for example, search for 12-12-98) or surround the date with
quotation marks ("12/12/98").
I did not find any records.
Examine the contents of the search form (especially if it is longer than
the screen) to verify that you do not have query criteria left over from
a previous search.
If you are not sure of the spelling, use an asterisk after the first few
characters (for example, colo*) or separate several possible spellings
with a forward slash (for example, search for color / colour).
If you did a complex search, try simplifying it to eliminate confusion.
If the search form has Browse Index buttons, use them to view and paste
items to search for.
If you are searching for a URL, try typing it all in lower case.
If you are trying to find records that contain multiple words anywhere
in the record, separate the words with Boolean symbols (& / !). Otherwise,
you are doing a phrase search, which finds these words in that order.
If your search includes Boolean symbols (/ & !) or range searches
(:), put spaces around the symbols.
Do not use words (and, or, not) for Boolean operators. You must use the
Boolean symbols (& / !).
Try using / instead of & between words. Using / means either word
can be present (john / paul finds John or Paul). Using & means both
words must be present (john & paul will not find just "John" or
just "Paul").
Remember that range searches involving partial dates start from the beginning
of the range. For example: <2003 means "before Jan. 1, 2003."
When I try to display records or change forms, I get the message, "Your
current query has expired. Perform the search again."
The query set file that stored your search results has expired, so you
will have to do your search again. If this message occurs frequently, contact
the Webmaster for the site.