Search Options
The search form has been designed so that you can simply type
your query and click on the Execute Search button, or else change the default search
options in order to perform a more expert search. For more information on using the
search form, click on one of the following options:
Default Search
The form has been preset with the most commonly-used search options for this database. As
a result, you can often perform your search simply by typing your query (search terms)
and clicking the Execute Search button. Make sure, however, that the index shown in the
Index drop-down list box is the one that you want to search.
Query and Index
- Query - The Query text box allows you to type in the partial words, whole words or sentence
fragments that make up your query or search statement.
- Index - Unlike many search engines that you may have encountered on the Web,
this search engine uses indexes, which allow the database to be searched in a more precise fashion.
The Index drop-down list box thus allows you to select the index you wish to search. In some
cases, the database you are searching might have only one index; in other cases, it might
have multiple indexes. Multiple indexes allow you to choose what type of information you
want to search by. For example, if you were searching a database that contained information about
5000 cars that were for sale, the information might be indexed by make, year, engine type
or even color. You would select the most pertinent index and enter
an appropriate query.
Search Options
- Any word (OR) - If you choose this option, the system will search the index you
have selected and will find any records that have at least one of the words in your query
(with the exception of "the", "if", etc.). It is important to note that if you enter many
words, the system will most likely return a lot of records. Sometimes, this can be
advantageous (if you're not quite sure what you're looking for), but otherwise it can be
a time-consuming way of searching.
- All words (AND) - If you choose this option, the system will search the index
you have selected and will find any records that contain all of the words in your query
(with the exception of "the", "if", etc.). It is important to note that if you enter many words,
the system will most likely return very few records. This option is thus
useful for very precise searches.
- Partial words (right truncation) - If you choose this option the system will
search the index you have selected and will find any records that contain at least one
of the partial words in your query. Note that the system uses the right truncation
operator when you search for a partial word or words. Thus, if you enter the partial word
mo, the system will find all records having the word moat, mob, mock, modern, moet,
etc., but not the word Alamo, almost, ammo, etc., in the index field you have selected.
- Begins with - Choose this option if you know the first
part of the name, title, subject, phrase, etc. that you are searching for. If you were
performing a search in a database of popular music, for example, and you had chosen the title
index, you might enter Raindrops keep fall, which would inevitably turn up
the song Raindrops keep fallin' on my head. Note, however, that if you entered
keep fall, the system would not find the song because "keep fall" is not at the
beginning of the title.
- Browse the index - Choose this option if you simply want to browse an
alphabetic list of all the entries in the index you have selected. If, for example,
you selected the name index in a historical database, and you entered Madison
as your query, the system would position you at the first record where the name Madison
appeared at the beginning of the name field. You would then be able to browse backward or
forward through the entire database from this point.
Display Options
- Number of records per page - Sometimes when you perform a search, the system
returns a large number of records. If the number is especially large, you don't want
the system to try and display them all at once, as this would slow down your search.
For this reason, the number of records displayed per page is limited. Thus, if you select
ten records per page and your search returns 50 records, you will be able to
view (or scroll through) the first ten before you have to click on the Next page
button to see the following ten records.
- Summary or Full display - If you choose Summary display, the system will
show a brief list of search results. Each item in the list will be a link to a full record.
If you choose Full display, the system will show the same list, but instead of links,
the full records themselves will be displayed.