Search Tips:
The following topics describe a few simple search tips as well as explaining how to perform complex boolean searches.
Simple Search Tips:
The most important factor in performing a successful simple search is entering proper search word(s) and selecting the proper search criteria.
- Enter search word(s) that really describe what you're looking for. Often, a multi-word query will return better results. For example, enter software download, not just software and don't use the word CompuLink, it appears almost everywhere.
Also, if you enter a mixed-case word in a simple search, it will be treated as case sensitive. For example, "apple" will match "Apple" and "APPLE", but "Apple" will not match "apple", "APPLE" or "apPle".
- Select the correct search criteria to match your search word(s). While the words, "chocolate fudge" may not appear on many pages, the word chocolate or fudge may appear on many pages. The search criteria include:
| All Words: |
This criteria will return pages that contain all the words you entered. For example, chocolate AND fudge.
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| Any Words: |
This criteria will return pages that contain any the words you entered. For example, chocolate OR cake.
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| Boolean Search: |
This criteria will return only those pages that match your advanced boolean search expression.
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- You can further refine and speed up your search by selecting the desired area of the site to search.
Boolean Search Expression:
A Boolean Search is very powerful, allowing you to specify multiple search elements that include or exclude multiple words, groups of words, and even wildcards characters. The following describes the various elements that can be used in a boolean expression:
| Element |
Description/Example |
| AND |
Use AND when you want to match "this AND that". Used without other elements, this is identicle to an All Words search
EXAMPLE: chocolate AND cake
RETURNS: All pages containing the words chocolate AND cake.
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| OR |
Use OR when you want to match "this OR that". Used without other elements, this is identicle to an Any Words search
EXAMPLE: chocolate AND cake
RETURNS: All pages that contain the word chocolate OR cake.
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| NOT |
Use NOT when you want to match "this but NOT that".
EXAMPLE: chocolate NOT cake
RETURNS: All pages with the word "chocolate" that do NOT have the word cake.
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( )
Braces |
Use braces to enclose a sub-expression.
EXAMPLE: chocolate AND (fudge OR cake)
RETURNS: All pages with the word chocolate that also contain the word fudge OR cake.
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=
Equal
Sign |
Use the equal sign before words that you want to be case-sensetive.
EXAMPLE: =CompuLink
RETURNS: All pages with "CompuLink", but not "COMPULINK", "compulink", or "Compulink", etc.
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*
Asterisk |
This is a special "wildcard character". The "*" represent any number of any character.
EXAMPLE: *nut
RETURNS: All pages with "nut", "peanut", wallnut", "chestnut", etc.
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?
Question
Mark |
This is a special "wildcard character". The "?" represent any single character.
EXAMPLE: ?ake
RETURNS: All pages with "cake", "bake", and "rake", but not "brake" or "flake".
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Here are some more advanced examples:
- chocolate AND (pudding OR cake) NOT (fudge OR brownies)
- *nut AND "chocolate brownies"
- "computer games" AND child* NOT viol*
The last example above would find pages with "computer games" AND "child" or "childs" or "children" or "childrens", as long as those pages didn't contain, "violent" or "violence".
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