Perform a Search Using a Basic Query

This procedure describes how to perform a search using a Basic query to define the search criteria. Recall that you use a Basic query if you are unfamiliar with Structured Query Language (SQL) or find it more convenient to define the query without using SQL. PlanetPress Search constructs the SQL query from the set of search criteria you define using the drop-down lists and boxes. One way to familiarize yourself with SQL syntax is to enter a Basic query and then view it as an SQL query. To do this, in the Search type box, select Basic, enter the search criteria, and then in the Search type box, select SQL to view the SQL statement PlanetPress Search constructed for that Basic query.

If you do not specify any search criteria when you perform a Basic search, PlanetPress Search returns the complete contents of the search database.

To perform a search using a Basic query:

1. Load the appropriate search profile. See Determine the Currently Loaded Search Profile (Page 42) and Load a Search Profile (Page 41).

2. Verify the Search Configuration area of the PlanetPress Search Program window is visible. SeeChange the View on Search Resultsif necessary.

3. Adjust the Search options in the User Options dialog box. In particular, you may want to adjust the Search is case sensitive option. SeeSet User Options (Page 35).

4. In the Search type box, select Basic.

The Search Configuration area displays the Basic search query interface.

5. In the Document box, select the document you want to search. Or, select All of them to search all documents in the database associated with this search profile.

Note that you can set the default document that appears in the Document box for this search profile in the User Options dialog box (Program startup options, Document option). See Set User Options (Page 35).

6. Adjust the date filter.

Files created: Use to select a time period. PlanetPress Search considers only those PDFs created during the selected time period when it performs the search. When you select a time period, the From and To edit boxes update to reflect the start and end dates, respectively, of that time period. If the time period you require does not appear in the list, select Custom andenter the start and end dates in the From and To edit boxes. You can set the date filter that appears by default in the User Options dialog box (Program startup options, Filter date option).

From/To: Use these boxes to specify the start and end dates, respectively, when you select Custom in the Files created box. You can enter dates in these boxes in two ways. You can click in the box and modify the date, or you can click the arrow on the right of the edit box to display a calendar that reflects the date that currently appears in the edit box. Use the arrows at the top of the calendar to navigate through the months, and click on a date to select it. When you select a date, the calendar disappears and the edit box displays the selected date.

7. Use the Criterion areas to define the search criteria. You can define as many search criterion as you require for a single query using the Link to next criterion box. If necessary, click Next>> to display additional Criterion areas until you complete the query definition. Click Previous<< to navigate to previously entered search criteria. You can also click Reset (at the bottom of the Search Configuration area) to reset all search criteria to default values.

Field: Select the name of the index term on which you want to search, or select PDF to search the names of all PDF files associated with a document (or, if you are searching all documents in the database, the names of all PDFs associated with all documents in the database). For example, if you want a list of all PDF files in the archive folder that contain the string “2002” in their names, you would select PDF Name in the Field box and set the remaining boxes in the search criterion accordingly. If you are searching all documents in the database (you selected All of them in the Document box), only those index terms that are common to all the documents appear in the Field box. Index terms appear in alphabetical order in the Field box.

Operator: Select the type of comparison you want PlanetPress Search to perform (starts with, ends with, is, is not, contains, does not contain, is greater than, is less than). The operator that appears by default is the last one you used in a query.

String: Enter the string you want PlanetPress Search to search for in the database. Note that the string cannot contain double quotes (“).

Link to next criterion: Select the type of connection you want to establish between this criterion and the next. Select not linked if this is the last criterion in the search query.

8. Click Search Now to launch the search.

PlanetPress Search queries the database and displays the results of the search in the Results area. If you searched on all documents in the database (you selected All of them in the Document box when you set up the search), expand a document in the Results list to display the search results for that particular document.

Things to Remember

• In a Basic query, the search string you define cannot contain double quotes (“).

• If you do not specify any search criteria when you perform a Basic search, PlanetPress Search returns the complete contents of the search database.

Related topics:

• Understanding PlanetPress Search (Page 3)

• Search (Page 44)

• Search Result

• Search Profile (Page 7)

• Search Database (Page 12)

• Perform a Search Using an SQL Query (Page 49)

• Change the View on Search Results

• Select Search Results (Page 52)

• View the PDF Associated with a Search Result (Page 53)

• Create a PDF of Search Result Pages (Page 53)

• Print PDF Pages Referenced by Search Results (Page 54)

• Print a Summary of the Search Results List (Page 55)

• Copy Information from the Results List (Page 55)