Searching

It's easy to find the information you want!

1. Type query criteria. If you fill in more than one box, results must meet all criteria.
2. Click Submit Query.
3. Documents that meet your criteria are displayed as a report.
4. To change the way documents appear, pick a form from the droplist.

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 word stems, type an asterisk at the end of one or more words (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 examples below.

Words joined by & / ! are evaluated in left-to-right order: red & white / blue finds items that are red and white, or items that are blue. Use parentheses to control evaluation order: red & (white / blue) finds items that are red and white or red and blue.

Using the AND-OR-NOT Droplist

If a search form includes an AND-OR-NOT droplist in front of each box, you can do more sophisticated searches. The Boolean operator you select for a box determines how the search criteria in that box will be combined with criteria already evaluated. Boxes are evaluated from top to bottom (first box to last).

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, =john smith finds only that complete term (does not find just "john” or just "smith" or that phrase embedded in other text).

Case and Punctuation

Case in query criteria is usually ignored (a search for joe smith finds Joe Smith). Punctuation is also ignored, except for the and-or-not symbols (& / !) and the colon for range searches ( : ). If you want these characters to be interpreted literally, use quotation marks ("Smith & Wesson") or replace the punctuation with a space (Smith Wesson).

Reset Button

To clear query criteria, click the Reset button on the search form.

Submit Query Button

To start your search, click the Submit Query 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, etc. You can also:

Change the report's appearance - Select a form from the droplist 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 buttons on the report page.

Troubleshooting: Searches

Having trouble with a search? Some of the most common problems are listed below. If you don't find an answer here, take a look at WPMSG.HTM, which lists error messages in alphabetical order.

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 (e.g., 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 (e.g., just a word in a box) to see if it works.  If even simple searches don't 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 (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're searching for includes punctuation, substitute spaces for punctuation (search for db textworks, not db/textworks) or surround the item with quotation marks ("db/textworks").

If you're searching for a date, don't use a forward slash between date components (for example, search for 12-12-98) or else surround the date with quotation marks ("12/12/98").

I didn't find any records.

Examine the contents of the search form (especially if it is longer than the screen) to verify that you don't 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 (colo*) or separate several possible spellings with a forward slash (search for color / colour).

If you did a complex search, try simplifying it to eliminate confusion.

If you are searching for a URL, try typing it all in lower case.

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 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: <1998 means "before Jan. 1, 1998."

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'll have to do your search again. If this message occurs frequently, contact the webmaster for the site.

For additional help, please contact the library at wbarber@gov.mb.ca or (204) 945-7126.