Mineral Resources Division

Publication Sales
Geological Reports and Maps

How to Search the On-line Publications Catalogue

General Searching Tips
Advanced Searching Tips
Troubleshooting

General Searching Tips

It's easy to find the publication you want to purchase and create an order form.

1. Type in search term(s) and/or select term(s) from a droplist or from a Word Wheel index list. If you fill in more than one box, results must meet all criteria.
    
2. Click Submit Query, or, click Reset to clear all query boxes for a new search.
    
3. Publications that meet all your criteria are displayed as Search Results.
    
4. Clicking on the title link will display a full bibliographic description of the publication.
    
5. Click on Add to Order for publications you wish to purchase; details of your order will appear in a new browser window.
    
6. Click on Back to Search Results to continue making purchase selections.
    
7. Click on New Search to return to a blank query form; publications selected from previous Search Results are retained in your order.
    
8. Click on View Order to see a detailed summary of your purchase selections.

Finding Words and Phrases

Type the word you want to find (kimberlite) or type a phrase (kimberlite indicator mineral) to find those words, in that order. To find variations of word stems, type an asterisk at the end of one or more words (kimberlit* indicator* mineral*). 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. Where applicable, you may select search term(s) from a droplist or Word Wheel index list. 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.

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 may 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.

Advanced Searching Tips

If a search form includes a Word Wheel button, click it to display a dialog box that shows terms you can search for. This eliminates trial-and-error searching and makes searching easier.

For more information, click the Help button in the Word Wheel dialog box.

NOTE: The Word Wheel requires version 3.0 or later of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

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).

Using a Regular Droplist

If a search form includes a droplist next to a box, you can open the list and select one item as a search term. 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, =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).

If you are searching for a URL surround the URL with quotation marks ("http://www.manitobarocks.info").

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 as search results. 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

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.mineralsconvention.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 the search form includes Word Wheel buttons, use them to construct the query, instead of typing criteria. If even simple searches don't work, contact Publication Sales.

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 the search form has Word Wheel buttons, use them to view and paste items to search for. This eliminates guess-work.
   
• 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 Publication Sales.

For additional help, please contact Publication Sales or telephone (204) 945-4154 or toll-free 1-800-223-5215.