%META:TOPICINFO{author="PeterThoeny" date="1097558542" format="1.0" version="1.2"}%
%META:TOPICPARENT{name="WebSearch"}%
---+!! Search Help

%TOC%

---++ Basic Search Form

The WebSearch form offers basic search features:
	* Search field: Enter one or more keywords
	* All webs flag: Check the flag if you want to search all public webs, not just the current web
	* Scope: Select if you want to search the topic title, text body or both

The search is keyword based like in a typical search engine:
	* Specify word(s) you want to find
	* Multiple words form an *AND* search, =intranet web service= returns all pages that have the three words anywhere in the page
	* Optionally specify plus signs for *AND* search, like =intranet +web +service=
	* Enclose words in double quotes to form a *literal search*, like ="web service"=
	* Specify a minus sign to *exclude* a word, like =soap -shampoo=
	* Use double quotes if you want to search for a leading minus sign, like ="-nowarn"=
	* *Stop words* are excluded from a keyword search:
		* Stop words are common words and characters such as ="how"= and ="where"=, defined in the SEARCHSTOPWORDS setting in the TWikiPreferences
		* If you want to search for a word in the stop word list, prefix the word with a plus sign
	* *Example:* To search for all topics that contain ="SOAP"=, ="WSDL"=, a literal ="web service"=, but not ="shampoo"=,%BR% enter this: =soap +wsdl "web service" -shampoo=

---++ Advanced Search Form

The WebSearchAdvanced form offers more control over search.

TWiki supports three types of searches:
	* =keyword=: The basic search type
	* =literal=: Simple search where text is searched literally
	* =regex=: A RegularExpression search for power users

TWiki's regex search is a set of regular expression patterns:
	* Patterns are delimited by a semicolon
	* An AND search is performed for the list of patterns
	* An exclamation point preceeding a pattern indicates an AND NOT search; use it to exclude a pattern, like =!web service=
	* If you want to search for a semicolon or an exclamation point, escape them with a leading backslash, like =\!shampoo=
	* *Example:* To search for all topics that contain ="SOAP"=, ="WSDL"=, a literal ="web service"=, but not ="shampoo"=,%BR% enter this: =soap;wsdl;web service;!shampoo=

---++ Formatted Searches

You can embed a nicely [[FormattedSearch][formatted search]] in a topic by using the =[[TWikiSearch][%<nop>SEARCH{}%]]= variable described in TWikiVariables.

---++ Search Preferences

The TWikiPreferences has these settings:

	* =SEARCHDEFAULTTTYPE=: Default search type for search forms which calls the =search= script
	* =SEARCHVARDEFAULTTYPE=: Default search type for =%<nop>SEARCH{}= variable
	* =SEARCHSTOPWORDS=: List of stop words

-- TWiki:Main.PeterThoeny - 18 Jan 2004

