# Oracle Information Navigator Search

To supplement the hypertext linking and Oracle Information Navigator methods for accessing information we have included a full-text searching capability to help you quickly locate information in the Oracle Documentation Library.

> Topics covered are: |
> Basic Searching 'Any' and 'All' Searches | Search Customization Display Options

### BasicSearching

> The search capabilities found in the Oracle Documentation Library allow you to enter one or multiple words and find all of the occurrences of those words in the documents within in the library.

> #### Features and Limitations

> The search facility has the following capabilities:

> - Single and multi-word searches
> - Search using simple Boolean logic - (AND, OR) and NOT functionality through the exclude option.
> - Customized searching across single or multiple books
> - Limit display results to specific number of found documents
> - Rank ordered results
> - Sorting by Rank, Document title or Book Title

> Currently the search facility does not support:

> - Phrases
> - Stemming (plurals, tenses)
> - Case sensitivity
> - Use of '*' for wildcard searches in words

> #### The Search Dialog

> #####
> figure 3. The Basic Search Dialog

> > 1) Search, Location and Options tabs
> >   Select a tab to cutomize searching and search results. See the Search Customization and Display Options for more information
> > 2) Search terms
> >   Type keywords in this box. Terms are case insensitive. Search terms should be separated by spaces, not punctuation
> > 3) Search logic selection
> >   Searches can be limited or broadened by selecting the Boolean operation to be performed when more than one word is entered in the Search Terms field.
> > 4) Excluded Terms
> >   Searches can be limited by indicating words that are used to exclude documents. Any document that has terms indicated here will not be displayed in the results list.
> > 5) Location drop-down list
> >   Select a location category to limit the search to books or documents with that location. The default <All> location may take several seconds. See Search Customization for more information.
> > 6) Results list box
> >   The results list area provides a list of selectable document files that were found. Double-click on a listed document to view the document in the browser. Relative importance (Rank), Document title and Book Title are provided. To sort on a particular field, single-click on the column heading.
> > 7) Status line
> >   Errors and total result counts are listed here. Dynamic search information are displayed here while the search is processing
> > 8) Search/Stop Buttons
> >   Executes the search operation. To stop the search at anytime, single-click the Stop button. Documents found up to that point are displayed in the results list box

> #### Search Basics

> Basic searching is accomplished by...

> 1. Typing a word or words in the Seach Terms field separated by spaces. Boolean logic terms such as AND, OR, and NOT are not required nor supported.
> 2. Customizing the search and display options.
> 3. Clicking on the Search button in the upper right of the dialog

> Documents that contain the word or words are displayed in the Results area at the bottom of the dialog

> #### Limiting the Results

> Searching can be limited by combining three different attributes of the search:

> 1. Limitinmg the maximum number of returned documents to something less than the default
> 2. Using the "all of these words" operation and adding more search terms to your query.
> 3. Customixzing the location categories you search in.

### 'All' or 'Any' Searches

> The results list of a search can be fine-tuned by choosing the type of search you would like to execute.

> "all of these words (AND)" operations only finds documents that contain all of the terms in the term list. This is a good way of limiting or focusing the search.

> "any of these words (OR) operations returns a document into the results list if any one of the words is found in a document. This often returns a significantly broader results list than the AND operation.

### Search Customization

> Oracle documentation is organized into logical collections of user guides and documents. These collections allow you to fine tune your search to specific locations and information within the document library.

> #### Selecting the Location

> The easiest way to customize your search is to select a location from the Location drop-down list box. This list allows you to choose a high-level collection of Oracle books and documents.

> #### Cutomizing the Location(s)

> To further fine tune or customize your search, select the Location tab within the search dialog, see figure 4 below. From the Location Tab you can select and include multiple books or high-level categories from across the documentation library into your search

> #####
> figure 4. Customizing Where You Search

> Books located in the right side of the Location list box are searched. Selecting any item from the left side of the tab page and clicking the Include>> button moves the selected book to the right side. Including a folder moves all of the books in that folder to the right side. To remove items from the search, select the book listed on the right side of the tab page and click on the Remove button.

> To select more than one folder or book, hold the Shift key down while selecting an item. Double-click on the folder or single-click on the plus/minus icon to expand or collapse a folder.

### Display Options

> By changing properties of the Options Tab, you can control the number and order or results displayed. By defualt, the Oracle Information Navigator attempts to display up to 1000 of most relevant documents you searched across. Most of the time, the results list is significantly shorter than this.

> You can also choose to display the results presorted not just by Rank but by Document Title or Book Title. To change the default sort order for a search select the Sort output by category from the menu.

> #####
> figure 5. Customizing Your Results Display

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