%META:TOPICINFO{author="TWikiContributor" date="1111929255" format="1.0" version="2"}%
%META:TOPICPARENT{name="WebSearch"}%
---+!! Search Help

%TOC%

---++ Search Pages

There are two search pages; WebSearch offers basic search features, while
WebSearchAdvanced offers more control over searches.

By default searches are 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=

Regular expression search searches for a set of regular expression patterns:
	* Patterns are separated by semicolons
	* 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 =%<nop>SEARCH{}%= variable described in TWikiVariables#VarSEARCH.

---++ Search Preferences

TWikiPreferences defines these search preferences:

	* =SEARCHDEFAULTTTYPE=: Default search type for search forms which calls the =search= script
		* Currently =%SEARCHDEFAULTTTYPE%=
	* =SEARCHVARDEFAULTTYPE=: Default search type for =%<nop>SEARCH{}= variable 
		* Currenty =%SEARCHVARDEFAULTTYPE%=
	* =SEARCHSTOPWORDS=: List of stop words (common words and characters to exclude from a keyword search)
		* Currently =%SEARCHSTOPWORDS%=

__Related Topics:__ UserDocumentationCategory
