[Sigia-l] String search question

[Gent, Andrew]

Hi David,

www.searchenginewatch.com has some information about this, including a
"feature" chart for the major internet search engines
(http://searchenginewatch.com/facts/article.php/2155981). However, once
you get into site-specific searches, I am afraid the consistency goes
out the window. Some use spaces, some use commas. Some do implicit ANDs,
some implicit ORs. There is little "common practice" to help you do what
users expect. The best you might do is include minimalistic instructions
below the box. (E.g. "separate words with commas" or "Matches all words"
as opposed to "Matches any word") 

Andrew Gent

-----Original Message-----
From: David Heller [mailto:dh at htmhell.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 9:57 AM
To: sigia-l at asis.org
Subject: [Sigia-l] String search question


If you have a "one box" search. Single text field w/ a search button. No
other options. What do people feel is the default setting for behavior?

1. Do you allow boolean symbols "&&" "||" etc.? 
2. What about just quotes and commas?
3. If it is just an unquoted string, do you assume that spaces are
separate words, or do you hold the integrity of the "phrase"? And in
either case are the strings or string used as "starts with" or
"contains"? Starts with means that the string represents the starting
point of the found entities and contains means that if the string is in
any part a found entity it is good.

For example:
Keyword: "vid"
Will it show both video and david?
Or just video?

Thanx!
-- dave


David Heller
dh at htmhell.com
http://www.htmhell.com/
 
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