Searching Help
   
 

The Help window also includes a search panel that can be used to search for a help file that matches some search criteria specified by the user in either the single search input field, or the multiple input fields available in the Advanced search area.
The search window can be accessed by clicking on the search tab at the top of the panel on the left of the help window (the same panel that contains the Help Tree and Index.

In its standard for the search panel contains a single input field at the top of the panel along with a Search and a Advanced button as well as a results list, where the results of a search are displayed. The Advanced button changes the panel to display more search controls and is descibed in the Advanced Searches section below.

To carry out a search of the help pages simply enter all the keywords (separated by spaces) you wish to search for in the criteria input field at the top of the window search panel and click on the Search button. All the pages that were found that matched your search criteria will appear in the results list box. To display one of these pages simply click on the page's title in the list box to select it and the page will be displayed in the main viewer.

Advanced Searches

You can also perform more specific searches in the search panel by the Advanced set of input fields instead of the default single search criteria field.
To display these advanced fields click on the Advanced button, next to the search button, and the search panel will change to display the advanced controls.
There are three input fields in which to enter you search criteria which are:

  • Including phrases - enter all the words and phrases that must be in a results page
  • Excluding phrases - enter all the words and phrases that must not be in a results page
  • Optional phrases - enter a list of words and phrases that at least one of must be in a results page
You can enter a phrase in one of these fields instead of a word by surrounding it by double quote marks (").
For example:

"And Introduction"

There is also a check box in the search panel that allows you to specify whether or not you want to search just the help page's keywords (a fast search) or to search all the help page's text for the search criteria (a much slower search). To perform a full text search make sure the Full Text Search box is ticked.
After you have specified your search criteria click on the Search button to search the help pages and display the results in the results list box.

Search Syntax

You can also specify which keywords you want to be required, optional or not required in the standard help field by using the following syntax in your search string before each word:

letter description example
none the next word is optional (at least one of the optional words must appear in a page) and or
+ the next word should appear in the page +or
- the next word should not appear in the page -and
" using this around a phrase forces the search to look for the entire phrase "and introduction"

Examples

and or not

and or -introduction

-arrow +for +all -introduction

+ and +rule -introduction

Links

Help
The Help Tree
The Help Index
Back to the help home page