Advanced / Boolean ? Syntax
Virtual Search Engines support all popular range of Boolean syntax. Below are the details of currently supported options. You can also use this information to make a Search-Help page for your search engine.
NOTE, that Advanced/Boolean syntax will override usual 'all', 'any', 'phrase' settings passed through Form-Input Name match.
A) Phrase Search ("")
Double-Quoted queries/Keywords will be treated as a PHRASE.
Example: "computer software"
will always try to match the Exact query/text as entered.
B) AND Search ( + )
Putting a '+' (plus sign) will make sure that this word MUST be matched.
Example: +computer +software
will always try to make sure that both words are matched.
C) NOT/Exclude Search ( - )
Putting a '-' (minus sign) will make sure that this word must NOT be
matched.
Example: +computer -software
will always try to fetch documents that contain the word 'computer' BUT
does NOT contain the word 'software'.
D) OR Search
Putting 'OR' between words will force an 'ANY WORD' matching.
Example: computer OR software
will find documents that contain at least any of these words.
E) AND Search ( AND )
AND Search can also be invoked using 'AND'. This is same as using '+'.
Example: computer AND software
will try to fetch documents containing both the words 'computer' and
'software'.
F) NOT/Exclude Search ( NOT )
This is same as using '-'.
Example: computer NOT software
will try to fetch documents containing the word 'computer' BUT not
'software'.
IMPORTANT: Boolean syntax 'AND', 'OR' and 'NOT' are case insensitive and CAN BE USED AS UPPER-CASE OR LOWER-CASE LETTERS. This means 'AND' and 'and' are the same Boolean connector. The same way 'OR' and 'or' are the same connectors.
Dual Search Mechanism
This Virtual Meta Search Engine has our proprietary Dual-Search Mechanism built-in. This means, it can automatically handle New 'Ask-a-Question' based input query as well as traditional 'Keyword' based inputs. As a result, you can search using 'Keywords' OR simply by typing-in a Question. This search engine will automatically process the search request as necessary. You do not need to set any additional parameters to use this option. It is a built-in option and readily available to use. See below for a clearer example:
-
Keywords based:
- books cheap
-
Where can I find cheap books?
Show me the best sites for cheap books
Question based:
For further help and support please e-mail at
asif@library.pu.edu.pk