DocuShare® Search Tips

DocuShare search features let you run quick searches from the navigation bar as well as create advanced search queries to get better search results.

 
Basic search tips

Using the Search area on the navigation bar, you can run quick searches by entering one or more search words (separate words with a space), choosing a search scope, and clicking Search.

When running a basic search follow these tips to improve your results:

  • Do not capitalize any of the search words.
  • You can use the asterisk character (*) to represent any number of alphanumeric characters and the question mark (?) to represent a single character.
  • To search for an exact phrase, enclose the phrase in quotation marks. For example, “war and peace”.
  • You can combine search words using the logical operators and, not, and or. For example, fruits and vegetables; fruits and vegetables not produce; fruits or vegetables.
  • You can exclude objects that contain a search word by preceding that word with a minus sign (-). For example, enter green vegetables -broccoli if you want to find content on green vegetables but not broccoli.
  • You can include objects that contain a search word by preceding that word with a plus sign (+). For example, enter green vegetables +broccoli if you want to find content on green vegetables that definitely includes broccoli.
  • Note: If you want to find content that includes numbers, it is better to run an advanced search.
 
Advanced search tips
Using the Advanced Search page, you create a search term by specifying three pieces of information:
  1. Operator, which can be one of the following:

    Contains: Finds objects whose property value or content includes the search word or words. When specifying more than one word, DocuShare finds only those objects in which the search words appear in the same order and are contiguous.

    Not Contains: Finds objects whose property value or content does not include the search word or words.

    Equals: Finds objects whose property value or content matches the search word or words. Useful in finding exactly what you are looking for if you know exact text.

    Not Equals: Finds objects whose property value or content does not match the search word or words.

  2. Search text: One or more words separated by spaces. For the best search results, do not capitalize any of the search words. You can use the asterisk character (*) to represent any number of alphanumeric characters and the question mark (?) to represent a single character.
  3. Location of search text: The menu provides a list of object properties, including custom properties, and Any Part (search all properties and content).

Examples:

Contains example: The title of a document is Around the World in 80 Days. A search for "contains 80 days in Title" and "contains around the world in Title" would find the document, as well as any other documents with the words 80 days and around the world in their titles. A search for "contains world 80 in Title" would not find the document because the search words are not contiguous in the title. However, a search for "contains world * 80 in Title" would find the document.

Equals example: The title of a document is Around the World in 80 Days. A search for "equals around the world in 80 days in Title" would find the document.

 
Combining search terms

To further refine a search, you create additional search terms and combine them using logical operators.

And: Searches for objects that contain all of the search terms.

Or: Searches for objects that contain one of the search terms.

Accrue: Searches for objects that contain at least one of the search terms, and relevance ranks the results by displaying the objects that contain the largest number of search terms first.

And Not: Searches for objects that contain one search term and not the other.

 
Using nonalphanumeric characters

To find objects that include nonalphanumeric characters, such as at signs (@) and equal signs (=), or nonalphanumeric and wildcard characters (* and ?), select the specific property name, use the equals operator, and enclose the search text within single quotation marks.

Examples:

To search for jbrown@mycompany.com, enter: (User) Email Address equals ‘jbrown@mycompany.com’

To search for jbrown@* enter: (User) Email Address equals ‘jbrown@*’

 
Finding objects by handle number

To find an object using its handle, enter the complete handle: for example, collection-276. You also can use the asterisk character (*76) , but DocuShare may find more than the single object.