At its simplest, a query can be just a word or a phrase. But with the tips on this page, you can expand the focus of your query to give you more complete results. These tips will get you started with basic query language and acquaint you with the full power of the ICMA Web Site Index Server.
- Look for words with the same prefix.
Example - type key* to find key, keying, keyhole, keyboard, and so on.- Search for all forms of a word.
Example - type sink** to find sink, sinking, sank, and sunk.- Search with the keyword NEAR, rather than AND, for words close to each other.
Example - type system AND manager or system NEAR manager, to look for the words system and manager on the same page.But with NEAR, the returned pages are ranked in order of proximity: The closer together the words are, the higher the rank of that page.
- Put quotation marks around keywords if you want the ICMA Web Site Index Server to take them literally.
Example - type the following query:"system near manager"
The ICMA Web Site Index Server will literally look for the complete phrase system near manager. But if you type the same query without the quotation marks:
system near manager
The Presbytery Index Server searches all documents for the words system and manager on the same page. This search would also include all occurrences of the phrase system and manager.
- Refine your queries with the AND NOT keywords to exclude certain text.
Example - type surfing AND NOT the Net, to find all instances of surfing but not surfing the Net.