Using AND, OR and Other Search Commands

Using Logical Operators

Worldox text searches are similar to the searching enabled by Google and other popular internet search engines. Most people are familiar with simple text searches. Here are some examples:

User Types into search field:	Expects to find:
remote	documents containing the word "remote"
remote access	documents containing both "remote" and "access"
"remote access"	documents containing the exact phrase "remote access"

Single word searches are self-explanatory. It is when we get to multiple word searches that things get more involved. That second example above, looking for documents containing both words, is technically an AND search, AND being one of several "logical operators" understood as commands by most search engines.

AND searching is certainly useful, but there are other ways to combine multiple word text search entries:

One is OR searching, an instruction to find either item (or any one of several).

Another is proximity searching, meaning the search engine looks not just for both or all words entered to search text, but looks specifically for words near to, within a certain distance of, the others. To search this way in Worldox, you might type something such as this in the Text in file field on a Find Files search form:

remote w/3 access

The w/3 indicates a proximity search. Worldox looks not only for documents in which both words appear, but also for those cases when the first word appears within three words of the second. Such a search would find documents containing these phrases:

remote access

remote, without access

remote. To gain access,

access to remote

Proximity searching can be very useful in situations where the user knows that one or more words often appear near others in firm documents.

Here are the other logical operators you can use in Worldox text searches:

Operator	Description	Example in use	Finds
AND	both	1992 AND gonzalez AND pleading	Finds documents with the terms “1992,” “gonzalez” and “pleading.” All three terms must appear. This differs from proximity searching in that search terms do not have to appear within three (or some other number of) words of one another when joined with AND.
OR	either	truck OR lorry	Finds documents with either the first word, the second word or both words. In this example, the term “lorry” is a synonym for “truck,” so including it in the search, joined with OR, ensures that you’ll find documents using either term.
NOT	ignore	NOT alone	Tells Worldox to overlook any document containing the word "alone".
* (asterisk)	wildcard	wor*	Finds documents beginning with the letters “wor”. This would find, for example, find documents with such words as “Worldox,” “worldwide,” “workshop” and “worship".
"" (quotes)	exact phrase	"rent check"	Searches for complete, literal phrases as entered between quotes. Words enclosed in quotation marks (“like this”) will appear together in all results, exactly as entered. Words typically ignored in searching (to, the, e.g.) are not ignored in this type of search. Exact phrase searches are especially useful when looking for company names, direct quotes and proper names. Note: You must confirm inclusion of common words in a text in file search even if they are included in quotes in the Common Word Filter dialog.
w/x (where x is a number)	proximity	hospital w/10 examination	Finds documents where the word “examination” occurs within 10 words of “hospital.” For example, “She was taken to the hospital and given a thorough examination.”
/x, y/ (where x and y are numbers)	proximity range	hot /2,4/ dog	Finds documents where the word “hot” occurs prior to, and between two and four words of “dog.” For example, “It was so hot the dog ran beneath the sprinkler.” The following, however, would not qualify: “He entered the hot dog eating contest.”