DynaWeb always supports these types of searches:
| Exact searches | searching for a specific word or phrase | |
| Wildcard searches |
A wildcard is a character that acts as a placeholder to represent any letter(s) and digit(s) in a word. | |
| Proximity searches |
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| Boolean searches |
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These two most basic types of searches, exact and wildcard searches, are described later in the next chapter (see “Basic Searches on Words and Phrases”).
 | Note: For information on the more complicated types of searches, see Chapter 6, “Advanced DynaText Searches”. |
DynaWeb servers support searching within different scopes, as follows:
Within or across DynaText collections
DynaText book
HTML document
All of the previously mentioned searches can be performed at any level.
You can search within a single collection or across different collections.
When searching on one or more collections, keep in mind that the only searchable characters are letters, digits, and spaces. If you include punctuation within a search string, DynaText ignores the punctuation, searching on the other characters exclusively.
Collection-level searches cannot guarantee totally accurate results. This is partly because of time constraints. Also, differences among the stop lists of different books may produce uneven results, with some books yielding extraneous search hits, while other books do not.
The DynaWeb search interface allows you to perform all types of DynaText searches anywhere within a DynaText book.
For a book, a search starts at your current location (book title, chapter, and so forth) and works downwards from there. Your most recent search query remains in effect while you navigate downward within a book. As long as any search results are displayed, the server displays the Clear Search button as active on the button bar.
A query is active until you enter a different query, click on the Clear button, or move above the starting point of the search.
The DynaWeb button bar provides you with a search interface possessing the following components:
| Search panel | Use the Search panel to specify any type of search query. | |
| Search button | Use the search button to send the query currently in the search panel to the DynaWeb server. | |
| Clear Search button |
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You can use the search panel on the button bar to request any type of search.
As you are entering a search query that approaches the left side of field, the panel automatically scrolls rightward.
Most Web clients will allow you to edit a search query. Typically, while the panel is selected, you can:
Scroll the text towards the left by clicking on it and pressing the left arrow (¬)
Scroll to the right, by pressing the right arrow (®)
Click anywhere in the panel to reset your insertion point
Delete characters at the insertion point (typically, by using a Backspace or Delete key)
Enter characters at the insertion point
Paste text from the current document or some other source into the text field.
To search for a word or phrase in all the books of a collection:
Display the Collection list, by clicking on the collection button.
On the button bar, click on the search panel.
Type in your search string (a word or phrase).
Click on the Search button.
The collection-list display changes as follows:
The total number of hits are reported above the list.
Only titles with search hits are displayed.
The number of search hits is displayed for each book or collection.
Double-clicking on a title opens the corresponding book or collection and scrolls to the first successful search finding.
To perform any type of search in a DynaText book:
Go to the TOC of the book.
On the button bar, click on the search field
Type in your search query.
Click on the Search button.
The TOC display changes as follows:
The total number of hits are reported above the TOC.
Only the TOC elements that contain successful search results are listed.
The number of hits for each title is indicated beside the title.
Double-clicking on any title opens the associated text and automatically scrolls to the first search result. DynaWeb encloses each search hit in a pair of icons.
A search in progress cannot be cancelled from within the document pane. If your browser supports stopping requests, the request for search information may be cancelled from the browser interface.
On completing a search DynaWeb reports the number of successful search occurrences (hits). The total number of hits appears above the TOC. The number of hits in each section appears beside the section title; by default, this number appears to the right of the title.
This TOC can be navigated just like the regular TOC in the last section. As each section is expanded, the search hits are reported at each level, providing a thorough guide to each successful search result.
| Note: Only sections that contain search hits are shown. If sections exist that do not contain a search hit, they will be hidden. |
When you move out of the TOC and into the actual contents of the document, DynaWeb automatically scrolls to the first instance of the search hit and displays it for you. The two icons surrounding the phrase are navigational tools. When clicked, they will bring you to the previous or next search hit in this section, respectively.
At the top and bottom of each section are two identical button bars containing additional navigation tools.
The Previous Search and Next Search buttons will transfer you to the next section of the current book that contains the search string.
The Clear Search button will remove the currently highlighted search results and the search controls on the document pane.
When you are done with your current search, click the Clear Search button on the button bar. This clears the values from the TOC view. When you move to another level of the TOC during a search, the text in the search field clears automatically, although the hits from the last search are still shown.
If a publisher supplies any search forms for a DynaText book, the DynaWeb server makes them available for you to use.
The Query button on the list-view button bar allows you to use any search forms that have been made available by the server administrators. Search forms provide easy-to understand templates for filling out the more complex searching functions of DynaWeb.
Selecting the Query button brings up a list of the searches for which a query form exists. This will differ from book to book, depending on the publisher.
The figure below illustrates a possible search form
To use a search form, merely type in the information specified into the text fields. When all requested information is entered, click on Send to begin the search