Here are some guidelines to help you create effective searches in Worldox:
• Use search categories wisely.
Search fields fall into several categories. The trick is to anticipate which type of search criteria would be best, then to use as few different search criteria as possible.
Example: If you're searching for a recently-created or modified file - and have a pretty fair idea of when the file was created or modified - it may be better to concentrate on date or date-range searching. Adding text or file name to the search might be helpful in narrowing the search, but only if you spell names or phrases correctly. Starting with the date-only search makes it more likely you'll find the file.
Example: If the majority of documents you handle are profiled under a reasonably small set of client or matter codes, searching by those profile field values can be the best way to go. Here you benefit from the highly-specific nature of Worldox profile structures. By comparison, searching by date or date range alone can cast too wide a net, especially if your firm stores a large number of documents.
• Combine search criteria, but not too many.
Worldox search forms typically have many fields. Just because those fields are there, that does not mean you have to use them. In fact, it is easy to come up empty in searching by chaining too many criteria together, unless you are quite sure of the different identifiers involved.
Example: Let's say you're looking for a letter, sent regarding a certain matter for a certain client. It would be logical to specify search criteria in two or even three of these profile fields:
- Client
- Matter
- Doc Type (optional)
Adding another search factor - Typist, for example - could unnecessarily limit the search. If you are absolutely sure who types which documents, that might be a good move. But what if you are not sure? Little is gained by adding the additional search item. If you stick with a simpler search, you may have to read through more results, but the file you want is likely to be in that longer list.
Also, be careful how you join search items together. Using AND is far more precise and restrictive, while OR searching casts a wider net. (For more on combining search items, see AND, OR, and other search combinations.
• Keep phrase and text searching simple.
In text and name searching too, using fewer characters increases the odds that you will find the files you want.
Example: You are looking for a letter relating to the firm Merritt & Sons. You could enclose that exact phrase in quotes ("Merritt & Sons") to search on document description. And you may well find the letter. But what if typists occasionally substitute "and" for "&"? It might be better to just type in two words (Merritt Sons), no quotes, and search on the AND basis. As long as those two words were spelled correctly, documents would then be found regardless of how they are joined in the typed name.
• Rely on automatic text search options.
Worldox "suggests" words or phrases when you search on Name/Comment or Text in File fields in search forms. This automatic word matching tool is more than a convenience; it also tells you which searches can succeed and which cannot, based on the presence or absence of search phrases in Worldox index databases.
• Don't worry about capitalization.
Worldox searches are not case sensitive. You can safely disregard capital vs. lower case in text searching.
Example: Any of these spellings achieve the same result: President, PRESIDENT and pReSidEnT.
• Be aware of punctuation.
Punctuation is significant in searches, so be careful and think ahead.
Example: Searching for ASPCA will not find documents containing “A.S.P.C.A.” To find such a term, you must enter the periods between the letters.
• Don't bother using common words in text searching.
Worldox ignores common words, such as “to” and “and,” as well as certain single digits and single letters. The reason is that such words tend to slow down searches because they are found in most documents.
What if you do use these ignored words? Here is what happens when ignored words are used in searching.
Scenario 1:
You type the word "to" in the Text in File field on a search form, then add dates or other search criteria. When you run the search. Worldox responds with this message:
"non-indexed words/characters" are ignored words. Worldox is telling you to try again, without those ignored words.
Scenario 2:
You type this phrase into the Text in File field:
next to nothing
When the search starts, Worldox detects the ignored word, but also sees that the other two words qualify for search. So that "to" is ignored; Worldox simply uses the Default Interword Boolean search preference set for you, in looking for the remaining words. If that preference for you is set to OR, it finds any documents in which either "next" or "nothing" appears.
• Scenario 3:
You type that same phrase into the Text in File field, only this time with quotes:
"next to nothing"
The quotes tell Worldox to search for this exact phrase. As the search starts, Worldox detects the ignored word, so cannot in fact search for that exact phrase. Worldox does the next best thing - searching for the other two words using the w/2 search command. This is a proximity search, looking for multiple words within a set distance from one another. w/2 means "find documents in which these two works appear within two words of one another."
The net effect is that you will find what you're looking for. "next to nothing" meets that search criteria. "next" and "nothing" are within two words of one another, so any document with the phrase "next to nothing" would be found in such a search.
Note: See AND, OR and other search commands for more on setting up productive text searches.
