Quick Answer Database Query Form

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Valid Search Parameters

Title:
exact match ..contains..

Keywords:
@Shell contains '@Shell' keyword
graphics;DOS contains either (max. 2)
&fax;winclip contains both (max. 2)

Volume Year(s):
1998(exact) >1995(after) <1998(before)
1997..1999(includes all 3 years)

Author Name:
exact match on first or last name

Quick Answer Index Database Courtesy of TJ Shuflin
Database Record Retrieval Utility DTFDATA Courtesy of John Dow
PERL script and page design by Tom Marcellus

Field	Valid Codes	Examples
Title	x exactly x ..x.. contains x	XPosting on Networks ..post..
Keywords 2 keywords maximum	x contains x x;y contains x or y &x;y contains x and y	@macro windows;@shell &report;summary
Year 4-digits required	x exactly x x..y between x & y (inclusive) >x later than x <x earlier than x	1997 1993..1998 >1994 <1996
Last Name	x exactly x	meigs
First Name	x exactly x	jeff
Be careful when specifying ANY matches. With parameters in multiple fields, an ANY match might produce a TON of matches but the results won't be meaningful. (See tip below.) The default (also Q&A's default) is a match on ALL criteria.

How to use the Retrieve Spec:
Type a retrieval parameter into one or more fields as you would in a Q&A Retrieve Spec.
(Not all of Q&A's retrieval parameters are supported -- only those shown.)

For example, to find anything by Tom Marcellus in any 1998 Quick Answer issues containing the keyword Windows, fill out the Spec this way:

          Title:
         Keywords: windows
             Year: 1998
Author Last Name : marcellus
Author First Name:

Tip:
When searching the Keywords field (or the Title field using the ..contains.. operator) first try the singular form of the word.

Try date before dates or macro instead of macros. You could also try date;dates or graphic;graphics in the Keywords field. Of course ..graphic.. in the Title field will find "graphics" as well.

To find all the tips and articles about macros, try this Retrieve Spec:

            Title:
         Keywords: macro;macros
             Year:
Author Last Name :
Author First Name:

By leaving a field blank, you're saying, "I don't care what this field contains."

To find any tips or articles by Jeff Nitka from 1996 or 1997 where the word merge is somewhere in the title, fill out the Spec like this:

            Title: ..merge..
         Keywords:
             Year: 1996..1997
Author Last Name : nitka
Author First Name:

If you leave out the nitka, you'll get the 1996 through 1997 records with merge anywhere in the title (a broader search that'll get more hits.) Another way to get the same or a similar result would be to simply specify merge in the Keywords field.

You could retrieve all the records in the database by typing, for example, >1989 in the Year field, but we don't recommend it. The Index database as of March 1999 contains more than 1,350 records and the Web page to display all the data would exceed 5,000 lines.

Tip
The default search option of ALL is the one to use in most cases.
It means that the retrieved records must meet ALL your parameters.

If you were to specify an ANY search with the above Spec, you'd get all the records with "merge" in the title, plus all the records from 1996 and 1997 (not just "merge" and "Nitka") plus all the records with "Nitka" in the Author Last Name field (not just "merge" and "1996-1997"). Instead of three hits, you'd get 300+.

If you find some tips or articles that look interesting, you can use our Back Issue Index to find out what other tips or articles are in the same issue. Then use our Order Form to order them.

Please report any bugs, typos or suggestions to us at office@quickanswer.com