Finding the information you need
The EDN search interface combines the ease of a quick search
with the power and flexibility of an advanced search. For simple searches, just
type in your keywords and press the search button. Your initial search results are
drawn from the dropdown item selected in the search interface. By default, this
dropdown changes to match the EDN area you are viewing. If you start the search
from EDN's Home page then the resulting list includes matches from all areas of
the EDN site. If you begin at the Code Exchange, then your initial results are
drawn from available ESRI and user samples. You can change the dropdown to
reflect the area of EDN you want to focus on prior to beginning the search or
you can filter from the search results page.
Refining your query
The EDN Search, by default, returns documents that include
all terms included in the search box. You do not need to include any special
operators (+, AND) to achieve this. However, some special characters may be
used and could get you to the results you need more quickly. The following
table defines the available operators and provides some usage examples.
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Query operator
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Search action
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Usage notes and examples
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+
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Includes all documents that contain the term immediately
following the + operator. This is the equivalent of the default search mode
and does not normally need to be specified.
A logical AND.
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The + must immediately precede
your search term (no spaces).
+implement +persistence
+implement persistence
implement +persistence
implement persistence
Each of the above examples is
equivalent and returns all documents that contain both 'implement' and
'persistence'.
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-
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Excludes documents from the search results that contain the term
immediately following the – operator.
A logical ANDNOT.
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The - must immediately precede
your search term (no spaces).
query geodatabase -ArcSDE
This search returns all
documents that include 'query' and 'geodatabase', but not if these documents
also includes 'ArcSDE'.
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"abc def ghi"
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Returns only documents that
contain the exact phrase specified within the quotation marks.
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"implement persistence"
This search returns all
documents that contain the phrase "implement persistence".
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abc*
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Includes all documents
containing terms that begin with the specified text.
A prefix wildcard.
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The * must immediately follow
your search text (no spaces). Wildcard expressions cannot be applied to
phrases.
persist*
Documents returned from this
search will include terms that start with 'persist', including 'persistence'
and 'persisting'.
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(term1 term2 ...)
+(term1 term2 ...)
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Includes all documents that contain any of the terms listed
within the parentheses.
A logical OR.
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You cannot use parentheses
within another set of parentheses. In addition, '+' and '-' operators are not
recognized when used within the parentheses.
(axl arcims) service
service (axl arcims)
service +(axl arcims)
Each of the above expressions
are equivalent and return all documents that contain the terms 'service' and
either 'axl' or 'ArcIMS'.
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-(term1 term2 ...)
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Excludes all documents that contain all of the terms
within the parentheses
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You cannot use parentheses
within another set of parentheses. In addition, '+' and '-' operators are not
recognized when used within the parentheses.
service -(ArcIMS ArcGIS)
-(ArcIMS ArcGIS) +service
Each of the above expressions
are equivalent and return all documents that contain the term 'service' but
do not contain both 'ArcIMS' and 'ArcGIS'.
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Refining your results
Whether you just type some keywords into the search box,
purposely limit your results to a specific area of EDN by using the dropdown
list, or apply some of the advanced parameters to further refine your query,
you will still be able to narrow or expand the list of matches by adjusting
your query from the results page itself.
There are three columns on the EDN Search Results page.
- Matches for your search criteria are displayed in the Results
List column in the center of the page.
- Links corresponding to EDN and Support Center content areas are available in the Filter Results By column on the left side of
the page.
- The right column, Search Options, contains your
original search term and some additional search display and sort options.
You can modify the options within any of these three columns
to narrow or expand the results for your initial search query. You can even enter a new query in the search box and perform a fresh search based on the parameters you’ve selected within the columns. Below are
some typical search filtering tasks and questions:
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How do I...
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Answer
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Determine which content area the results displayed are derived from?
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The header bar of the Results List column displays
the area searched.
-or-
The Filter Results By column highlights the area
searched.
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Search other content areas?1
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Use the links in the Filter Results By column to
search all other available content areas.
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Search the Support Center?2
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Click the All Support Areas link in the Filter Results
By column to search select areas of the Support Center.
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Search the Knowledge Base?2
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Click the Knowledge Base link in the Filter Results By
column to search that specific area of the Support Center.
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Search the E-mail List archives? 2
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Click the User Forums link in the Filter Results By
column and select the E-mail List check box in the header bar to search that
specific area of the Support Center.
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Limit my results to the product I'm working with?
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Choose a specific architecture by activating or
deactivating the Software checkboxes (ArcIMS, ArcObjects, ArcSDE, ArcWeb
Services) in the Search Options column.
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Display more than 10 results at a time?
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Modify your results per page in the Search Options
column.
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Why does...
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Answer
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The Results List header bar sometimes include checkboxes?
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Some areas of EDN and the Support Center can be filtered
by categories within them. When applicable, the available categories are
displayed in the Results List header bar. Check or uncheck the boxes
to further filter your search.
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1 The links for all
search areas are displayed even if there are no matching results within that
area.
2 A search of the Support Center initiated from EDN excludes matches for products that are not contained in
the EDN program. The full Support Center search is available at http://support.esri.com.
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