Scribd
Upload
5 views

Handout 13

The document provides an overview of Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) used in Microsoft Windows Desktop Search to refine search results by file kinds, properties, and contents. It details how to construct search queries using Boolean operators, optional criteria, and specific file properties to enhance search accuracy. Additionally, it includes examples and syntax for various file types and properties to assist users in performing effective searches.

Uploaded by

pargostilum
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
5 views

Handout 13

The document provides an overview of Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) used in Microsoft Windows Desktop Search to refine search results by file kinds, properties, and contents. It details how to construct search queries using Boolean operators, optional criteria, and specific file properties to enhance search accuracy. Additionally, it includes examples and syntax for various file types and properties to assist users in performing effective searches.

Uploaded by

pargostilum
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Instituto Superior del Traductorado – DIEGEP 5649 Information Search Techniques

Handout 13: Advanced Query Syntax

The Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) is used by Microsoft Windows Desktop Search (WDS) to help better
define and narrow searches. Using AQS is an easy way to narrow searches and deliver better result
sets. Searches can be narrowed by the following parameters:

 File kinds: folders, documents, presentations, pictures and so on.


 File properties: size, date, title and so on.
 File contents: keywords like "translation," "source," "technical document," and so on.

Furthermore, search parameters can be combined using search operators. This handout explains the
query syntax, the parameters and operators, and how they can be combined to offer targeted search
results. The tables describe the syntax to use with WDS, as well as the properties that can be queried
for each file kind displayed in the Windows Desktop Search results window.

Desktop Search Syntax

A search query can include one or more keywords, with Boolean operators and optional criteria. These
optional criteria can narrow a search based on the following:

 Scope or data store in which files reside


 Kinds of files
 Managed properties of files

The optional criteria, described in greater detail following, use the following syntax:

<scope name>:<value>
<file kind>:<value>
<property name>:<value>

Suppose you want to search for a document containing the phrase "Language and Grammar I" created
by Mr Oswald or Ms Liza, and that you saved to the folder My Documents. The query may look like
this:

"Language and Grammar I" author:(Mr Oswald OR Ms Liza) foldername:mydocuments

Common File Kinds

You can also limit your searches to specific types of files, called file kinds. The following table lists the
most popular file kinds and offers examples of the syntax used to search for these kinds of files.

To Restrict by File Type: Use Example


All file types everything kind:everything
Notes notes kind:notes
Documents docs kind:docs
Text documents text kind:text
Spreadsheets spreadsheets kind:spreadsheets

www.traductorado.edu.ar Page 1 of 3
Instituto Superior del Traductorado – DIEGEP 5649 Information Search Techniques

Folders folders kind:folders


Folder name foldername or in foldername:mydocs or
in:mydocs
Programs programs kind:programs

Boolean Operators

Search keywords and file properties can be combined to broaden or narrow a search with operators.
The following table explains common operators used in a search query.

Keyword/Symbol Examples Function


NOT source NOT text Finds items that contain source, but not text.
source text Finds items that contain source and text.
OR source OR target Finds items that contain source or target.
Quotation marks “source text” Finds items that contain the exact phrase source
text.
Parentheses (technical translation) Finds items that contain technical and translation
in any order.
> date:>11/05/20 Finds items with a date after 11/05/20.
size:>500 Finds items with a size greater than 500 bytes.
< date:<11/05/20 Finds items with a date before 11/05/20.
size:<500 Finds items with a size less than 500 bytes.
.. date:11/05/20..11/06/20 Finds items with a date beginning on 11/05/20
and ending on 11/06/20.

The operators NOT and OR must be in uppercase and cannot be combined in one query (e.g., source
OR target NOT text).

Dates

In addition to searching on specific dates and date ranges using the operators described earlier, AQS
allows relative date values (like today, tomorrow, or next week) and day (like Tuesday or
Monday..Wednesday) and month (February) values.

Relative to: Syntax Example Result


Day date:today Finds items with today's date.
date:tomorrow Finds items with tomorrow's date.
date:yesterday Finds items with yesterday's date.
Week/Month/year date:this week Finds items with a date falling within the current week.
date:last week Finds items with a date falling within the previous week.
date:next month Finds items with a date falling within the upcoming week.
date:past month Finds items with a date falling within the previous month.
date:coming year Finds items with a date falling within the upcoming year.

www.traductorado.edu.ar Page 2 of 3
Instituto Superior del Traductorado – DIEGEP 5649 Information Search Techniques

Properties by File Kind

You can search on specific properties of different file kinds. Some properties (like file size) are common
to all files, while others are limited to a specific kind. The following tables list these properties by file
kind.

File Kind: Everything


These are properties common to all file kinds. To include all types of files in a query, the syntax is:

kind:everything <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the search term you specify.

Property Use Example


Title title, subject or about title:"Research for Translation 04"
Date date date:last week
Date modified Datemodified or modified:last week
modified
Size size size:> 50
Deleted deleted or isdeleted isdeleted:true
File name filename or file filename:Translation 04
Folder folder, under or path folder:Translation Projects
File extension ext or fileext ext:.pdf

Documents

These are properties common to documents. To limit the search to documents only, the syntax is:

kind:documents <property>:<value>

where <property> is a property listed below and <value> is the search term you specify.

Property Use Example


Comments comments comments:"needs final review"
Last saved by lastsavedby lastsavedby:Mr Oswald
Document manager documentmanager documentmanager:Mr Oswald
Revision number revisionnumber revisionnumber:1.0.3
Document format documentformat documentformat:MIMETYPE
Date last printed datelastprinted datelastprinted:last week

www.traductorado.edu.ar Page 3 of 3

You might also like