Free-form mode

The Altium website search page uses a free-form search method by default. Words are searched for their various common forms, and the words can be anywhere in the page.

Exact Phrase mode

When the Exact Phrase mode is selected the words are searched for an exact match. This is similar to surrounding a free-form search with "double quotes". However unlike quoted text it also supports the use of Operators and Wildcards.

Exact Phrase mode generally results in fewer results. Sorting of the search results by Rank is calculated differently to Free-form text. Exact Phrase mode can provide a more accurate sort order of the search results.

In Exact Phrase mode the search engine does not match the common forms of the word unless the word is followed by two asterisk characters. Exact Phrase mode also provides better wildcard support. See the Wildcards section below.

The Fuzzy Search interactive syntax wizard can be used to quickly insert the & operator between words. This option also inserts the double asterisk characters ** to match common forms of the word. The query is also processed to remove any ignored words or any extraneous operators.

Even though the Fuzzy Search mode automatically inserts the ** as well as the & operator, it is also interactive. You can add one * and the wizard will not add ** to the same word. You can also use other Operators (|, &!, ~) in your search and the wizard will not insert the & operator in place of the operator you specified.

Mode Selection

Free-form text mode is used by default:

      Free-form (any words)
      Exact Phrase
      Fuzzy Search
 

Search Scope

Select the scope of your search to an area of the site or select the type of document you want to search:

Wildcards

Word

• Entering a single word will find all pages that contain that word exactly as you have typed it. Note that words such as "the" and "if" are ignored by the search engine. For a complete list of ignored words see the section Words ignored by the search engine below.

• In Free-form text mode the Word will include all common forms of the word.

• In Exact Phrase mode only the exact Word will be found unless using wildcards as follows.

Word*

• Use the asterisk * to look for words with the same prefix. For example, in your query form type create* to find create, created, and creates.

Word**

• Use a double asterisk to search for all common forms of a word. For example, in the form type create** to find create, creating, created, and creates.

• Free-form text mode uses this Word mode.

*Word

• An asterisk at the start of a word is treated as a wildcard.

• For example *274 will find RS-274 but not RS-274X

• If you use an asterisk on the end of the word *274* you will also find RS-274X

• Please Note: Free-form mode does not support the *Word wildcard.

Operators

AND, OR operators

• Construct Boolean queries by combining words with the AND and OR operators. 

• To find pages that contain both embedded and development, use the following query: embedded AND development
• Add the OR keyword to find all instances of either one word or another, for example: Abbott OR Costello
  This query finds all pages that mention Abbott or Costello or both.
• Symbol for AND: &
• Symbol for OR: |
• For example: manager |administrator &system

NOT operators

• NOT must be used with AND.

• For example, if you want to find all instances of surfing but not surfing the Net, write the following query: surfing AND NOT Net

• Symbol for NOT is ! so when used with AND use like this: &!

• For example: surfing &!Net
  
  

NEAR operator

• Search with the keyword NEAR, rather than AND, for words close to each other. For example, both of these queries, system AND manager and system NEAR manager, look for the words system and manager on the same page. But with NEAR, the returned pages are ranked in order of proximity: The closer together the words are, the higher the rank of that page.

• NEAR will sometimes return less results than the similar AND operator because NEAR only returns results if the words are within 50 words of each other.

• Symbol for NEAR: ~

Combining operators

• You can combine multiple Boolean operators in a single query. When combining operators use parentheses to determine the order of precedence.
  
  For example: (manager OR administrator) AND system
  
  This finds pages that contain both system and manager or both system and administrator.

• Use the ( OR ) part before the AND part, as shown in the example above.

• Operators used between or surrounding an ignored word generate a syntax error.

• Operators at the start or end of the search words generate a syntax error.

"Search for an exact phrase"

• To search for an exact phrase, enclose the phrase in quote marks, or use Exact Phrase mode.
  
  For example: "birds and bees"
  
  This will find pages that contain the phrase "birds and bees", but not pages that contain the words birds and bees separately.

• Within quotes, Operators will be treated as text, and Wildcards will be ignored. So the AND within "birds and bees" will be treated as text.

Ignored Words (so-called "noise" words ignored by the search engine)

Ignored Words are not used by the search engine and will be ignored. When displaying your query these words are shown in faded red. The Fuzzy Search strips these words from the query to allow Operators to be inserted without generating errors.

about after all also an another any are as at
be because been before being between both but by
came can come could
did do does
each else
for from
get got
has had he have her here him himself his how
if in into is it its
just
like
make many me might more most much must my
never now
of on only other our out over
re
said same see should since so some still such
take than that the their them then there these they this those through to too
under up use
very
want was way we well were what when where which while who will with would
you your

Single characters are also ignored, including the following:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 . $
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Ignored words can generate a syntax error in your query

• A search containing just an ignored word.

• Surrounding an ignored word with Operators (e.g. eat AND your AND meal)

• If an Operator is at the beginning or end of the search string it will give an error. Therefore if the first or last word is an ignored word and you use this with an Operator you will see the error (e.g. your AND meal).

• Fuzzy Search mode modifies the query to avoid these known syntax errors.

Other Searches