Search Tips

This topic includes tips for searching WebLogic Workshop help.

In addition to searching on simple expressions, you can perform more complex searches using Boolean operators and nested expressions, as described in the following sections.

# Boolean Operators

You can use the AND, OR, NOT, and NEAR operators to narrow your search by creating a relationship between search terms. The following table shows how to use each of these operators. If no operator is specified, the AND operator is used. For example, the query "asynchronous web service" is equivalent to "asynchronous AND web AND service." If you need to search for a term that contains more than one word, using the NEAR operator rather than the implicit AND operator may provide the most specific results.

Search For | Example | Results
Both terms in the same topic. | asynchronous AND callback | Topics containing both the words "asynchronous" and "callback"
Either term in a topic. | callback OR polling | Topics containing either the word "callback" or the word "polling" or both.
The first term without the second term. | EJB NOT control | Topics containing the word "EJB" but not the word "control"
Both terms in the same topic, close together. | message NEAR buffer | Topics containing the word "message" within eight words of the word "buffer"

Note: The |, &, and ! characters don't work as Boolean operators (you must use OR, AND, and NOT).

# Nested Expressions

Nested expressions allow you to create complex searches for information. For example, "asynchronous AND (message NEAR buffer)" finds topics containing the word "asynchronous" as well as the words "message" and "buffer" close together.

The basic rules for searching Help topics using nested expressions are as follows:

- You can use parentheses to nest expressions within a query. The expressions in parentheses are evaluated before the rest of the query.

- Terms within a nested expression are evaluated first. If a query does not contain a nested expression, it is evaluated from left to right.

- You cannot nest expressions more than five levels deep.