Dialog@Site Tour Getting Started

The Main Search Screen

Navigating
Fields: • Basic Index Fields; • Indexed Fields; • Text Fields; • Limit Fields; • Search History Box

Buttons: • Display Buttons; • Set Buttons; • Clear Button; • Search Buttons; • Sort Button; • Strategy Buttons

The Main Search Screen consists of:

navigation and search options.
display options and a search history window once a search has been performed.
indexed search fields, designated by an Index button.
text fields.
limit fields.
field-specific help, designated by a question mark
Log out button.

Navigating
The buttons at the top of the screen help navigate and select options for your search environment. When searching, use the DIALOG@Site navigation buttons to move between the search and display pages.

Note: Using your browser's navigation buttons may cause incorrect search results or error messages.

Navigation Buttons

The Main button returns you to the main search screen.
The Database button lets you select a new database to search.
The Logout button logs you out of the DIALOG@Site software.
The Options button lets you configure the number of records you want to display in a Title List, and also allows you to assign or change your password.
The Help button takes you to the online helps describing the software functions.

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Fields

Basic Index Fields
The Search field is used to search all basic index fields for your term(s) in one step. If you want to know what fields are included in the list of basic indexes for your database, click the question mark (Help) next to the Search field to view the online help.

Search Field

Indexed Fields
An indexed field, designated by the index button, contains one or more words that have been indexed as one term.

For example, the Author field will quite possibly index the first and last name, such as Smith John. It is recommended that you use the Index button when searching indexed fields to ensure accurate results.

Indexed Field

Text Fields
A text field, designated by the absence of an Index button, allows for more complex searches, optionally containing multiple terms and logical operators.

For example: Aspirin AND side effects.

Text Field

Limit Fields
Limit fields are selected by selecting the check boxes next to the limit you want to impose on your search. Often a limit option can only be used to modify an existing set of records.

Click the question mark next to a limit to view the field definition.

Limit Fields

Search History Box
When a search has been performed, the search history box displays the strategy that was entered and the results of that strategy. In the following example, the search history states that Set 1 contains 25 records with the term MELATONIN.

As well as the Search History box, several new buttons display on the search screen when a search has been performed and a set of records exist. The button color groupings signify similar tasks. (Colors may vary depending on your monitor.)

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Buttons

Display Buttons
The green-blue buttons let you choose how you want to display your search results:

The Title List button will retrieve a screen showing the titles only for the records in your set. You can control the number of titles displayed through the Options button.
The Display button will display the complete record for the first record in your set.

Set Buttons
The gold buttons let you choose how to modify two or more sets you have highlighted in the search history box.

Intersect refines your search results to include the terms used in Set1 AND Set2 AND Set3, for however many sets you highlight.
Union expands your search results to include the terms used in Set1 OR Set2 OR Set3, for however many sets you highlight.

Clear Buttons
The gray Clear button deletes the highlighted set(s) in your search history window and clears the contents of all search fields. To clear only the search fields, click the Main button.

Search Buttons
The green buttons let you choose how to modify a set of records with additional search terms. You can narrow or widen a search, or exclude terms from a search.

To modify a set of records:

Select search results.
Enter additional term in the required field.
Select the Narrow, Widen or Exclude button as appropriate. The computer displays the modified search.

Narrow your latest set of search results to include the term(s) in your first set AND the additional term(s) you enter.

Widen your latest set of search results to include the term(s) in your first set OR the additional term(s) you enter.

Exclude the additional term(s) you enter from your latest set of search results. The results will include the term(s) in your first set, but NOT the additional term(s) you enter.

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Sort Button
The blue Sort button allows you to select a field by which records will be sorted and the order (ascending or descending) that you prefer.

To sort your records:

Click the blue Sort button.

Click the radio button to select Ascending or Descending order for your records.

Click the field you want to sort by to highlight it. You can only sort by one field at a time.
Click OK.
Click Title List to display relevant titles, or Display to view records.

Strategy Buttons
The burgundy buttons, Save and Restore, allow you to save and reuse a search strategy you've created.

To save a strategy:

Click the Save button on the main page. The Save Strategy page displays the current search strategy that will be saved.

Enter a name for the strategy, such as New Melatonin. (Single or double quotes are not allowed in the search name.)
Click OK. The strategy is stored on the NT server running the DIALOG@Site software under the username. The screen updates with the main search page.

Restoring a strategy:
To reuse a search strategy you have saved, use the Restore button. Be aware that if you execute the saved search in a different database, you may get zero hits if the database doesn't contain the same fields.

To restore a saved strategy:

Click the Restore button on the main page. The screen updates with the Saved Searches for your username.

If there are multiple saved searches, use the drop-down box to select your desired strategy. Click the strategy to highlight it.
Click OK. The strategy is run on the database you are currently in and the screen returns to the main menu.

To delete a strategy:

From the Saved Searches screen (above), highlight the search strategy you want to delete.
Click the Delete button; the search strategy is removed from the screen.

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