View source for Dave's Tip No. 1 -- Using "Site Search" and "Enhanced Search"

{{Article
|Title=Dave's Tip #1 -- Using "Site Search" and "Enhanced Search"
|Article Category=Site Tips
|Sort Order=1
|Description=Comparisons of Searching Using the Site Search Button or the Enhanced Button
|Digger=Dave Anderson
|Article Date=2013/02/21
}}
== Overview ==

At the top right of the every protoball page there is a search box with two buttons: one says "Site Search" and the other says "Enhanced Search". Enter a search term and click one of the buttons to search the site.

== Site Search ==

Site Search gives complete, up-to-date, unformatted results.  It's usually a little faster than ''Enhanced Search.''

Use Site Search for the following cases:
* You want to find information entered that day
* You want to search this entire site, including, for example, all the Protoball [[Articles]]

== Enhanced Search ==

Enhanced search gives nightly-updated, formatted results for most of the site but not all of it: the results come from various categories of information such as Chronology, Pre-pro, and Glossary of Games entries. After running an enhanced search, specific entries can be marked as important; the searches, including which entries were marked important, can be saved and shared with other diggers.

Use Enhanced Search for the following cases:
* You want to have the result be formatted
* You want to save and share your search results
* You want to select out entries from the results and save and share those selections
* You want to use complex search parameters

Much of the following information can be found in the [[Special:EnhancedSearch|Enhanced Search]] page itself.

== Enhanced Search Options ==

; Two words or phrases both exist in the entry: Use "and". Example: "Baseball and New Jersey" finds entries that have both the word baseball and New Jersey.
; Either one or another word or phrase exists in the entry: Use "or". Example: "NJ or New Jersey" finds entries that have either the word NJ or the word New Jersey.
; Nested terms: Use parenthesis. Example: "Baseball and (NJ or New Jersey)" finds entries that have both the word baseball and either the word NJ or the word New Jersey.
; Specifying a word or phrase or complex condition does occur: Use "not". Example "Baseball and not Wicket" finds entries where Baseball is mentioned and Wicket is not mentioned.
; Wildcards to find parts of a word: Use "%". Example: "Base%" finds entries that have the word Base, Baseball, Bases, and anything else that starts with Base.
; Wildcards to for any one character: Use ".". Example: "Base.ball" finds entries that have "base-ball", "base ball", and anything that has "base", then a character, then "ball".
; Wildcards to for any one character: Use ".". Example: "Base.ball" finds entries that have "base-ball", "base ball", and anything that has "base", then a character, then "ball". 
; Wildcards to for the possible existence of character before it: Use "?". Example: "Bases?" finds entries with "base", "bases".
; Combining wildcards: Example: "Base.?ball" finds entries with "baseball", "base ball", "base-ball".
; Limiting by date: Example: "year > 1840" finds Ballgames that took place after 1840, Chronology milestones that occurred after 1840, and ballgames that were formed after 1840. Note: Including a year search will skip entries that are undated: Field entries, for example.

== Saved Searched ==

You save a search by running a search and clicking on the "Save Search" link on the upper-right of the search results. You can re-run the search by finding your search and clicking on its Run Search link. Find your search by going to the [[Special:EnhancedSearch|Enhanced Search]] home page and click on the "My Searches" link.

== Selections ==

Once you have run a search, you can select particular entries you are interested in by clicking on the star at the upper-right of the entry. They become collected in the Selected tab. When you make selections on a saved search, those selections are saved as well.

== Sharing a Search ==

You can save a search by clicking on the Share link on the upper-right of the search results page. A box is displayed containing the search url. Cut and paste this url into an email and sent it to fellow diggers. Selections are shared too.

== Using Other Diggers' Searches ==

You can run other Diggers' searches by using the link the send you through email or you can search for searches through Enhanced Search itself.  From the [[Special:EnhancedSearch|Enhanced Search]] home page enter in the search criteria: to list all searches use ".*"; to list all searches that belong to specific person, type their name. Before you run the search, click on the Searches box just below the main search box.

-- From Dave Anderson, Protoball.org developer