Searching Direct-L

Date:    Fri, 13 Oct 1995 03:51:35 -0500
From:    "Glenn M. Picher" <gpicher@maine.com>
Subject: Rocket science simplified: searching archives of Direct-L

You send archive queries to the list server at listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu . Initially, you send the query terms to get a list of relevant messages. Then, you can request the full text of messages you want with another followup message to the list server. You can get a description of search commands by sending an email to listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu with one line...

  info database

Example: I want to find out about Windows screensaver issues. The general form of a query is:

    //      JOB  Echo=No
    Database Search DD=Rules CPULIM=1:00
    //Rules DD   *
    ...
    /*

Any specific search commands replace the "..." line.

A good place to start might be the subject line of all relevant messages:

    search * in DIRECT-L where subject contains win screensave

The '*' means 'the currently selected messages'-- everything at first. The above search would find messages with subject lines including the words "Win" or "Windows" and "Screensaver" or "screensaves". 'Win' and 'screensave' are searched independently; they needn't be adjacent words. AND is assumed between the words; you can use OR. Parentheses and negatives can be used:

     (win (31 or 3.1 or 95) (not mac))

If your syntax gets too complicated you can use '-' at the end of a line and continue on the next line. To search for an exact phrase, surround it with '' (or "" if case should be significant), but don't continue a quoted phrase between two lines.

You can also use "where" to limit the search by contributor:

    search * in Direct-L where sender contains gpicher

If you want to search the whole posting, the syntax is:

    search win screensave in Direct-L

This also has the effect of resetting the database search to include all items, in case you've done any earlier searches.

After an initial line which specifes the database to search (i.e, a line containing 'in DIRECT-L'), you can continue to narrow the search with other qualifications in additional search commands:

    search * from january to august
    search * since june 22
    search * until today 11:53
    search * where sender is cwiltgen@fancy.com
    search * where subject does not contain 'Re:'

At any point, you can get a listing of messages that match the search critera tested so far with:

    index

As an example, if you send the following email to listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu

    //      JOB  Echo=No
    Database Search DD=Rules CPULIM=1:00
    //Rules DD   *
    search * in DIRECT-L where subject contains (win and screensave)
    index
    /*

After a while, you'll receive a listing of all database items that match, in a piece of email with the subject:

    File: "DATABASE OUTPUT"

Which will contain something like:

    > search * in Direct-L where subject contains (windows and screensave)
  --> Database DIRECT-L, 1 hit.


    > index
    Item #   Date   Time  Recs   Subject
    ------   ----   ----  ----   -------
    018329 95/06/27 16:27   24   How to disable the Windows screensaver ?!

Multiple hits would have been listed in item # order. More hits would have been returned if this search hadn't been limited to subject lines. Searching the subject lines only returns a faster result than searching in the body of the messages as well. On complex text searches, you might need to boost the CPULIM=1:00 number to allow more than a minute's worth of search time (on the list's host machine-- not necessarily how long it takes you to receive a result!).

Now that you know the item number, you can request it specifically. Send another message with the commands:

    search * in DIRECT-L
    print 018329

You don't need to get the whole post if you don't want to:

    print sender of 018329

You can also specify more than one item with 'print'.

So your second email to listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu might be:

    //      JOB  Echo=No
    Database Search DD=Rules CPULIM=1:00
    //Rules DD   *
    search * in Direct-L
    print subject sender body of 018329
    /*

A while later, which you'll receive email containing that posting. There's a minimal chance that the item number can change in between the two emails (for instance, if CB Lih, our list owner, happens to be updating the database as you're querying).

The listserv can be somewhat sluggish in responding; it may be an hour or more before you get any response, if it's a busy time. It generally seems faster after the first message you send; perhaps the listserv software is already awake, so to speak.

One additional tidbit I didn't mention in my terse summary:

    select * in DIRECT-L where sender sounds like WOLF
    select * in DIRECT-L where subject sounds like SOLIS

Search lines like these can help you find postings about topics or by people that you can't quite remember. Listserv makes a best guess (using rules of English pronounciation); the results could make you breath a sigh of relief, or laugh uncontrollably.