View source for Search regexp

== Description ==

This article explains how to tweak [[search]]es and some handy tips and tricks when searching with [[aMule]].

Notice that this tricks may not work for you at some moments, since it depends on the [[server]]'s running software. However, most [[ed2k]] servers run the latest version of [[lugdunum]], so this tricks will work for 99% of your servers.

== First notes ==

Searches always search for all the words in the query and are case-insensitive.

== Boolean search ==

Since aMule 2.1.0 boolean search is supported. This allows fine tweaked searching queries.

The following operators are available:

{|+ Operators
| '''''Operator''''' || '''Meaning'''
|-
| ''AND'' || Both the query before and after the operator must match
|-
| ''OR'' || Either the query before or after the operator must match
|-
| ''NOT'' || The query after the operator must not match
|}

Instead of ''AND'' you can use ''&'' and instead of ''NOT'' you can use simply ''!'' ('''not''' followed by a space).

Example: ''xfree OR xorg''

Example: ''drivers AND linux''

Example: ''some_free_music and not some_artist'' is equivalent to ''some_free_music & !some_artist''

So, when you introduce a search query, it is read and each word is understood either as an operator (when it is ''AND'', ''&'', ''OR'' or ''NOT'') or as a query.

Example: ''aMule AND MacOS'' will search for files containing ''aMule'' and ''MacOS'' in their filename.

If no operator is found between two words, it defaults to the ''AND'' operator.

Notice that operators are case sensitive so, while ''AND'' is an operator, ''and'' is a word.

Words are any characters between between any of the following characters:

{|+ Word separators
| '''Character''' || '''''Description'''''
|-
| , || ''Comma''
|-
| ; || ''Semicolon''
|-
| . || ''Dot''
|-
| : || ''Colon''
|-
| - || ''Dash''
|-
| _ || ''Underscore''
|-
| ' || ''Apostrophe''
|-
| / || ''Slash''
|-
| ! || ''Bang''
|-
|   || ''Space''
|}

Null words are ignored.

Example: ''aMule, MacOS'' is equivalent to ''aMule,MacOS'' which is equivalent to ''aMule AND MacOS''.

You can group words and operators in brackets, to make them into a single query with each its sub-queries.

Example: ''aMule & (MacOS OR Win)'' will search for al files containing ''aMule'' and either ''MacOS'' or ''Win'' it their filename.

Brackets must always be matched.

Example: ''aMule AND optionA)'' will fail since the closing bracket matches no opening bracket.

Example: ''aMule OR (linux'' will aslo fail since the opening bracket matches no closing bracket.

== Exact matches ==

Exact matches are an extension of boolean searches.

You may want to search for a series of words together or some other string containing word separators in it. To do so, wrap that string with apostrophes.

Example: ''aMule and '2.1.0' '' searches for files containing ''aMule'' and ''2.1.0'' in their filename (notice that the dots are no longer being interpreted as word separators).

Example: ''aMule'2.1.0' '' is exactly equivalent as ''aMule and '2.1.0' '', since the apostrophe is still a word separator, so ''aMule'' will be one word and ''2.1.0'' another (and the default operator is ''AND'').

Still, apostrophes will not wrap brackets.

Example: ''aMule and 'distro (debian)' '' will fail because the aposotrophes appear to be opened but not closed, since there is a bracket (actually, two of them) in between.

The only way to wrap brackets so that they can be searches as part of a word is wrapping them in double quotes. Double quotes can also wrap apostrophes.

Example: ''"aMule's 2nd birthday (19-08-2005)"

Example: ''aMule"2.1.0" '' is exactly equivalent as ''aMule and "2.1.0" '', since the double quotes are still word separators, so ''aMule'' will be one word and ''2.1.0'' another (and the default operator is ''AND'').

== Search for file except for extension ... ==

You can use the ''not <query>'' and ''!<query>'' boolean operators in the "extension" field in the [[Usage_Search|search window]].

This way you can search for files not containing the given extension, which is often very useful.

== Find files similar or related to some other file ==

In the search box enter ''related::<hash>'' where ''<hash>'' is the is the [[hash]] value of some [[file]]. The results you will get will be files which are related or similar to that file.

Actually, what the server does is read an index with all files all [[client]]s are sharing and see, out of those sharing the file with has value ''<hash>'', which are the most popular files. Low [[availability]] files aren't listed.

== Search for hashes or exact file ==

If you want to search for any file which's has value is ''<hash>''' (where ''<hash>'' is any MD4 hash value), you can search for ''edk2:<hash>'' and you will get the results.

As an extension, if you want to search for an exact file (maybe you want to see its availability or its [[rate]]) and searching it by its hash value gives several non-equal files, you can narrow the results by searching by the file's hash value ''<hash>'' and size ''<size>'': ''ed2k:<size>:<hash>''

Or even simply the file's [[ed2k link]] (anything after the file's hash in the link will be ignored): ''ed2k://|file|<name>|<size>|<hash>

== The special 'Ñ' character ==

Current server and client software support [[unicode]] so it is no more an issue, but older versions would not support non-english characters, such as the ''ñ'' spanish character.

As a solution, the ''ñ'' character was aliased to ''n''. So, searching for ''españa'' or ''espana'' would give the same results.

This aliasing applies also to unicode-supporting clients and servers. The only thing you should notice is that in this case, since ''ñ'' is a different character than ''n'' and unicoded recognizes it, searching for words containing ''n'' will display results containing ''ñ'', but not the other way round.

== Notes ==

You can combine the above tricks, so someone could try to search something like ''related::<some_hash> AND Video AND SIZE > 1000000''

The server checks if the file is known.