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EXPAND (continued)

SELECTing from an EXPAND Display

You can SELECT a single entry or multiple entries from an EXPAND list using the E or R number(s). Dialog will create a set containing the same number of items as indicated in the EXPAND. Be sure to SELECT any entries you want before entering a new EXPAND <search term> command, because each new EXPAND erases the previous list and creates a new one.

You will find your search much easier to review if you make sure the E and R numbers you select are converted by Dialog into the search terms they represent. The terms appear in the resulting set surrounded by quotation marks. If you plan to SAVE your search, the E and R numbers you SELECT must be converted in order for your SearchSave to EXECUTE correctly later.

To retrieve a single entry from an EXPAND list, simply enter SELECT (S) and the E or R number. The entry is automatically converted to the search term it represents.

To retrieve multiple entries from an EXPAND list, insert the logical operator OR between the E or R numbers you select. You need to use OR because the terms that appear in an EXPAND are usually synonyms or synonymously related. You can use a comma instead of the word OR, but OR is preferable because it converts the E numbers to the search terms they represent, while the comma does not.

You can also select sequential E or R numbers as a range, using a colon. (e.g., E3:E36). The resulting set is displayed as search terms, and this set can be used in subsequent searches.

Caution: Although you can use a hyphen or a comma to select sequential E or R numbers as a range, their use is not recommended since the resulting set is displayed as E numbers and not as search terms and cannot be used in subsequent searches.

• To SELECT from an EXPAND display:

?expand nanobiotec

Ref   Items  Index-term
E1       13  NANOBIOSYM
E2        6  NANOBIOSYSTEMS
E3        1 *NANOBIOTEC
E4      109  NANOBIOTECH
E5       10  NANOBIOTECHNEWS
E6        1  NANOBIOTECHNO
E7        1  NANOBIOTECHNOIOGY
E8        1  NANOBIOTECHNOLGISTS
E9        4  NANOBIOTECHNOLOGICAL
E10      13  NANOBIOTECHNOLOGIES
E11       2  NANOBIOTECHNOLOGISTS
E12     343  NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
E13       1  NANOBIOTECHNOLOGYS
E14       2  NANOBIOTECHONOLOGY
E15       1  NANOBIOTER
E16       1  NANOBIOTERIALS
E17       1  NANOBIOTHERAPEUTICS
...

? select e4
      S1     109  'NANOBIOTECH'

? select e4 or e12
             109  NANOBIOTECH
             343  NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
      S2     412  'NANOBIOTECH' OR 'NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY'

? select e4:e14
      S3     422  'NANOBIOTECH':'NANOBIOTECHONOLOGY'

(File 148: Cengage/Gale Trade & Industry Database™)

If you SELECT a large group of E or R numbers using OR, you may inadvertently exceed the 240-character limit of a SELECT command when Dialog converts the numbers to the search terms they represent. When the conversion creates a SELECT that is longer than 240 characters, Dialog does not convert all the entry numbers to their corresponding search terms. The set created contains converted search terms for as many entries as possible, followed by the appropriate E or R numbers for those entries whose corresponding conversion would exceed the character limit. This SELECT will not work properly in a SearchSave.

If you need to SAVE the search, either use separate SELECT commands to contain portions of the range desired and connect the resulting sets with OR, or use a colon to select a range of numbers. Remember that the colon can be used only with E numbers; it does not convert R numbers.

(Punctuation and Spacing in EXPAND Commands) 

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