Support : Dialog Search Aids : Successful Searching : VISUAL EXPAND

VISUAL EXPAND

The VISUAL EXPAND command brings the functionality of the classic Dialog EXPAND into a graphical format. Use VISUAL EXPAND to display the indexes of searchable terms associated with a particular database and SELECT terms directly from the display. Like EXPAND, VISUAL EXPAND works as a window into a database: it allows you to see exactly how a term (word, phrase, author, journal, etc.) is indexed and is valuable if you are unsure of spelling or want insight into terms included in the database.

View a Term in the Basic Index

To view search terms in the Basic Index of a database, enter VE followed by the term you are looking for (e.g. VE EYE). The index displays in the Expand window.

To continue the list, click More and use the scroll bar to view the extended list of terms.

The check boxes on the left side of the display are used to SELECT terms from the list.

The “Items” column lists the number of unique records containing each term. The term may occur more than once in a given record, but the record is counted only once for the “Items” column. You can determine the total number of occurrences of a term by specifying, in your Searcher Preferences, that the Display Postings option be set to On, and then entering a simple EXPAND command (not VISUAL EXPAND) to see the term postings. You may also enter the SET POSTINGS ON command.

(SELECTing from a VISUAL EXPAND Window) 

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