Below are two reformatted query submission forms for the Metacrawler Parallel Web Search Service.
The first form allows you to perform a Fast Search. The default setting for a Fast Search is search for an exact match, but you can change the value to force Metacrawler to search for any of the words you typed into the text-entry field or to submit your query as a phrase.
The second form allows you take full adavantage of Metacrawler's sophisticated software by refining your search criteria.
To increase the quality of your results, you may wish to utilize the special syntax understood by the Metacrawler. Embedding the following symbols in your search string when executing either a simple or a complex search allows the expression of complex search parameters.
MetaCrawler uses quotation marks identify a collection of words as a phrase. Words in a phrase will only count as hits if they appear relatively close together. Multiple phrases can appear in one search string, as in the following example:
"Monty Python" "Flying Circus"
A plus sign to designates a word that must be present in the document. To search for information about Windows 95 and exclude references to Windows 3.x, for example, you would type:
Windows +95
A minus sign designates a word that must not be present in the document. To search for informattion about Windows and exclude references to Windows 95, for example, you would type:
Windows -95
+blind -venetian -melon -lemon -jefferson -taste -date
"+Phil +Zimmerman" PGP -RIPEM "Pretty Good Privacy"
"+Erik Warren +Selberg" -speed
+(Erik Selberg)
Erik AND Selberg
Erik-Selberg
Erik + Selberg