Support : Dialog Search Aids : Successful Searching : SELECT

SELECT

SELECT is the basic retrieval command used on Dialog. SELECT, followed by one or more search terms, retrieves a set of records containing those terms. SELECT may be followed by a single search term (see Single-Term SELECT Statements) or by multiple search terms (see Multiple-Term SELECT Statements) connected with logical or proximity operators (see Multiple-Term SELECT Statements). The complete command is called a SELECT statement.

Dialog looks for the search terms you SELECT in the Basic and Additional Index fields, as defined on the database Bluesheet.

There are two ways to enter a SELECT command:

SELECT shows intermediate results and creates a single, final set

SELECT STEPS creates a set for each search term and each proximity operator, plus one for the final set

You can SET SELECT SHORT to receive an abbreviated response to your SELECT statements, i.e., no intermediate unnumbered results are shown.

Note: The use of SELECT is preferred unless you need a set number for each individual term.

• To SELECT from the Basic Index:

?select eclipse
      S1     415  ECLIPSE

• To SELECT from an Additional Index:

?select py=2007
      S2   23054  PY=2007

• To create a single, final set, use SELECT:

?select moon or lunar
            1661  MOON
            2044  LUNAR
      S3    2741  MOON OR LUNAR

• To create a set for each term, plus one for the final set, use SELECT STEPS:

?select steps sun or solar
      S4    5255  SUN
      S5   49461  SOLAR
      S6   52119  SUN OR SOLAR

• To display abbreviated results, SET SELECT SHORT:

?set select short
SELECT response set to SHORT.

?select moon or lunar
      S7    2741  MOON OR LUNAR

(File 8: Ei Compendex^®)

To restore the usual display, enter SET SELECT LONG (or FULL).

Usage Notes:

DialogWeb—Command: The default is SET SELECT SHORT and output remains the same even if SET SELECT FULL is entered.

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