DialogWeb Help: Creating a SearchSave

A SearchSave is a stored search. After entering a search strategy, you can create a SearchSave by entering SAVE, to permanently store the search, or SAVE TEMP, to store the search for seven days. You can also use the Online Editor to create a SearchSave.

To create a SearchSave with the Online Editor

  1. Enter a BEGIN command (a free database such as File 200 is recommended though you can BEGIN any file).
  2. Enter edit to access Input Mode in the Online Editor.
  3. Enter your search statements and press Enter after each statement.
  4. When the last search statement has been entered, press Enter again to change to Edit Mode.
  5. Enter list to view your strategy.
  6. Enter save to permanently store your search or save temp to store it for seven days. You may enter a 1-6 character name after the SAVE or SAVE TEMP commands.

The Online Editor can also be used to edit a SearchSave.

Naming a SearchSave
You can name a SearchSave by entering 1-6 characters, one of which must be a letter, after the SAVE  or SAVE TEMP command. You may use letters, numbers, or the underscore character _, #, @, or $. Dialog appends two characters to the beginning of the name you enter. The first character is an "S" if the SearchSave is being permanently stored and a "T" if the SearchSave is being stored temporarily. For example, if you enter save temp webnet, Dialog may store the search as tbwebnet or tcwebnet. If you do not assign a name to your SearchSave, Dialog assigns a serial number to the search. To run, recall, or release a SearchSave you must enter the full name, for example recall temp tbwebnet.

Tips and Cautions
If you use the EXPAND command in preparing a SearchSave, any E or R numbers you SELECT must be converted to the search terms they represent or your SearchSave will not run properly.

If you plan to EXECUTE your SearchSave in more than one database, make allowances for the differences in indexing and vocabulary that might exist. In general, follow these conventions:

  1. Enter single-word Basic Index terms connected by proximity operators rather than entering phrase terms.
  2. Use appropriate truncation to retrieve variant forms of search terms.
  3. Consider British spelling, in addition to American, when searching international literature.
  4. Study the prefix codes used in Additional Indexes to determine whether they have the same meaning and format.
  5. If the different databases contain different fields, enter all possible fields in your strategy using OR logic so that at least one of them will work in each file.
  6. Be particularly careful when searching author names (au=), observing variations in punctuation and using appropriate truncation.
  7. If you are applying suffix codes or limit codes, be sure they are applicable in all databases searched.