4.10 Search result

BSCW helps you to

• submit a query to one of the popular Web search engines;
• find objects (Folder, Document etc.) in your   Folder or in your Calendar, your Bag or your Wastebasket;
• check if someone that you have some information about is a user of the BSCW Server or is listed in your Address Book.

Independent of the scope of your search, BSCW offers two ways to start the search and to use the list of hits (= links to the objects that meet the criteria of your query) returned by the search engine:

• To create a permanent, named Search Result object that contains this list of hits in the current Folder or Meeting immediately,
• click    on the top button bar

to bring up the 'New Search' form.

• Enter the name of the Search Result object to be created, select the scope of the search and pick your preferred search service for a WWW Search
• click

  to add the Search Result object to the current Folder and to bring up the appropriate form to specify and submit your query to the search engine.

• To update your personal Search Results object (thus losing the result of the previous search),
• click    on the top button bar

to bring up the 'Search' form that you used in your previous search. If the scope of search needs to be different from the previous search,

• click    or    or   

to select the scope of search and to bring up the appropriate form for specifying and submitting your query.

Both actions eventually let you make the results of your query available to the Members of your Workspace. Which action to choose depends on your expectations:

• If you expect the search to yield interesting and relevant results, you might want to create a persistent, names Search Result object first and accept the risk that you may have to    and    the object in case the list of hits returned by the search service falls short of your expectations:
  • Click    on the top button bar.
• If you are less certain that the search will yield relevant results, or if you need the list of hits only to copy and save a few hits you might want to
  • click    on the top button bar,
  • inspect the list of hits returned by the search service and -- if it meets your needs,
  • click    and
  • enter an appropriate name in the form that comes up

  to create a persistent Search Result object that contains the complete list of hits.

Beyond this "strategic" difference between    and  , there is just a minor difference in the way to select the scope of search, and the search engine for a WWW search.

The forms to specify and submit the query are identical for both actions. Also the Search Result is presented in identical fashion: a page in the style of a Folder page (if you performed a WWW Search or a BSCW Search) or in the style of your Address Book (if you did a User Search).