TIP of the day: a 10,000 foot view of Search

One reason that the Logos Search can be overwhelming is that it can be difficult to get the big picture as options come and go depending upon the search type, the resources used etc. This post is simply intended to briefly introduce you to all parts of a search.

1. There are three "universal options" that show on the search panel menu rather than on the visible search. While they are "universal" they do not apply to all cases. For example, "Match equivalent references" is used to combine themes, topics, factbook entries etc. so it is used only if your search argument uses Logos tagging.

2. There are six different types of searches - basic, Bible, Media, Clause, Morph and Syntax. Note that the last 3 options are basically Bible searches using specialized tagging provided for Bibles. Basic is useful for all text based resources; media is intended for audio and visual materials.

3. The options and search argument that follow can essentially be read as a sentence; that is how Logos displays them. Blue type and an underline are the visual clues showing you that something can be modified.

4. The Search itself has an option - wait until you are done typing or search immediately.

5. The next option defines the text (or media) type to be searched. This allows you to search only parts of a resource such as headings.

6. The next option sets the range of a resource that is to be searched e.g. Net Testament only, Pauline epistles only ...

7. The next option defines what resources are to be searched - system defined supersets, default groupings, collections and series.

8. The next option defines a resource overlay - morphology, syntax etc. This applies only to Morphology and Syntax searches.

9. Then comes the search argument itself, the definition of what you are looking for. A full line is provided for the argument.

10. Morphologies have their own drop-down menu to help the user build a search argument:

11. The Syntax search has a visual tool for building search arguments; searches are saved as documents for reuse. The name of the document is used in the Search as part of the sentence referred to in 3 above.

12. Finally there is the search argument composed of terms and operators. Elements include words, references, lists, wildcards, phrases, fields, datatypes, search extensions, labels ... Operators include reference operators, logical operators, sequence operators, proximity operators, language match commands ...

In addition there is an unsupported regular expressions option.

The big picture?

The take away message: assume that you will learn to use the search functions one part at a time. Choose what you need to find most and learn to search for it and slowly add to your repertoire. Recognize that some searches depend upon the quality and completeness of Logos tagging - be prepared to check the results and sort through irrelevant results. Recognize that some searches can't be done - however, a series of searches and analysis of the results may get you what you need.