> Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 13:12:42 +0100
> From: Robert Sanderson <[log in to unmask]>
>
> > > This only applies to ^ right? You can still say
> > > title = "complet? dino*"
> >
> > [...] your search would NOT match a book with
> > the title "complet dinosaur" (two spaces).
>
> I don't understand.
> ? stands for zero or one characters. Hence why isn't
> title = "complet? dino*"
> the word 'complet(zero or one non white space characters)' followed
> immediately by the word 'dino(zero or more non white space
> characters)'
Arrgh! You're completely right, I'd forgotten that we'd changed the
meaning of "?" from its traditional interpretation of "exactly one
character". But yes, I agree 100% with your analysis, so I think we
are at last sharing the same mental model.
> Also, for
> title exact "complet? dino*"
> would also match the string 'complet dinosaur' as the ? here stands
> for the first space after 'complet' because we're in string mode.
Yes.
> On reflection, I think that anchored for string queries is best,
> hence obviating the need for ^ in strings. Most string queries will
> be against identifier like fields, not text like fields now that we
> have the word adjacency as a single term.
Exactly. Otherwise you spend your whole life doing searches like
bath.isbn equals "^0253333490^"
which is more heiroglyphic-intensive than it needs to be.
> > It's kinda fun having the list to ourselves, isn't it?
>
> With the exceptions of Sebastian, Adam, Poul Henrik, Jannifer, Theo,
> Rob K, ...
But they are all so _quiet_! Don't they want to join in the fun? :-)
_/|_ _______________________________________________________________
/o ) \/ Mike Taylor <[log in to unmask]> www.miketaylor.org.uk
)_v__/\ "If we believe absurdities, we will commit atrocities"
-- Voltaire.
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