Searching for Repair Information

Full (Advanced) Search

Tractor-Trailer.net features a robust search capability that takes you right to the information you are looking for. Just type a word or phrase in the Search field, and pick from the articles that mention the word or phrase in a heading. Use Full Search to expand your search to all article text and use Logical Operators to further refine your search.

To initiate a quick basic word or phrase search:

1. Type a word or phrase in the Search box and click on the Search button.

2. The word search returns Category/Subcategories of Articles with an exact match of the search text in a heading.

3. Select the desired Article Title to populate the Headings and/or subheadings list.

4. Select the desired heading and/or subheading to display the requested word or phrase in an article.

Full Search of Repair Articles

The Full Search feature expands the search from headings to all text in the body of the article. It also allows you to exercise greater control in your searches using logical operators. Full Search is opened by clicking the Full Search radio button under the Search box.

Logical Operators

In addition to searching all article text (not just headings), Full Search also uses logical operators. This means that you can craft more complicated searches to either increase, or narrow down, the "hits" to your search criteria. The most important operators are "and" and "or". Examples of each are shown below.

The "And" Operator

Let's say for example, you want to find all the articles that mention the words brakes and fluids. If you simply type "brakes fluid" in the Search box, you will likely get no hits as it is unlikely that any article heading includes the exact phrase "brakes fluid." Similarly, a Full Search on "brakes fluid" will not likely result in success as the two words will not likely appear as an exact phrase anywhere in the article text. You need to do a Full Search using the logical operator "and."

To conduct a Full Search using the "and" operator:

1. In the Index view of the Repair screen, click Full Search. The Full Search box displays.

2. Type "brakes and fluids" in the Search field.

3. Pick Category and Sub-Category Filters to reduce search time, if desired.

4. Click the Search button. All articles that mention Brakes and Fluids in the same article are displayed.

The "Or" Operator

Let's say for example, you want to find all the articles that mention the word "brakes" or the word "fluids". You need to do a Full Search using the logical operator "or."

To conduct a Full Search using the "or" operator:

1. In the Index view of the Repair screen, click Full Search. The Full Search box displays.

2. Type "brakes or fluids" in the Search field.

3. Pick Category and Sub-Category Filters to reduce search time, if desired.

4. Click the Search button. All articles that mention Brakes or Fluids in the same article are displayed.

Wildcards

The use of wildcards allows you to conduct a search when you are unsure of the exact spelling of a word.

"*" is the universal wildcard character. For example, the search term br* will return all words that start with "br" (brakes, bright, etc.)

"?" is the single wildcard character. For example, the search term brake? will return all words that start with "brake" with one character after it (brakes, for example).

See also...

Repair Screen