How to Search the Celiac, Cel-Kids, or Celiac-Diabetes logfiles

Here's a brief tutorial on how to search the logfiles and retrieve information. To get a more complete explanation, send a message to listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu that says:

    INFO DATABASE

The database name "Celiac is used in these general examples. To search in Cel-Kids, just replace "Celiac" with "Cel-Kids" , To search in Celiac-Diabetes, just replace "Celiac" with "Celiac-Diabetes" for all databases replace it with "Celiac Cel-Kids Celiac-Diabetes" without the quotation marks.

For those interested in performing multiple searches, the speed of your searches will increase, and the impact upon St. Johns, our host, is reduced if you instead request copies of the logfiles. Then a search on these text files can be easily performed with the copies on your computer's hard drive. You can easily add new logfiles to update your own permanent collection. Information on obtaining copies of the files is in the welcome letter under the GET command.

| Feedback to the Listowners,  | Disclaimer,  |Copyright © | Updated 15 December 2001 |
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|Search the logfiles.|

Table of Contents

1. Syntax of the commands

2. Sample database job

3. Commands for limiting the search

    A. Search operators

    B. Limiting by date

    C. Limiting to a sender

    D. Limiting by subject

    E. Limiting by record

5. Commands flows onto a second line

4. Obtaining the coplete post

6. Interactive (On-Line) searches

Feedback to the Listowners

Return to the Search Section of the Celiac WWW page.
|Interactive Search the logfiles

Syntax of the commands

SEArch       listname word1 word2 ...          -> Search list archives
        or:  word1 word2 ... IN listname
             FROM date1                        -> From this date
                  TODAY                        -> From today
                  TODAY-7                      -> In the last 7 days
             TO   date2                        -> To this date
             WHERE
               SUBJECT CONTAINS xxxx           -> Only this subject
             AND/OR
               SENDER  CONTAINS xxxx           -> Only this author
                                               Complex boolean operations are
                                               supported, see database guide
If the command string is longer than a single Line, multiple lines are indicated by adding // as the first two characters of the search command. //SEArch listname word1 word2 ... where subject contains milk
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Sample database job

First, we are going to construct search for all messages that have the term "gluten-free" in them, and report which messages have this search term. To do so, we create an E-Mail message with the following information in it, and we send it to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU do not send it to <CELIAC@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>: This is the output that is returned:

> search celiac gluten-free
> 5 matches.

Item # Date Time Recs Subject
------ ---- ---- ---- -------
008891 96/11/03 22:40 30 Re: The Case for Local Support
009946 97/01/26 09:40 26 Diabetes/Celiac information
009970 97/01/27 21:27 27 Gluten-Free Prescriptions
009987 97/01/29 07:40 41 Gluten-Free Passover Foods
010041 97/02/01 18:39 79 glucosamine response 1

To order a copy of these postings, send the following command: 

Item #8891 <3 Nov 1996 22:40> - Re: The Case for Local Support 
indignities suffered by old Celiacs in institutions that put no credence in 
"Gluten-free Living". I would rather go the Dr. Kevorkian route than be put 
^^^^^^^^^^^
in a nursing home under present standards.
 
Item #9946 <26 Jan 1997 09:40> - Diabetes/Celiac information
For those who are dealing with both diabetes and celiac disease, you may
be interested in the recent article in GLUTEN-FREE LIIVING newsletter
                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^
about this topic, written by Kemp Randolph <on this List>. The editor is
Ann Whelan. Memberships are $29 for 6 issues for 1 year. Mail checks to
Gluten-Free Living, P.O. Box 105, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706.
^^^^^^^^^^^

	The remaining output is omitted
(1). The search line is use to select what is retrieve. When an exact term is not required, the * can be used as a wild card to obtain all messages. Therefore, the search should be limited by date or sender to restrict the output.

(2). The search routine automatically returns an index of the messages and the surrounding text of the term. The first 100 matches are returned. To obtain additional matches, a date range should be used to advance the starting point of the next search.

(3). From a system resource standpoint, it is more efficient to limit the search to a string of words as opposed to words that are near each other. This is accomplished by putting the search terms in single quotes.

(4). If the alternate form of the search command (search X in celiac) is use, quotes must be placed around the search term "X".

(5). Double quotes are required when case is a criteria for limiting the search to a desired use of the term.

(6). Including a space with the search term in quotes may be use to limit the letters at the beginning or end of a word.

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Search operators

(1). The Boolean "AND" operator is implicit: (2). You can also make the "AND" operator explicit: (3). The Boolean "OR" operator is explicit: (4). The Boolean "NOT" operator is also explicit: (5). Terms can be nested: You may use parentheses, if there is there is a series of acceptable terms. In this case we are looking for two items. Messages with the words "xanthan gums" or "guar gums" but not "xanthan" or "guar" by itself.

The use of (Xanthan AND Guar) would only gives messages with both terms and the word "gums".

(6). Words that are close to each other can be found with the "NEAR" operator. Since it is the default, it does not need to be spelled out.

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Limiting by date

You can also limit database searches by date. Only the international form of dates is used: YYYY-MM-DD or YY-MM-DD.

(1). The first technique is to search for records in a date range. Note how the dates are constructed. For Jan 01, 1995 through April 30, 1995.

(2). Another technique is to request messages since a specified date. Here is a sample search: (3). The asterisk character can be used to retrieve all messages in a date range: (4). To search the last seven days, use the operator (TODAY-7) (5). For today's posts use the operator (TODAY)
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Limiting to a sender

You can restrict your search to messages from a particular sender, if you know a key part of the sender's E-Mail address. For example, if you want a list of all the messages that I have sent, you could send the following:
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Limiting by subject

If you just want to see a messages with "admin" or "listowner" in the subject header, you could send the following
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Limiting by record

If you desire to start a search after a certain record number, the database name is changed to Celiac.nnn. Where nnn is used to denote the last record processed. This is helpful when a job executes and stops because a limit is exceeded. Also, where jobs are repeated on a routine basis to find updates to a previous discussion. This limit is very similar to the use of the GETPOST command.
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Obtaining the complete post

This new search command will automatically return an index of the applicable messages and several lines of surrounding text.

To obtain the complete message, the command GETPOST XXX is used to retrieve selective records.

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Commands flows onto a second line

When a search routine is longer than 80 columns, the hyphen is used to denote a continuation on multiple lines

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Interactive (On-Line) searches

Interactive searches of the logfiles can also be performed. The address is:

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