Help:Searching

Search Tips for Finding Things in MediaWiki

Welcome to the search tips page! This guide will help you enhance your search queries in MediaWiki, allowing you to find specific information more effectively. Below are some non-intuitive search techniques to help you refine your search results.

1. Exact Phrase Search

Enclose your search query in double quotation marks to search for an exact phrase. This can be useful when you're looking for an exact match.

Example: "media file types"

2. Exclude Keywords

If you want to exclude specific keywords from your search results, use the minus (-) sign before the keyword you want to exclude.

Example: cookies -chocolate

3. Wildcard Search

Use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard character to represent any number of characters in a search term. This can be helpful when you're unsure about a specific word or need to find variations of a term.

Example: technol*

4. Search Within a Specific Namespace

To limit your search to a specific namespace, use the "namespace:" keyword followed by the namespace name and a colon. This can narrow down your search results to a particular section of the wiki.

Example: namespace:Help advanced editing

5. Restrict Search to Page Titles

If you're specifically interested in searching within page titles, use the "intitle:" keyword followed by your search term. This will limit the search results to matching page titles only.

Example: intitle:installation guide

6. Search by User Contributions

To search for content contributed by a specific user, use the "user:" keyword followed by the username. This allows you to find pages or revisions associated with a particular user.

Example: user:JohnDoe

7. Combination of Search Techniques

You can combine multiple search techniques mentioned above to refine your search further. Experiment with different combinations to achieve more precise results.

Example: "error message" -troubleshooting

Conclusion

By using these search tips, you can enhance your search experience in MediaWiki and find the information you need more efficiently. Remember to experiment with different techniques to refine your searches based on your specific requirements.

If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, don't hesitate to consult the documentation or reach out to the community for help.