HtmlSearch Documentation: Advanced panel
This screen is only available in the Pro version. Depending on your particular configuration, this screen may not
be available, or some of its choices may be disabled.
The Advanced panel allows you to enter search parameters for exceptional situations or fine tuning
the way the search operates.
- Do not search for strings in paths ending with:
you can request that pages located in directory paths ending with the specified value not be searched
for the 'Look for' strings. The links from these pages are still followed, however, so any pages referenced by these 'skipped' pages may
be searched. To specify several paths, press the ENTER key between each one.
- Do not follow links to paths ending with:
you can request that links to pages located in directory paths ending with the specified
value not be followed. The pages in these directories will not be searched, and links from these pages
will not be followed. To specify several paths, press the ENTER key between each one.
- Do not follow links to hosts:
you can request that links to pages located on certain hosts not be followed.
The pages on these hosts will not be searched, and links from these pages will
not be followed. Hosts should be specified as 'www.somehost.com'.
To specify several hosts, press the ENTER key between each one.
- Suffixes for files not searched:
you can request that pages whose name (or URL) end with certain prefixes not be searched.
This is useful to avoid searching pages that do not contain ASCII text, such as images and sound files.
A number of suffixes are specified by default, but you can add your own.
The more suffixes you specify, the faster the search because the corresponding pages will not be read.
The links from these pages are not followed, so any pages referenced by these 'skipped' pages may
be skipped as well. To specify several suffixes, press the ENTER key between each one.
- Display found URLs: you can specify if, when a page is found, its URL is shown
left of the title, right, or not at all, in the 'Found Pages' list.
- Search only in META tags: check this box to search for the strings only in the META tags.
This speeds up the search but limits the chances of finding what you are looking for.
The string is searched in the CONTENT attribute of the META tags.
You can restrict which META tags are examined by specifying the name of a META tag in the text box:
only tags whose NAME attribute has a certain value (e.g. "keywords" or "description") be examined.
If this field is left blank, all the META tags will be examined.
- Max directory levels above starting URL: by default, all links from the examined
pages are followed. With this option you can specify that if a link takes you to a directory above
the starting URL, it not be followed. Enter 0 to never go 'above' the starting directory, 1 to go 1 level above, etc...
E.g. if your starting URL is http://www.somewhere.com/dir1/dir2/dir3/index.html, specifying 0 ensures that
pages in http://www.somewhere.com/dir1/dir2 or http://www.somewhere.com/dir1 will not be searched.
Specifying 1 ensures that pages in http://www.somewhere.com/dir1 will not searched.
This setting affects only the pages on the same host and directory path as the starting URL.
- Max directory levels below starting URL: by default, all links from the examined
pages are followed. With this option you can specify that if a link takes you to a directory below
the starting URL, it not be followed. Enter 0 to never go 'below' the starting directory, 1 to go 1 level below, etc...
E.g. if your starting URL is http://www.somewhere.com/dir1/dir2/dir3/index.html, specifying 0 ensures that
pages in http://www.somewhere.com/dir1/dir2/dir3/dir4 and below will not be searched.
This setting affects only the pages on the same host and directory path as the starting URL.
- Max file size to read: HTML pages are typically rather small
(10 to 50K is a common size). Large pages take more time to search because they have to be read from the server.
This option allows you specify to not search large pages. This can be useful to eliminate files that
are not HTML pages but for which you didn't specify a suffix to skip.
- Check page's Content Type: if you check this option, only pages whose Content Type
(MIME type) can be verified will be searched. This allows you to 'weed out' pages that are unlikely candidates.
For example, Netscape generates a list of all the files whenever you access a directory; if that option is not checked, that
directory list would be searched as well, along with all the files of that directory.
If the page has embedded redirection (e.g. onLoad handler of the BODY tag, you may have to uncheck that option).
- Retry pages previously in error: when HtmlSearch encounters an error
(e.g. page not accessible, or too large), it flags it so that if encountered later, it doesn't try to
read it again. You may want to enable this option if you change the maximum file size or suffixes to avoid from one search to the next,
or if you believe that an unreachable page may become available.
- Try index.htm/html on page access error: when a link cannot be followed
(e.g. missing file) HtmlSearch will not search for the string in that page.
However, it could be that that link is in fact a directory, and HtmlSearch
will attempt to access the file index.htm and/or index.html in that directory (as most browsers do).
If the link address ends in '.htm' or '.html', it is unlikely that the link is a directory and HtmlSearch will not try to find
the 'index' file. You can however instruct HtmlSearch to try for 'index' files even on links that end in '.htm' or '.html'
by checking this option.
- Display page in its container if possible: when you display a page, that page may actually be part
of another page (e.g. a frame in a frameset); in this case it is probably better to display the page in its context (i.e. in its frameset)
rather than on its own. When this option is checked HtmlSearch strives to display the page in its context.
It may not be always possible, depending on the complexity of the Html code involved, or if JavaScript functions
executed 'live' are involved.
- Start from: this dialog is similar to the one found on the
Options panel. Please refer to that help for a description.
It does not appears on this panel, when it is present on the Options panel.