Entering a search query in the Search String field in the HBO Tape Log Search page performs a full-text search. A search query is composed of terms (words or phrases) and operators (symbols and keywords) that define search terms and relate them to one another. The term expansion operators may only be used with the Search String field. These operators are not supported in any of the other search fields.

In addition, wildcard and grouping symbols can be used. If multiple words separated only by spaces are entered as a query (that is, without operators or grouping symbols), the string of words is interpreted as a phrase and the search looks for that phrase.

A simple search query is shown below:

Spinks or Tyson

This example contains the or operator, which causes the search to be performed for Comments containing one or the other of the search terms, that is, Spinks or Tyson. Note that the full-text search feature is not case sensitive.

If you are searching for terms that include hyphens, you must surround the term, or the hyphen in the term, with curly braces so that the hyphen is not interpreted as the MINUS search operator described below.

If you want to search for the phrase Spinks or Tyson, that is, if you want the word or to be interpreted literally and not as a query operator, enclose the phrase or the keyword in curly braces {}. Curly braces cause an operator symbol or keyword to be interpreted literally. For instance:

{Spinks or Tyson}

causes all Comments containing the phrase Spinks or Tyson to be returned. Whenever an operator is to be interpreted literally in a search phrase, enclose the phrase in curly braces.

Wildcard characters are used in query expressions. The wildcard characters are as follows.