How to Search the PACS-L Message Database By Charles W. Bailey, Jr. Here's a brief tutorial on how to search the PACS-L message database and retrieve information. To get a more complete explanation, send a message to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 that says: INFO DATABASE First, we are going to construct a batch job to search for all messages that have the term "Hypertext" in them, and we are going to ask for an "index" that will tell us 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@UHUPVM1 (don't send it to PACS-L@UHUPVM1): // Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * Search Hypertext in PACS-L Index /* We get back two things. An e-mail message that tells us how the job went and the actual output file, called DATABASE OUTPUT. Here's the file: > Search Hypertext in PACS-L --> Database PACS-L, 137 hits. > Index Item # Date Time Recs Subject ------ ---- ---- ---- ------- 000022 89/06/30 08:31 306 Common Knowledge Info. 000047 89/07/07 08:15 18 Hypertext Conference 000075 89/07/12 17:13 21 Hypertext & Hypermedia Articles 000088 89/07/13 16:19 17 CD-ROM Expo '89 000194 89/07/22 14:11 25 Hyperdoc 000248 89/07/30 20:00 23 Hypertext Hands-On! 000251 89/07/31 12:52 14 Re: Hypertext Hands-On! 000253 89/07/31 15:04 47 Was: Hypertext Hands-On! 000267 89/08/03 09:38 24 A New Journal -- Hypermedia 000311 89/08/11 12:18 23 Hypermedia & Optical Tech. Resources 000338 89/08/17 11:37 33 Hypermedia/Multimedia [The rest of the list is omitted.] We decide we want to see number 267 (the messages are numbered at the left). So we send a second job to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 with the following lines in it: // Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * Search Hypertext in PACS-L Print all of 267 /* We get back both an e-mail job status message and a file. The file contains the entire retrieved PACS-L message. Here's the message text. > Search Hypertext in PACS-L --> Database PACS-L, 137 hits. > Print all of 267 >>> Item number 267, dated 89/08/03 09:38:14 -- ALL [The retrieved message is here.] To print multiple messages, just add the additional numbers: Print all of 267 311 You can use these examples as JCL templates for your own searches. I have two template files (one per job stage) that I edit and "include" in the appropriate e-mail message for the server. Here's a brief summary of some more advanced search features. The Boolean "AND" operator is implicit: Search hypertext hypermedia in PACS-L You can also make the "AND" operator explicit: Search hypertext AND hypermedia in PACS-L The Boolean "OR" operator is explicit: Search hypertext OR hypermedia in PACS-L The Boolean "NOT" operator is also explicit: Search hypertext NOT hypermedia in PACS-L Terms can be nested: Search (hypertext OR hypermedia) AND multimedia in PACS-L You can also limit searches in the PACS-L message database by date. The first technique is to search for records in a date range. As you recall, the search request is sent to LISTSERV@UHUPVM1 as an e-mail message. Note how the dates are constructed. // Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * Search Hypertext in PACS-L from 91/1/1 to 91/4/30 Index /* Another technique is to request messages since a specified date. Here is a sample search: // Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * Search Hypertext in PACS-L since 1/91 Index /* A final technique uses the asterisk wildcard character to retrieve all messages in a date range: // Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * Search * in PACS-L from 91/4/1 to 91/4/30 Index /* This search results in a handy index of all the PACS-L messages sent out in April 1991. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (C) 1991 by Charles W. Bailey, Jr. All Rights Reserved. Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computer conferences, individual scholars, and libraries. This message must appear on all copied material. All commercial use requires permission. +------------------------------------------------------------+ | Charles W. Bailey, Jr. Voice: (713) 749-4241 | | Assistant Director For Systems FAX: (713) 749-3867 | | University Libraries BITNET: LIB3@UHUPVM1 | | University of Houston CompuServe: 71161,3410 | | Houston, TX 77204-2091 | |------------------------------------------------------------| | PACS-L Moderator (PACS-L@UHUPVM1) | | Editor-in-Chief, The Public-Access Computer Systems Review | | Co-Editor, Public-Access Computer Systems News | +------------------------------------------------------------+ Rev. 5/26/91