A basic search argument consists of three parts: The metadata category to search over, the operator to use, and the value to use in the search. For example, to retrieve all soil samples in the database, the search argument would be:
env_matter includes soil
Valid operators for searches are:
Operator | Function |
< | Less than (for numeric values) |
> | Greater than (for numeric values) |
<= | Less than or equal (for numeric values) |
>= | Greater than or equal (for numeric values) |
= | Equals (matches exact numberic value or string) |
includes | Partial string matching |
Complex queries can also be created by using AND, OR, and NOT logic words words. These connect search arguments into larger search queries.
Logic | Function |
AND | Find samples that fit both search arguments |
OR | Find samples that fit either search argument |
NOT | Find samples that don't include the value of the next search argument |
As an example, if we want all soil samples that are low or extremely high pH, we can use the following search:
env_matter includes soil AND (ph < 4 OR ph > 8)
You can search for multi-word phrases using quotes. For example, to search for any study with "chicken pox" in the title, the query would be:
study_title includes "chicken pox"
Note that you can not use wild cards in any string searches. Only alphanumeric characters and colons are supported.