Advanced Query Syntax
This page describes the syntax for Generation MSX indexed searches which use the Lucene text search engine. The search indexes for these types of searches are updated almost realtime, and thus may not reflect up to the minute changes.Overview
Lucene offers much flexibility in defining search queries for all needs imaginable. To make it easier to understand, this page was divided into subpages. While this one offers an introduction to the most commonly used features, the others explain more advanced search operators and constructs.
First some words on the the terminology used in these pages:
Query
A query is the complete expression you put in one of the search fields.
Term
A term is the smallest unit inside a query. In the default case each single word inside a query is a term of its own, except for ...
Phrases
A phrase is a groups of words surrounded by quotation marks. Even though it's containing more than one word, a phrase is handled like a term.
Operators
or search operators are special characters and words that define either how single terms are processed by the search system (e.g. in -house the - tells the search system, not to return anything with the word house) or how to terms are to be combined in the search (e.g. one AND love means search for anything that has both words one and love).
The sections below Query Syntax describe simple and commonly used operators, more advanced features can be found in the Lucene Search Syntax
But first take a look at a few simple examples which might show everything necessary for the majority of your searches.
Examples
is_unreleased:1- Search for unreleased software
- Search for unreleased software by Konami
- Search for MSX2+ games by Konami
- Search for software released on Compact Flash
- Search for software released in 1986 or 1987
- Search for developer starting with kon
Query Syntax
Wildcards
To perform a single character wildcard search use the "?" symbol. To perform a multiple character wildcard search use the "*" symbol. For example, to search for "text" or "test" you can use the search te?t, to search for "test", "tests" or "tester", you can use the search test*.
Note: You cannot use a * or ? symbol as the first character of a search.
To do a fuzzy search use the tilde, "~", symbol at the end of a single word term. Optionally can specify the required similarity, a value is between 0 and 1. For example to search for a term similar in spelling to "roam" use the fuzzy search roam~ or roam~0.8
Generation MSX Search fields
Software| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| search_title | Contains all titles know for the software |
| product_code | Product code of the software release |
| developer | Software developer |
| publisher | Software publisher |
| year | Year the software is released |
| system | MSX System (MSX, MSX2, MSX2+, Turbo-R) |
| medium | Release medium (Tape, ROM, Double Side Disk, MegaROM, Single Side Disk, Laserdisc, Softcard, VHD, BeeCard, CD, Music CD, QuickDisc, Compact Flash, Unknown) |
| sound | Sound used by the Software (PSG, MSX-Music, MSX-Audio, SCC, MIDI, PCM, SCC+, Moonsound, VLM5030) |
| kind | Software kind (game, program, magazine, demo) |
| genre | Software genre |
| max_players | Max players (1-8) |
| max_simultaneous | Max simultaneous players (1-8) |
| licence | Software licence (Commercial, PD/Freeware, Shareware, Promotional, MagazineDisk, Unknown) |
| is_unreleased | If the software is unreleased (0, 1) |
| is_compilation | If the software is a compilation (0, 1) |
| uses_v9990 | If the software is using the v9990 video chip (0, 1) |
| uses_kani | If the software is using the kanji ROM (0, 1) |
| ram | The amount of RAM the software is using (8, 16, 32, 48, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096 |
| vram | The amount of VRAM the software is using (16, 64, 128, 192, 512 |