With Visible-Archive's integrated extended search, complex search processes can be carried out. Not only can the email content be searched but also parameters such as date and email size.
Using the Extended Search
In the Visible-Archive application window, click on Search Email. Specify the search criteria for the emails that are to be included in the results. The criteria are AND-connected, meaning that the search results include only those emails that satisfy all criteria specified. Click on Search to start the search.
Search Criteria under "Search"
Enter a keyword or phrase into the text field, and specify where Visible-Archive is to direct the search. The following options are available:
- Subject - The subject line of the email is searched.
- Sender/Recipient - The fields "From", "To", "Cc", and "Bcc" are searched.
- Message body - The text-only or HTML sections of the email are searched (depending on availability).
- Attachments File Names - The file names of the email attachments are searched.
- Attachment Contents - The contents of the email attachments are searched. If and to what extent attachments can be searched depends on the indexing options specified (under Administrative Tools).
In the textfield Search for, all options described in section Quick Search, such as phrases and wildcards, are available here as well.
Search Criteria under "General"
Under General, the following options are available:
- Folder - The folder to be searched by Visible-Archive can be selected here. By default, this is the main folder of the current user. By clicking the button to the right of the text field, folders can also be selected using the folder structure. As administrator, the folders of all users can be searched.
- Include subfolder - If selected, Visible-Archive not only searches the selected folder (e.g. Inbox), but all subfolders created therein (e.g. Inbox / Projects 2008 / Profit Optimization) as well.
- From - Any keywords or email addresses entered here are searched for only within the email's sender field.
- To/Cc/Bcc - Any keywords or email addresses entered here are searched for only within the email's recipient fields.
- Date - The time frame the search is to cover can be selected here. Either a predefined range, such as Yesterday or This year, can be selected or, by choosing Custom, a specific period can be specified manually. In this case, the start and end dates will be included.
In the fields From and To/Cc/Bcc, all options, such as phrases and wildcards, described in section Quick Search are available.
Search Criteria under "Advanced"
Under Advanced, the following options are available:
- File Group - If the archive consists of more than one file group, the search can be limited to just one of the. By default all file groups are searched.
- Messages with/without attachments - By default, all messages are searched, regardless of whether or not they have any file attachments. Clear one of the check boxes to remove certain emails, such as those without attachments, from the results. *
- Size - By default, all messages are searched regardless of their size. Use the appropriate fields provided to limit the search according to the size of the emails, e.g. at least 5 MB or between 400 and 600 KB.
- Priority - Emails are searched according to the priority level of the email as assigned by the sender. When choosing Low, all emails with a priority level lower than Normal are returned, when choosing High, all emails with a priority level higher than Normal are returned. Emails not containing any information regarding priority are assumed to have a priority level of Normal.
* Important: These searches can be imprecise at times because items like background pictures could be regarded as attachments.
Starting the Search
Click on Search to start the search. Results are displayed in a list in the left section of the main window.
Refining the Search Results
Click on Search Email again to further narrow the results after a search has been executed. Specify any additional search criteria and click on Search once more.
Starting a New Search
Click on New Query to start a new search. All search criteria will be reset to their default values (i.e. an unrestricted search of the folders of the current user).
Saving Search Criteria for Reuse
Search criteria that are used repeatedly (such as "all receipts from last month") can be saved and reused at a later time: Click on Create Search Folder... and provide a meaningful name for the search.
The new search folder will be available under the Search Email folder on the left side of the application window.
To modify a search folder, right click on the corresponding folder under Search Email on the left side of the application window and select New Search Query. After modifying the search criteria, click on Create Search Folder... and save it under the same name again.
To rename or delete a search folder, right click on on the corresponding folder under Search Email on the left side of the application window and click on the appropriate entry.
About Special Characters
Words inside indexed emails or attachments, which are a combination of alphanumeric and non-alphanumeric characters (white space, line break, delimiter or other control characters), may be returned in search results when searching for the alphanumerical part only.
For instance, the word test_1234 is returned when searching for test, 1234 and test_1234.
Other commonly occurring characters are:
- Comma (,)
- Colon (;)
- Hyphen (-)
- Underscore (_)
- AT-Sign (@)
- Slash Backslash (/,\)
- Null character (NUL)