"tshad" <tscheiderich@ftsolutions.com> wrote in message
news:eIZ69EOTFHA.3392@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> I am trying to set up a search query for users that just put in words with
> no "AND"s or "OR"s. I am curious if it is better to put "AND"s or "OR"s
in
> places where the user doesn't specifically specify it.
>
> For example:
>
> I have a database with Jobs.
>
> If a person is looking for IT jobs and puts in:
>
> Computer Network Software Hardware.
>
> I can either put in ANDs or ORs. There are potential problems with
either.
>
> If I send the string:
>
> Computer and Network and Software and Hardware
>
> I will only get 2 hits - the jobs that have all the words in them.
>
> If I use:
>
> Computer or Network or Software or Hardware
>
> I get 15 hits. This includes sales jobs nursing jobs etc which might have
> the word computer in it. I could also get jobs that talk about Networking
> with people (also not an IT) job. I assume this would be the better
choice
> as the IT Jobs may not have Hardware or Software in it and will get missed
> in the "AND" scenario.
>
> I am using a parsing function to add the and words as:
>
> function ParseKeywords (keywords as string) as string
> keywords = Regex.Replace(keywords, "( )", " and ")
> keywords = Regex.Replace(keywords," and and "," ")
> keywords = Regex.Replace(keywords,"and or and","or")
> keywords = Regex.Replace(keywords,"and near and","near")
> ParseKeywords = keywords
> end function
>
> This will end up putting "and" between all the words. I am thinking about
> changing it to put "or"s in place of the "and"s as the default. I have
not
> even looked at whether a phrase was entered yet.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom
>
>