LT-65: Computer Automation in Libraries


Dialog: Wild Cards & Truncation

Scope

Dialog provides one wild card/truncation operator, the question mark (?).
The question mark, though, can be used in a variety of ways to specify one or more unknown letters:
Within a word (wild card)
At the end of a word or root word (truncation).

Formats

Function/Command
Format
Examples, Notes

truncation:

any # of characters

?

flow? finds:

flow, flows, flowing, flower, flowed, flowmeter, etc.

truncation:

exact # of characters

??, ???, etc

catalog?? finds:

catalogue, cataloged, catalog, catalogs, etc.

truncation:

1 additional character

? ?

cat? ? finds:

cat, cats, Cato

embedded wild card:

exact # of characters

??, ???, etc

wom?n finds:

women, woman, womyn

princip??s finds:

principals, principles

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Function/Command	Format	Examples, Notes
truncation: any # of characters	?	flow? finds: flow, flows, flowing, flower, flowed, flowmeter, etc.
truncation: exact # of characters	??, ???, etc	catalog?? finds: catalogue, cataloged, catalog, catalogs, etc.
truncation: 1 additional character	? ?	cat? ? finds: cat, cats, Cato
embedded wild card: exact # of characters	??, ???, etc	wom?n finds: women, woman, womyn princip??s finds: principals, principles