On this page you'll find some more advanced search features for searching the OldTools database. Many of these searches will take at least 10 times longer to execute than the simple keyword search found on the other search page.

In the following entry boxes, the Contains and Starts With search types are exact match searches. So choosing a subject of cigar shave and a search type of Contains means that the Subject field of the resulting messages will contain the exact phrase cigar shave with nothing in between the words (except a space).

The difference between Starts With and Contains is where the phrase appears in the field (either at the beginning, or anywhere in the field). Starts With searches are much faster than Contains searches. In contrast, Keyword searches search for the presence of the words, in any order or any location. Keyword searches are also very fast.

In the Contains and Starts With search types, you can use the percent symbol (%) as a wildcard. For example, Miller%Falls will match Miller's Falls as well as Miller Beer at Letchworth's Upper Falls.

The entry forms are additive, so filling in all the boxes will result in a very restrictive search of the database. Just like in the other search page, case is not important. The word length limitation (words of 4 or more characters) only applies to keyword searches.

Please consider visiting one of the following mirrors:

• Christopher Swingley's Site 1 (Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A.)
• Christopher Swingley's Site 2 (Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A.)
• Tad's Oldtool Page
• Others coming soon!

If you are thinking of subscribing to this list, please consult the OldTools FAQ at Ralph Brendler's web site.