Expression Queries

   

Searches using a Query Expression

   
  You can make queries using a query expression ( Figure 3.19 ) which you will find on the Manage your Query Results page. You can also use this method to combine, link, or refine the results of existing queries.

Figure 3.19 Expression text box.

Using Expression Queries

   
 
  1. On the Manage your Query Results page, enter your query into the Search using a query expression: text box.
  2. Click on the button.
For example, to search for all entries that satisfy two existing queries, Q1 and Q2, you could type:

This will return a new listing, Q3, that has all entries that are in both Q1 and Q2.

If you wanted to search for the entries in query, Q3, that had links to the SWISS-PROT databank, you would type:

Typical operators allow you to combine searches using the standard logical functions (& (AND), | (OR), ! (BUT NOT)), and to look for links between result sets. For more help on linking using expressions, see section "Expression Linking" See Table 8.5, page 168 for a list of the SRS query language operators that may be used.

This method of searching is very powerful because many detailed queries can be created using the SRS Query Language. (See chapter 8, "SRS Query Language" for more information.)

Using Expression Queries to Search Subentries

You can use Expression Queries to search for subentries. This requires a knowledge of the correct SRS query language. However, until you are confident enough to create your own queries, you can find out the correct query syntax by looking back at the Query Result page that you have previously generated. For example, use the text generated in "Searching for Entries which Reference Papers that are Co-authored by Smith & Jones using the Standard Query Form"

  1. From the Select Databanks To Search page, select a databank to search, e.g. SWISS-PROT.
  2. Click the Results tab to display the Manage your Query Results page. Enter the following text in the Expression Query text box:(([swissprot-Authors:smith*] & [swissprot-Authors:jones*]) > parent )The text should all be on one line, and the text box will scroll as you type. You can scroll back to the left to check what you have written, but it is often difficult to see the whole query. You could try typing the query in a suitable text editor, so that you can see it, and then using copy and paste to insert it into the Expression Query text box.