Keyword Search Rules
This table lists the search parameters that you can use, and is followed by examples of search rules and their results.
Before you can create hyperlinks in a PDF with the Keyword Linker, you must define the search conditions for which links will be created.
Keyword searches are case-sensitive.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| * | Matches any sequence of characters, including zero. |
| ? | Matches exactly one character which can be anything. |
| [abc] | Matches exactly one character which is a, b, or c. |
| [a-f] | Matches anything from a through f. |
| [^a-f] | Matches anything except a through f. |
| [-_] or [^-_] | [-_] matches - or _ whereas [^-_] matches anything else. (The - is non-special if it occurs immediately after the opening bracket or ^.) |
| [a^] | Matches an a or a^. (The ^ is non-special if it does not occur immediately after the opening bracket.) |
| \*, \?, \[, \], \\ | Match the single characters *, ?, [, ], \. |
| All other characters are non-special and match themselves. | |
The search string
* *Tab?? * * * will match and create a link around the text
1.1.1 Table One a Study or
the Table is nice or
a Tabby cat is purring but will not match
insert tab here.
The search string
see study *report* [0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9][^0-9]?? *table* * will match the text
see study reporting 12345 table 2 or
see study report 55446ABC table 1 or
See study pre-report 43253A23 table 12.2.1 but will not match
See study 123 or
See study report 234234512 or
see study 12345A tabular summary A.
The search string
table will match the text
table but will not match the text
table. You must use
table* to match punctuation.