HP Search/XL User's Guide

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3 Using HP Search
This chapter presents many of the tasks you can do with HP Search. It shows you exactly the steps to take
to accomplish these tasks.
In the following descriptions, underlined text represents what you type.
Starting HP Search
At the MPE prompt, run HP Search by using the RUN command:
:
RUN HPSEARCH.PUB.SYS
or the implied RUN command:
:
HPSEARCH
HP Search prompts you for files to search and then for patterns to search for. Specify only one file or
pattern per line and then press Return. You can only specify 16 patterns per search. For both files and
patterns, you are prompted for more parameters until you press Return by itself:
File> filename
File>
filename
:
File> Return
Pattern>
pattern
:
Pattern> Return
<Search Begins>
Another way to specify your search is to include the file and pattern parameters as part of the INFO string
on the HP Search command line. These parameters must be delimited by either a comma or a space. On
the command line, every parameter between HPSEARCH and FOR is treated as a filename specifier.
Every parameter after FOR is treated as a pattern specifier (unless you specify HP Search options on the
command line. See "Specifying Options" in this chapter, or "Option Parameters" in Chapter
The following shows an example using the implied RUN command:
:
HPSEARCH "file1 file2 FOR pattern1 pattern2"
<Search Begins>
Getting Help HP Search provides a comprehensive online help system that offers useful information
about search specifications and functionality. To access the online help facility, do one of the following:
:HPSEARCH ? or :HPSEARCH HELP You can also access context-specific help at any file or pattern
specifier prompt. For specific help on specifying files, at the File> prompt type: File>
? or File> HELP To
access specific help on specifying patterns, at the Pattern> prompt type: Pattern>
? or Pattern> HELP
Specifying Options
You can specify many different options with HP Search that affect the way files are searched for patterns