How to use the blinkx search box

This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide that introduces you to:


Adjusting the indexing speed

You can read from the search box how many files blinkx has indexed so far:


You can adjust blinkx's indexing speed by moving the slider bar on the search box.

  1. Move the slider bar to the left. blinkx stops indexing documents.

  2. Now move the slider bar to the right. blinkx indexes documents at maximum speed. This may have an impact on your computer's performance, so it is recommended that you set blinkx to fast indexing if you are not using your computer for a period (for example overnight).

  3. Move the slider bar to the middle. Now blinkx only indexes documents when you are not using your computer.




Searching your desktop

Now you are ready to do a search. You are going to execute a search and display some of the results that the search box produces.

  1. Enter some search text in the text box. blinkx starts searching when you pause typing but you can also hit the Enter key on your keyboard to start your search.


  2. Drag your cursor over the results. Note that when you place your cursor on a result the search box displays a preview of the result in its bottom window.


  3. Click on a result. blinkx opens it in a new window:




Filtering results

Now you are going to filter the local results that blinkx has produced.

  1. Look at the result type buttons. These are the buttons you can use to restrict the local results that are displayed to certain file types:

  2. Click on the PDF button to only list results that are Adobe PDF files in the Local Documents box:

    Note that if you don't have PDF files that match your search, the result box will be empty.
  3. Click on each of the Search Desktop buttons in turn, so that blinkx only displays PowerPoint result, Excel results, Word results, email results, JPEG results, email contact results, MP3 results or SIS results (files you've recently viewed):

    Click on:

    To list only:

    PowerPoint files

    Excel spreadsheets

    Word documents

    emails

    image files

    email contacts

    MP3 files

    files that you have recently viewed

  4. Click on the All button to show all your local results again.



Advanced result filtering

Now, you are going to try some advanced filtering options

  1. In the Filters field above the Title column, enter a word that only the titles of a few results contain.


    All results whose titles do not contain this word disappear from the result list:

  2. Remove the word from the Title field again, so that once more all results are displayed.
  3. Click on the Mail button to only display email results.

  4. Click on the arrow above the To/from column, select From from the drop-down list that is displayed, and enter the name of a person that only some of the listed emails were sent by:


    All emails that were not sent by this person disappear from the result list:

  5. Remove the name from the field again, so that once more all email results are displayed.
  6. Click on the arrow above the To/from column, select To and enter the name of a person that only some of the listed emails were sent to:


    All emails that were not sent to this person disappear from the result list:

  7. Remove the name from the field again, so that once more all email results are displayed.

  8. Click on the arrow above the Date field, select After and enter a date after which only some of the listed emails were sent (use dd/mm/yy):


    All emails that were not sent after this date disappear from the result list:

  9. Remove the date from the field again, so that once more all email results are displayed.
  10. Click on the arrow above the Date field, select Before and enter a date before which only some of the listed emails were sent (use dd/mm/yy):


    All emails that were not sent before this date disappear from the result list:

  11. Remove the date from the field again, so that once more all email results are displayed.
  12. Click on the arrow above the Date field and select Between. The before field changes into two fields.

  13. In the two fields, enter dates between which only some of the listed emails were sent (use dd/mm/yy):


    All emails that were not sent between these dates disappear from the result list:

  14. Remove the dates from the two date fields again, so that once more all email results are displayed.
  15. In the field above the Subject/filename column, enter a word that only some of the email results contain in their subject:


    All emails that were not sent between these dates disappear from the result list:




Sorting results

You are now going to try out the different sorting options that you can apply to results.

  1. Click on the heading of the Local Documents box's Type column:


    blinkx sorts the result documents according to file type:

  2. Click on Type again to reverse the order of the results.
  3. Click on the heading of the Local Documents box's Title column:


    blinkx sorts the result documents according to their title:

  4. Click on Title again to reverse the order of the results.
  5. Click on the Mail button to only display email results.
  6. Click on the heading of the Local Documents box's To/from column:


    blinkx sorts the email results according to their sender:

  7. Click on To/from again to reverse the order of the results.
  8. Click on the heading of the Local Documents box's Date column:


    blinkx sorts the email results according to their date:

  9. Click on Date again to reverse the order of the results.
  10. Click on the heading of the Local Documents box's Subject/filename column:


    blinkx sorts the email results according to their subject heading:

  11. Click on Subject again to reverse the order of the results.



Searching the web

Now that you are familiar with sorting and filtering results from your desktop, you are ready to use blinkx to search the web.

  1. Enter some search text in the text box. blinkx starts searching when you pause typing but you can also hit the Enter key on your keyboard to start your search.

  2. Look at the Search Web buttons. By default none of them is selected, so you cannot see any web results:

  3. Click on the News button. blinkx broadband opens in a new window and lists news articles that are relevant to your search:

    Note that blinkx broadband lists the news articles in order of relevance; the most relevant article is at the top of the list.

  4. Close the blinkx broadband window.
  5. Click on the Web button. blinkx broadband opens in a new window and lists websites that are relevant to your search:

    Note that blinkx broadband lists the websites in order of relevance; the most relevant website is at the top of the list.

  6. Close the blinkx broadband window.
  7. Click on the Video button. blinkx broadband opens in a new window and lists video clips that are relevant to your search:

    Note that blinkx broadband lists the video clips in order of relevance; the most relevant video clip is at the top of the list.

  8. Close the blinkx broadband window.
  9. Click on the Shop button. blinkx broadband opens in a new window and lists products that are relevant to your search:

    Note that blinkx broadband lists the products in order of relevance; the most relevant product is at the top of the list.

  10. Close the blinkx broadband window.
  11. Click on the Blogs button. blinkx broadband opens in a new window and lists blogs that are relevant to your search:

    Note that blinkx broadband lists the blogs in order of relevance; the most relevant blog is at the top of the list.

  12. Click on the Viz button. blinkx broadband visualizer opens in a new window and shows a visual representation of your search and its results:

  13. Close the blinkx broadband window.