Copyright: Copyright 2000 Anigma Software


Spectre

Spectre is a Desktop search tool for finding what you want and need on the World Wide Web.

Operations

Overview

How to search the Internet

Disclaimer & Legal

Techsupport

Tips and Tricks

     This help file was made with an unregistered version of HELP SOURCE that can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/9879/index.html or contact programs2000@hotmail.com for other information.  Help Source is a stand alone help file creator that is easy to use and provides you with great flexibility.  Help Source is FREE to try and a low cost if you decide to register!  This note will not appear in help files created with a registered version.


Overview

Spectre is a desktop search tool so you can find what you want and need on the World Wide Web.

Menu

The menu will be explained from right to left.

FILE: in the file menu are

Send to Tray : Which send Spectre to its Hidden state.  Where there will not be a place holder in the tool tray.

Clear Search Text: Clicking this will clear out the search text in the text box as well as the drop down menu.

Exit: Exits Spectre

VIEW: in the view menu are

 	Full: Spectre takes it's full state. All controls are exposed

Compact: Spectre takes it's compact state. Only the menu, toolbar, search text and go button are exposed.

Minimal: Spectre takes it's minimal state. Only the menu and toolbar are exposed.

OPTIONS: in the options menu are

On Top: Keeps Spectre on top of all other windows.

Snapp: Causes Spectre to attach itself to the edges of the Desktop.

HELP: in the help menu are

About: shows you the about box.

Help: Brings you here.

Toolbar

The toolbar will be explained from right to left

Check box 1:On Top: Keeps spectre on top.

Check box 2:Snapp: Makes Spectre snapp itself to the desktop edge.

F: Full view Mode.

C: Compact Mode.

M: Minimal Mode.

Send to tray: Send spectre to the System tray.

Clear search text: Clears the search text and drop down menu.

Search text and GO! button

Search Text: Type in the text box what you are searching for or click the drop down menu to choose something that you allready have searched for.

GO! button: When you have typed in what you are searching for and selected a Search catagory and engine this button will start the search being displayed in your default browser.

Full and Compact Buttons

One of the speciel features of Spectre is the ease of shrinking up the window.

If Spectre is in full mode and when you click on the long button in the middle of the window with the up arrow on it spectre will go into compact mode.

Now if Spectre is allready in compact mode the long button will have a down arrow by click on this Spectre will go into full mode.

Search Catagories and Engines

At the bottom of spectre's window there are two selection boxes the one on the left are the search catagories and the one on the right are the search engines.

By clicking on one of the search catagories the engines of that specific catagory will be displayed in the engine selection box.

just click on which engine you would like to search and off you go!.

System tray Icon

In the system tray is the icon for spectre.  If you have sent spectre to the tray then by Clicking once on the icon spectre will become visible again.  By Clicking twice on the icon a pop up menu appears with the following commands.

Exit: Exits Spectre

Full: Puts spectre in it's full state.

Compact: Puts spectre in it's compact state.

Minimal: Puts spectre in it's minimal state.

On Top: Makes spectre stay on top.

Snapp: Snapps the window to the edge of the desktop.

Send to Tray: Sends Spectre to the System Tray.

Show: Causes Spectre to become visible again.

     This help file was made with an unregistered version of HELP SOURCE that can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/9879/index.html or contact programs2000@hotmail.com for other information.  Help Source is a stand alone help file creator that is easy to use and provides you with great flexibility.  Help Source is FREE to try and a low cost if you decide to register!  This note will not appear in help files created with a registered version.


Operations

To use Spectre is very easy

1. Run Spectre.

2. Make sure you have a connection to the internet.

3. Type in the text box what you are searching for (Keywords, ect.)

4. In the bottom left Info box select the search catagory.

5. In the bottom right info box select the search engine.

6. Click the GO! button or hit enter(if the cursor is active in the text box)

7. The result page of that search engine will be displayed in your default browser.

     This help file was made with an unregistered version of HELP SOURCE that can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/9879/index.html or contact programs2000@hotmail.com for other information.  Help Source is a stand alone help file creator that is easy to use and provides you with great flexibility.  Help Source is FREE to try and a low cost if you decide to register!  This note will not appear in help files created with a registered version.


How to search the Internet

A Search Engine is a remotely accessible program that lets you do keyword searches for information on the Internet. The search may cover titles of documents, URLs, headers, or the full text.

Search the Web by Keyword:

Search engine matches the keywords or query which you typed into the text entry box with search engine's index of Web or database. This index is comprised of the full text of submitted home pages or/and invisible keywords in META tag.

Search the Web by Concept:

Suppose you enter financial conerns of the elderly in the query box. In addition to finding sites containing those exact words, the search engine will find sites mentioning the financial status of retired people and the financial concerns of senior citizens.

This kind of search engine can figure out that relationships exist between words and concepts -- that the term elderly people is related to senior citizens.

Advanced Search Methods:

Searching for phrases (words next to each other)

When searching for a phrase such as U.S. Army or New York Yankees, where you want the words in that order, just enclose the phrase in quotes. A search on New York Yankees returns all pages with any or all of those words, in any order somewhere on the page (with pages containing all the words ranked higher of course). But a search on "New York Yankees" just finds pages with that exact phrase on the page.

Using plus (+) and minus (-) signs

These signs tell our search engine which terms must (+) and must not (-) be present in the returned documents. When using these options, do not leave any space between the sign and the word.

Plus (+)

If you put a plus sign directly in front of a word, all the documents retrieved will contain that word. So if you search for +billiards +rules, you'll be sure to get the rules of the game. Remember, you must mark each word appropriately to have these tools work. For instance, if you type billiards +rules, all of the documents returned will have "rules" in the text, but not necessarily billiards.

Minus (-)

If you put a minus sign directly in front of a word, the search engine will NOT retrieve documents containing that word. So if you search for +billiards -equipment -supplies, you'll be spared the billiards-related documents that emphasize equipment and supplies.

Using Boolean Operators

Boolean operators tell a  concept-based search mechanism to turn off and allow you to search for documents that contain exactly the words you are looking for. Boolean operators include AND, AND NOT, OR, and parentheses. These operators must appear in ALL CAPS and with a space on each side in order to work.

AND Documents found must contain all words joined by the AND operator. For example, to find documents that contain the words "wizard," "oz," and "movie," enter:

wizard AND oz AND movie

OR

Documents found must contain at least one of the words joined by OR. For example, to find documents that contain the word "cat" or the word "kitten," enter:

cat OR kitten

AND NOT

Documents found cannot contain the word that follows the term "AND NOT." For example, to find documents that contain the word "pets" but not the word "dogs," enter:

pets AND NOT dogs

( )

parentheses are used to group portions of Boolean queries together for more complicated queries. For example, to find documents that contain the word "fruit" and either the word "banana" or the word "apple," enter:

fruit AND (banana OR apple)

Search Result:

Some serach engines will list certain amount (like 10 or 25) of search results at a time in decreasing order of relevance. The percentage sign to the right of each result is the relevance rating. The closer the rating is to 100%, the more confident Search Engine is that the document will fit your needs. The relevance ratings are automatically generated by our search engine, which compares the information in the site against the information in your query.

To narrow your search (make it better, more specific,)

using the plus sign. Here's an example

This tells the search engine to look for George and Washington, in exactly that order, so you don't get information for the George Motel or the Washington Monument. Adding +President tells the search engine to look for things only about George Washington as president, not about his early life or as a Revolutionary War general.

There is another way to do all this, and that is to use the world AND. This is called a "Boolean Operator,"

named after George Boole, an 18th century mathematician. Here's how:

I prefer to use the quotation marks, but you can use the word AND if you choose. Notice that AND is all capitals. Also, remember that if a word is supposed to have a capital, you should use one. Some search engines don't care, but some do.

How to Search.

Returns pages containing...

ruby slippers

 ruby and/or slippers, preferring pages with the phrase ruby slippers

"ruby slippers"

 the word ruby next to the word slippers

+ruby slippers

 ruby, maybe slippers

+ruby +slippers

 both ruby and slippers in the document, although not necessarily next to one another

+Dorothy -Hamill

 the name Dorothy; pages containing Hamill are ranked lower

Dorothy Gale

 the name Dorothy Gale (Remember to capitalize proper nouns)

Dorothy, Toto

 the name Dorothy and the name Toto

Keep in mind...

If you are using a plus (+) or minus (-) search operator, there is a space before the operator, but no space between the operator and the search term.

Example: +Dorothy   +Kansas

Put a plus sign (+) before the first term as well.

Example: +ruby +slippers

More Tips:

Use...

the pipe (|) search option (found near the "back space" key on most keyboards)

   Example:

   weather | natural disaster | tornado

when...

you want to narrow your search from a broad subject to a specific topic. (Note: Do the same thing by clicking "search within these results")

Use...

the link: search option

   Example:

   link:www.movies.com

   link:www.yourpage.com

 when...

you want to see what pages are linked to a site OR who is linked to your page.

Use...

the site: search option

   Example:

   site:mgm.com

 when...

you want to bring up all pages of a particular domain.

Use...

the title: search option

   Example:

   title: movies

 when...

your search term(s) must appear in the title of the Web page.

Use...

the url: search option

   Example:

   url:Oscars

 when...

you want to search for a term embedded in the URL.

     This help file was made with an unregistered version of HELP SOURCE that can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/9879/index.html or contact programs2000@hotmail.com for other information.  Help Source is a stand alone help file creator that is easy to use and provides you with great flexibility.  Help Source is FREE to try and a low cost if you decide to register!  This note will not appear in help files created with a registered version.


Disclaimer and Legal

Spectre is provided as freeware.  While this makes Spectre free for all to use, Anigma Software retains ALL    copyright protection.

All  databases targeted by Specre are under ownership of the respective organizations and companies.   All other company and company names are trademarks of their respective companies. Anigma Software has no control over the results returned by using Spectre.

SPECRE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.  ANIGMA SOFTWARE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ANIGMA SOFTWARE  OR ITS EMPLOYEES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ANIGMA SOFTWARE OR ITS EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.  SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Thank you for using Spectre.

Best wishes from Anigma Software.

     This help file was made with an unregistered version of HELP SOURCE that can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/9879/index.html or contact programs2000@hotmail.com for other information.  Help Source is a stand alone help file creator that is easy to use and provides you with great flexibility.  Help Source is FREE to try and a low cost if you decide to register!  This note will not appear in help files created with a registered version.


Techsupport

Spectre operates on a very simple concept.  Just select a database and enter a  search text , click the GO! button (or pressing Enter) At this point, Windows takes over and uses your default browser which will take you to the desired search results.  If the browser is not running, Windows should launch it.  A connection to the internet usually should be made before executing Spectre if not then lauching your default browser will prompt you to connect to the internet.

When i click the GO! button nothing happens.

First check and make sure you have typed something in the search box,  if nothing is in the search text box

Spectre will not search anything because you have not told it what to search for.

Second check and make sure that you have a default browser set on your system.

When i start a search Spectre doesn't take me to the right page or no page at all

Occasionally, database links become outdated.  As web sites change and rearrange content, a database link might fail to produce any data. To allieviate this problem check the Anigma Software home page and go to the section with Spectre in it there should be an update file there.  If this kind of problem persist please let us know.

If you find yourself with a problem relating to Spectre not referenced here, Please feel free to email us at

queb@techie.com

All new versions of Spectre will be posted at the Anigma Software site.

http://server30.hypermart.net/anigmasoft/

     This help file was made with an unregistered version of HELP SOURCE that can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/9879/index.html or contact programs2000@hotmail.com for other information.  Help Source is a stand alone help file creator that is easy to use and provides you with great flexibility.  Help Source is FREE to try and a low cost if you decide to register!  This note will not appear in help files created with a registered version.


Tips and Tricks

1. Drag a shortcut into the c:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder to have Spectre load up each time you turn on your computer.  Then it will always be ready when you are.

2. Drag a shortcut to the desktop for easy access of Spectre.

     This help file was made with an unregistered version of HELP SOURCE that can be found at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/9879/index.html or contact programs2000@hotmail.com for other information.  Help Source is a stand alone help file creator that is easy to use and provides you with great flexibility.  Help Source is FREE to try and a low cost if you decide to register!  This note will not appear in help files created with a registered version.