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(1.0) Basic Search - Enter Search Criteria Screen

The Basic Search page is the simplest search form to use. It allows you to query one or more indexes (selected under Step 1), using one or more search terms (entered under Step 2).

(1.1) Step 1 - Choose Where To Search

Select which index or indexes to search by selecting one or more of the check-boxes under Step 1. If multiple indexes are selected, the search is repeated for each index. The results from each index are kept separate. The Combined Genealogy Indexes comprise a group of individual indexes that can be searched as one unified index, with the matching records merged into a single list. Users with JavaScript-enabled web browsers can see a brief description (Quick Tip) regarding the scope and content of specific indexes by putting the cursor over the blue information icon listed on the right hand side of each index name.

(1.1.1) See Also: Help on Indexes

(1.1.2) Lists of Indexes (Main versus Expanded Genealogy)

In order to provide the best capability for cross index searching, groups of similar indexes are listed together. Initially, the main list of indexes is displayed. To individually list all the indexes that are of particular interest to genealogists, select the grey folders icon, or the hyperlink Expand List of Genealogy Indexes, located at the bottom of the main index list. To Return to the Main Index List, follow the corresponding hyperlink. Note that the two lists of indexes differ in how search terms can be entered. The main list of indexes offers a single search point (field) which will search all of the text within the contents of the index. In contrast, the expanded list of genealogy indexes offers four specific search points (fields), Surname, Given Names, Place, and Year Date.

(1.2) Step 2 - Fill in What to Search For

When performing a Basic Search using the Main List of Indexes, all of the text within the contents of any indexes selected is searched.

When performing a Basic Search using the Expanded List of Genealogy Indexes, four specific search points or fields are available under basic search. Results will match against all of the search points you fill in. Tip: only fill in one or two search points to start with. Then refine the search if too many matches result.

More than one word, search term, or name can be entered; however, the method by which multiple words are interpreted is determined by the search method below.

See Also: General Help on Entering Search Queries

(1.3) Optional - Change Search Method

Match Any Words also ranks the results, putting the best matches at the top, and only returns the top few thousand records.

The Must Have Images On-line check-box is only used at present when searching the Visual Records index. It will ensure that results will only match if a digital image is available on-line.

(1.4) Optional - Change Sort Method

When performing a Basic Search, the sort option is only available with the expanded list of genealogy indexes. Results can be sorted by any of the four search points, in addition to Best Matches (Relevancy).

Best Matches (Relevancy) will prioritize the results by the total number of matching terms, the density (number of occurances versus size of the record), and the proximity matching words to each other. Results that best meet the above criteria will be ranked at the top of the results list. Sorting by Best Matches will limit the results to a few thousand matches at most. For example, a large document or record with 20 matching words that are scattered throughout the document, would actually sort further down the list than a very short document having 10 matching words that were clustered tightly together.

When performing an Advanced Search, sorting can be done by almost all of the search points, and you may select either ascending or descending order from the Set Sort Order dropdown list as required. Please note that the ascending or descending sort option has no effect if the Best Matches (Relevancy) sort was selected.

If there were too many matching results to sort efficiently, sorting will be skipped. However, if a sorted result list is still desired, then use the Refine This Search button above to narrow the search down to less than 1000 matching records so that sorting will proceed. Note: any sorting options previously set must be reselected on the Refine Search screen.

(2.0) Summarized Results Screen

Each matching result will be displayed as a few lines of the condensed information. The blue result number on the left hand side is a hyperlink to view the full matching result, e.g. the complete record, description, item, etc.

If more than one index was selected for a search, then each set of results will be listed within its own index section.

Some indexes, e.g. Visual Records or Textual Records, may have associated objects such as on-line digital images or contain more detailed finding aids. The search result summary pages will indicate this beside the entry. Results from the Visual Records Index medium and most detailed views for summaries of Visual Records will display a thumbnail size image of records with on-line digital images (medium and most detailed views). A Navigate Image Contact Sheets panel will also de displayed. It can be used to generate pages of thumbnail images grouped together like a photographic contact sheet.

(2.1) Moving Between Summary Screens

The number of results per index displayed on a page is initially set at 10. This can be changed using the Set Number of Results Displayed per Index per Page preference, on the user Preferences page.

If the number of summaries fill more than one page then the Navigate Result Summaries panel can be used to move between pages. Use the First Previous Next Last hyperlinks, or enter the page number to go to a specific page of summaries directly.

(2.2) Searching Again

If displayed, the Refine This Search hyperlink can be used to further narrow down the number of results returned. Selecting this button will display another search form where additional criteria can be entered. The search engine will then start with the results of the first search, searching only within that result set for records matching the additional criteria. Searches can continue to be refined until the number of results fill only a single page. See Also: Search History.

A Try New Search hyperlink is also displayed. It is used to start an entirely new search not based on refining any previous results sets. It performs exactly the same function as selecting the Basic Search Tab or the Enter Search Criteria tabs on the navigation bar. Note: for convenience, index selections and search criteria from the last search is prefilled into the search form. It can be removed by using the Clear Form button.

(2.3) Change Level of Detail Displayed

Every successful search will produce a list of brief summaries for each result that matched. The amount of information shown in these summaries can be changed using the Change Level of Detail Displayed panel. For some indexes, changing the level of detail may not change the display in a meaningful way. With other indexes, selecting more or less detail will determine which fields are included in the summary, the display of thumbnail size images, and whether paragraph length summaries are created.

A Printer Friendly view is also available. This view suppresses non-essential graphics, colouring, and highlighting in order to minimize toner usage when the page is printed. You must use the Return to Standard Format button when you are finished printing, or all further displays will appear in printer friendly format.

(2.4) Quick Browsing

The Browsing feature is similar to reviewing the index at the back of book. Quick browsing offers this capability for up to four specific browse points or fields. These are: Title, Subject, Creator-Author and Surname (primarily these are the full-field exact match versions of these browse points; they will show the entire contents of the field). For full browsing capability, select the Advanced Search/Browse tab.

(2.5) See Also: Return to a Previous Search (Search History)

(3.0) View Result Screen

Selecting the Item Number hyperlink or document icon beside a summary, will display the contents of the matching result.

(3.1) Word Highlighting

When viewing a result, any matching search words are normally identified by yellow highlighting. Note: this feature is not currently available in the Library, Visual Records, or Web Pages Indexes.

Where word highlighting is available, and the contents of the result could be lengthy, hyperlinked triangle buttons are displayed adjacent to matching words. They also start in the Find Words Matched By Search panel. These triangles are very useful for quickly moving between relevant portions within lengthy screen displays.

The triangles are oriented and operate somewhat similarly to VCR controls in how they will move you backwards and forwards within the contents being displayed. will take you forward to the next matching word (down the page). will take you back to the previous matching word (up the page). means that you are at the last matching word; selectng it will return you to the top of the page.

(3.2) Viewing Other Results?

Use the First Previous Next Last hyperlinks in this panel to page from one result to another. To go to any result directly, enter the desired result number; then use the Go button to jump to that result. The Return to: Summary Results Page hyperlink will display the summarized results screen.

(3.3) Change Display Layout/Format

When the Change Display Layout/Format panel is present, it may be used to set the display between an expanded or compact view of the information, and alter the layout (i.e. formatting). In the Library and Textual Records Indexes, this control alters the level of detail displayed. With the Library Index, some fields will not be displayed under compact view. With the Textual Records Index, a detailed finding aid -- if available -- will not be displayed under compact view, however the display will indicate that one is available under expanded view. The initial setting is Expanded Layout unless altered through the user Preferences screen.

A Printer Friendly view is also available. This view suppresses non-essential graphics, colouring, and highlighting in order to minimize toner usage when the page is printed. You must use the Return to Standard Format button when you are finished printing, or all further displays will appear in printer friendly format.

(3.4) Information on Usage

Information on Usage is located at the bottom of every result page. Use the Please Note: Information on Usage hyperlink to jump to it directly. It contains important information related to restrictions, contacts, how to get reproductions, and other research details.

(3.4) Hyperlinked Words, Names, Phrases

When viewing a record, certain words, names or phrases may appear as hyperlinks. These links can be used fir further searching on that specific word, name or phrase within the same index.

(4.0) General Help on Entering Search Queries

(4.1) Case Sensitivity and Punctuation

The Basic and Advanced Search pages do not differentiate between capital or lower case letters in search terms. Terms can be entered in either lower, upper, or mixed case. Note: operators such as AND, OR, NOT should not be entered using mixed case: for example AND is fine and is the preferred form; And should be avoided if the most consistent and reliable interpretation is desired.

Punctuation characters are not included in the searchable indexes, with the following exceptions:

Hyphens and forward slashes within terms or words are included. In fact, when the information is loaded into the system, words containing these characters are broken down into pieces and stored three different ways for future searching: the full word including the hyphen, the portion before the hyphen, and the portion after the hyphen. For example a date range in the form of 1890-1899 would be stored for searching as follows: 1890-1899, 1890, and 1899. Hyphens within call number are NOT stored all three ways if they consist of only one or two alphabetical characters in front of the hyphen. Note: this process does not occur for the word or terms you enter when searching. If you enter 1890-1899 as a search term, only that exact form will be searched for within the indexes. Note: for searching ranges, see Advanced Search - Quick Tips - Other Options

Periods and apostrophes are not included in the searchable indexes and search terms unless they are surrounded by letters and numbers. Example: d'arcy will be stored as one complete word including punctuation, as will 18.99. On the other hand, 1899. would be stored as just 1899, without the trailing period.

Double quotation marks, round brackets, and commas have special meaning. Double quotation marks and round brackets must be used in pairs, i.e. they must surround words or characters. Commas are not included in the searchable indexes. They should not be used with search terms. They can be used to specify a list of multiple fields to search within using the Advanced Free Form Query.

Browse points labelled as (full-field exact match) include all punctuation characters, letters, and numbers because they comprise the full field making up that browse point. The Subject, Creator-Author, and Title Quick Browse points are (full-field exact match) browse points as well.

(4.2) Wild Cards / Word Masking

Five special characters can be used to specify patterns for matching words. Within a word, the symbols #, ?, and ~ have the following special meanings:

# This symbol represents any value for exactly one character. Each repetition of the symbol represents exactly one masked character. It can be used multiple times with a word or term. Examples: sm#th would match both smith and smyth; sm#th# would match both smith and smyth and smythe;

? This symbol represents any value for variable number of characters (that is, zero or more characters). Example: min? would match mining, minerals, minimum, minister, and so on. If the ? symbol is followed by a number, it indicates the maximum number of characters that could match. Example: min?3 would match mine, mining, or miner but not minerals, minimum, or minister. The ? can be used at the start of, in the middle of, or at the end of a word. To match a sub-string use ?word?. Example ?paper? would match paper, newspaper, newspapers, and so on. Note: this can be used to simulate the Partial Match function on the old Vital Events search engine.

~ This symbol initiates a stemming operation that tries to find all plurals for the word. The symbol must appear at the end of the word. Example: searching for money~ would match money, moneys, and monies.

Between words, the symbols ! and % have the following special meanings:

! This symbol, in conjunction with a number, is used to specify a a maximum distance that one word can be from another. Example: victoria !2 harbour, means that victoria can be separated from the word harbour by no more than two other words. Note that not all search points support this proximity type of searching.

% This symbol, in conjunction with a number, is similar to the ! symbol above, except the order of the words is not specified. Example:harbour %2 victoria, would match harbour victoria, harbour of victoria, victoria inner harbour and so on. Not all search points support this proximity type of searching.

(4.3) Phrases and Operators for Multiple Terms

Exact phrase searching is available with both the Basic and Advanced Search pages. Select the option Words as One Phrase to force the words you enter to be interpreted as one phrase that must be matched exactly as entered. Exact phrase searching can also be invoked by putting double quotes before and after a group of words -- for example "gold mining". This feature is not available with the Match Any Terms (OR) option on the Basic Search page.

AND, OR, and NOT are all operators (Boolean) that control how two or more words are interpreted for the purpose of matching results in the index. These operators can only be used if the Most Specific mode is selected. The options of Match Any Terms and Match All Terms automatically insert the OR and AND operators, respectively. However, the NOT operator can be used with Match All Terms option. The Free Form Query option at the bottom of the Advanced Search page allows complete use and control of all these operators.

The AND operator requires that both words be present in the result in order for it to match your search -- for example, gold AND mining. The OR operator require that one word or the other, or both, be present in order for a match -- for example, logging OR forestry. The NOT operator denotes that the word cannot be present in the result. The NOT must come after a word -- for example, mining NOT gold.

(4.4) Brackets

When multiple operators are used to combine different search terms, round brackets can be used to clarify the order in which these operators apply. For example (gold OR silver) AND mining NOT victoria. Please note that AND has precedence over OR. Therefore the same terms and operators without the brackets, e.g. gold OR silver AND mining NOT victoria could potentially have a different result than the first example.

(5.0) Sessions and Caching, Search History

(5.1) Sessions and Caching

Many features of the Basic Search and Advanced Search pages are possible because search queries and results are maintained in between web accesses. This is accomplished through the use of unique Sessions for each user. The initial access to the search pages creates a new unique session. This session will remain active for a period of twenty minutes, and will then expire if not accessed or updated during that period. A subsequent request will extend the life of an active session for an additional twenty minutes.

A request on a previously expired session will create a new one; however, the stored search results will not necessarily be available (especially if searches have been refined). The search engine will attempt to re-create the last results from the previously expired session as best it can. The yellow area underneath the Search Navigation bar will indicate when a new session has been created.

(5.2) Search History

The panel Return to a Previous Search Results? (Search History) is located near the bottom of each page. It lists all previous searches for this session in chronological order by number, starting with number 1. Return to the results for a previous search by highlighting it in the Search History panel, and selecting the Return To Previous Results button. This should be faster than redoing the search from scratch since the results have been been cached for the duration of the session, and is particularly useful in returning to a previously refined search. The search history can be hidden by selecting the Hide History button and made made visible or hidden from the user Preferences screen. The preferences screen can also set the maximum number of previous searches visible in the panel. Note: a maximum of fifty previous searches will be retained during any single session; the oldest searches will be deleted.

(6.0) Preferences Screen

The Search Navigation bar near the top of every page has a Preferences tab which can be used to alter the default settings and user preferences, including the number of results displayed per page, the level of detail initially displayed in summarized results or when viewing, and so on.

Note: Font sizes can be set directly in many web browsers. Typically this is adjusted from the View menu.

On the the Preferences Screen, the Update button will temporarily enable the preferences selected on that page. These remain in effect only for this session or visit The session must remain active by being accessed once every twenty minutes. See Sessions, Caching and History.

Use the Save (Using a Cookie) button to maintain preferences for longer periods of time. If your browser supports cookies (small data files retained by your browser), and you wish your chosen preferences to persist in future visits to this site, then use the Save (Using a Cookie) option to create a cookie and store it in your browser.

(7.0) Advanced Search/Browse Screens

This screen requires that you select one or more indexes before proceeding to either the Advanced Search or Browse screens. These next screens are customized for the specific indexes that are selected.

(7.1) Select Indexes

(7.1.1) Step 1 - Choose Where To Search/Browse

Only search or browse points common to all selected indexes will be available. To display the maximum possible number of search or browse points, select only a single index.

(7.1.2) See Also: Help on Indexes

(7.1.3) Step 2 - To Proceed, Choose Either

(7.2) Advanced Search - Enter Advanced Search Criteria Screen

(7.2.1) Step 3 - Fill in One or More Search Points for Advanced Searching

Advanced Search provides the capability to search within a narrower portion of the index contents, called a Search Point (field). The Advanced Search form lists each available search point on a separate line. Build up an advanced search query by entering names, keywords, into one or more Search Points (fields). Results will match against all of the search points you fill in. Tip: fill in only one or two search points to start with. Then refine the search if too many matches result.

(7.2.1.1) Search For:

Search terms consisting of one or more words can be entered into one or more of the listed search points.

(7.2.1.2) Within Field:

If a single index was selected, then the Advanced Search form will list every available search point for that specific index. If two or more indexes are selected, then only those search points common to all selected indexes are shown. The All Text search point will search the entire index contents (all search points). This search poing is available with all indexes. For more detailed information on the various search points available, and what they contain, see HELP on Search Points/Fields, or select the blue information symbol on each line of the Advanced Search form.

(7.2.1.3) Using Option:

Select an appropriate search option for each search point used from the list available. Please note, using Basic Search on Individual Genealogy Indexes will list only some of the options from the list below.

For more details on how Search Options work, see also: Details on Search Options.

(7.2.2) See Also: Help on Search and Browse Points

(7.2.3) See Also: Optional - Change Sort Method

(7.2.4) Optional - Try a Free Form Query

Free Form Query Tip: use the Get from Form button to copy words and translate options entered in the structured form above, into a free form style query (note abbreviated field names). Then modify this free form query as necessary to create special or complex searches.

Note: in Free Form Queries, if a Search Point (field) is not specified, then All Text, abbreviated as alltext (meaning the whole record) will be searched. Free form queries can also specify one or more fields to be searched; use the format of fieldname = terms. However, you must use the abbreviated form for field names, for example: creatorauthor=smith. To determine the abbreviated name, either use Help on Search Points and check the specific index you plan to use or enter words in the form above and use the Get from Form button to copy and translate this information into the free form query entry box.

Details on Search Options

AND, OR, or NOT are all operators (Boolean) that control how two or more search terms are interpreted for the purpose of matching against results in the index. The AND operator requires that both words be present in the result in order for it to match your search -- for example, gold AND mining. The OR operator require that one word or the other, or both, be present in order for a match -- for example, logging OR forestry. The NOT operator denotes that the word cannot be present in the result. The NOT must come after a word -- for example, mining NOT gold

When multiple operators are used to combine different search terms, round brackets can be used to clarify the order in which these operators apply. For example (gold OR silver) AND mining NOT victoria. Please note that AND has precedence over OR. Therefore the same terms and operators without the brackets, e.g. gold OR silver AND mining NOT victoria could potentially have a different result than the first example.

Approximate Match @fuzzy(word) performs a close or partial match (also known as fuzzy matching). This is where the number of modifications to a search term to make it the same as another search term is used to determine the amount of variation between the two search terms. The number supplied is a percentage value of the required accuracy of the search terms. If not supplied by the user, a default of roughly 75% is used, which means that at least three quarters of the letters must be the same. It can be useful when the spelling of a word is not known precisely. Example: to do an approximate match search for the town Spuzzum incorrectly spelled as Spuzzem use @fuzzy(spuzzem). Use @fuzzy=50(spuzzem)would lower the accuracy of the match even further.

Plural Stemming @stem(word) functions the same as the ~ character in wild cards and masking. It performs plural stemming by taking a query term and forming a list of alternative words for which to search. The original query term is then replaced by an OR group containing these terms. The search terms in the OR group are formed below:

The original query term is included in the OR group.

The original word with 's' added is included.

If the last character of the word is 'y', the word with the 'y' replaced by 'ies' is included.

If the last character of the word is not 'y', the word with 'es' added is included.

If the word ends in 'ies', the word with 'ies' replaced with 'y' is included.

If the word ends in 'oes', the word with 'oes' replaced with 'os' is included.

If the word is at least three characters long and ends in 'es', but does not end in 'ies', 'oes',

'aes', or 'ees', the word with the 'es' removed is included.

If the word is at least three characters long and ends in 'es', the word with 'es' replaced by 'e' is included.

If the word is at least three characters long and ends in 's', the word with 's' removed is included.

Note that if more than one rule matches, all matching rules are applied resulting in multiple terms in the OR group.

The Proximity function will try to match words that are close together, e.g. in the same sentence. At present, it is only available on a very limited number of indexes (primarily the Textual Records Index). To search for adult and education in the same sentence, use adult SAME education.

! This symbol, in conjunction with a number, is used to specify a a maximum distance that one word can be from another. Example: victoria !2 harbour, means that victoria can be separated from the word harbour by no more than two other words. Note that not all search points support this proximity type of searching.

% This symbol, in conjunction with a number, is similar to the ! symbol above, except the order of the words is not specified. Example:harbour %2 victoria, would match harbour victoria, harbour of victoria, victoria inner harbour and so on. Not all search points support this proximity type of searching.

Functions such as TO, <, <=, >, >=, <> (respectively meaning: range, less than, less than or equal to, greater than, greater than or equal to, not equal to) can be used. Generally, an alpha-numeric sort comparison is used. These functions are not guaranteed to work successfully on every search point.

(7.2.5) See Also: Summarized Results

(7.3) Browse - Enter Browse Criteria

Browsing will display an alphabetical list of the actual words and search terms from all of the records in a particular search point within an index. It is similar to using an index at the back of a book.

(7.3.1) Step 3 - Select a Browse Point

Using the drop down list, select a browse point. Browse points of the type (keyword) have each word or search term stored separately in alphabetical order. Even if a record has the words gold mining together, the word gold will be listed alphabetically under the G's, and the word mining will be listed under the M's. In contrast, browse points of the type (full-field exact match) would list gold mining in barkerville only within the G's since the whole field gets listed at one time.

(7.3.2) See Also: Help on Search and Browse Points

(7.3.3) Step 4 - Set Position to Start Browsing

(7.4) Browse Results Screen

The closest matching search term will be displayed and highlighted in the middle of the page of search terms; use the Closest Matching Term hyperlink to jump to this search term. Use the First Previous Next Last hyperlinks in the Move Up or Down the List panel to move around within the list of search terms.

For example, a search on the library index, with browse point subject (keywords), for the word sail, would appear as follows:

		Word/Field Contents List		Occurrences (estimated)
(Note: follow hyperlinks to search on the words/contents)
		SAFETY		41
		SAGE		1
		SAID		1
		SAIL		1
		SAILBOAT		1
		SAILBOATS		1
		SAILING		9

Each keywords or phrase in the list is a hyperlink. Follow the hyperlink to search on, and display all other results with the same keyword or phrase.

Selecting Change to Compact Layout will alter the display from one term per line to listing terms consecutively.

(7.4.1) See Also: Summarized Results

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

(Q) Marriages do not seem to have separate search points for grooms and brides, how can I get results that match only john smith, but not those that have a jane smith and john jones?

See the New Feature listed below.

(A) In order to provide the convenience of simultaneous searching of all the genealogy indexes, and to make it more consistent for new users, groom and bride surnames are combined into the same search point and groom and bride surnames are handled similarly. This makes it possible to used the Combined Genealogy Index on the Basic Search - Main Index page, or to select All indexes on the Basic Search - Genealogy Index page, and search for a specific individual. Relevant matches are less likely to be missed because there are not specific groom or bride search points that are only applicable to the marriages index.

When using the Marriage index on Basic Search - Genealogy Indexes, it may mean some records that are not applicable will be included in the results of a search. While the improved page navigation features compensate somewhat for this, the Advanced Search page can be used to gain more precision. New Feature: the Advanced search for marriages, now includes 4 new separate search points: Groom Given Names, Groom Surname, Bride Given Names, Bride Surname.

Also note: the All Text search point under Advanced Search can also be used to search on names. For example, enter john smith with the Match All Words option or enter john ? smith with the Match as Exact Phrase or Most Specific option to match all john smiths, regardless of whether the given name is known or not.

"Extra" results are less likely to occur with a search on the Basic Search - Main Index page - Combined Genealogy index, since it automatically searches All Text, and defaults to a phrase if multiple words are entered. Hence a search on John Smith will not match Jane Smith in this case.

(Q) Why are there less fields and options for searching than the old Vital Event search?

(A) The Basic Search for genealogy indexes is a simplified search form, designed for new and/or inexperienced users.

Experienced users, or those wishing to do in-depth or complex research, should go directly to the Advanced Search and select only a single index at a time. The Advanced Search page is based on the older Vital Events search form, but offers more fields and search options for creating more detailed and specific queries. Note: to see all the available fields, select only a single index at a time. See also the question on Partial matching below.

(Q) If I enter just an initial in the given names field, why do I usually get no matches?

(A) You would only get a match if the given name (as entered in the index), only consisted of just that single initial. For more complete results, use the ? wild card after the initial of the given name, e.g. Matthew B? Begbie would match Matthew Baillie Begbie, Matthew B Begbie, Matthew Brian Begbie and so on.

(Q) Why could I not see the age on the results of a search on the Deaths Index?

(A) You can quite easily. A Change Level of Detail panel is located at the bottom right hand corner of every group of summarized results. Simply select the More or Most detail button to re-display the screen. This setting will remain in effect during this session unless you change it again. To retain your prefered setting for future visits, go to the Preferences page, customize one or more of the options to your liking, and use the Save (using a cookie) option. Please note that the summary is just that, a summary. Selecting the blue number or document icon beside each matching result will display the complete information on the result, including important notes on usage and availability of microfilm copies of the actual registrations.

Note 2002/02/17: The formatters for the Vital Events indexes have been adjusted so that age is listed on the medium detail display for the Deaths index.

Note 2002/02/19: Selecting the Most detail button now displays the information in a vertical format, which is nearly identical to the item view.

(Q) Why am I now limited to only 10 results per page?

(A) You can set your preference for up to 200 results per index to be displayed on any one page from the Preferences page. This setting will remain in effect during this session unless you change it again. To retain your prefered setting for future visits, go to the Preferences page, customize one or more of the options to your liking, and use the Save (using a cookie) option.

Please also note that there is no longer a maximum limit of 200 results in total. You can see all the results that match any search by paging through using the First Previous Next Last controls.

(Q) Why can't I do a Partial Match with search terms, that feature seems to be missing now?

(A) The old Vital Event search gateways employed a work-around called Partial Match. This option compensated for the old system requiring a term entered in a search field to correspond exactly with the entire contents of the field in the database. Partial match was often used in two different ways: a) to match a single given name when other given names were not known by the person doing the searching or not recorded in the index; and b) to give some capability for attempting to match misspelled or variant names.

The new search gateway does a partial match automatically in most cases, since it is attemping to match individual words, not the entire field. Of course, the Match as Exact Phrase, and the Less Than / Greater Than options override this to some extent.

In the second case, e.g. matching misspelled and varient names, considerably more powerful options are now available with use of ? and # symbols (wild cards), and with the use of the Approximate Match function. Searches that may have required multiple attempts can now often be done in a single try. The following examples provide better illustration:

To match part of a word try ?nders? which would match anderson andersen enderson

This can even be applied to a group of words if you select the Match as Exact Phrase or Most Specific search methods e.g. try jo?n george smith or John ? Smith using All Text search point (so as to include both the surname and given names) under Advanced Search. The first example would match jon george smith, john george smith, the second example would match all john smith, regardless if they had other given names or not.

To gain even further control use # to match any single letters, and ? to match zero or more of any letters.
For example, try: anders#n or #nders? or ?ders#n

Approximate Match offers another alternative in matching variant spellings, in that it will match variations without one needing to specify the exact position of variable letters. It requires approximately 70% of the letters to match. This can, and already has proven invaluable when in locating entries with errors in transcription (where it may be more difficult to guess which letter or letters or words may contain an error).

(Q) The fonts are too small (or too large) on my screen, can you make them larger (or smaller)?

(A) Unfortunately there are a multitude of combinations of monitor sizes, screen resolutions, operating system font characteristics, and web browsers, that make it difficult to set fonts consistently for everyone. Currently, the search engine attempts to tune the fonts for some broad combinations web browsers, web browser versions, and operating systems.

Additional control is left in the hands of end users, since many web browsers allow users to increase or decrease the font sizes temporarily from the View menu on the browser.

(Q) I found the Vital Event entry I was looking for, how can I see the registration, can you send me a copy? I couldnt't find the entry I was looking for can you look it up for me? Why are all the registrations not on-line?

(A) We do not perform genealogical research or family history searches. BC Archives staff cannot respond to telephone, email, or written requests for copies of Vital Event registrations, nor conduct research on these materials for remote users. Please consult the Vital Events" page and the Vital Events FAQ for additional help.

How to Use Help

Three levels of help are available on the search page:

• Concise information is presented on-screen and contained in the grey areas with the information icon .
• Additional information is available in yellow pop-up boxes or information windows under Quick Tips and Quick Examples hyperlinks for web browsers that support JavaScript (just put the cursor over the hyperlink). Note that this information is almost identical to the yellow Quick Tips and Quick Examples listed on this page.
• Complete information and help is available from the Help screen, which is accessible from the Help tab near the top of the page, and through many hyperlinks on the various screens. This file is organized similarly to the main functions and screens that exist in the search page, and in the order that each function would generally be used.

In this help document, bold is used to highlight topics and indicate titles, e.g. a screen or panel label. Italics are used to indicate information as it would be typed or entered into a search form, or denote a control to be selected. Bold italics are used to warn about an important fact or draw attention to a concept.

Symbols and Colour Codes Used

	Jump up: A triangle pointing upwards, located on the right hand side of a page, is a hyperlink to the Table of Contents for that page.
	Information or Help: This symbol, usually shown against a grey background, indicates useful instructions or help. The details of these instructions are either right beside the symbol, or in the page to which the symbol is hyperlinked. Users with JavaScript browsers can get immediate Quick Tips or Quick Examples by putting the mouse cursor over these hyperlinked words. If desired, these information icons may be hidden by using the Hide selection in the Preferences tab. Once hidden, they can be expanded to full text again by either clicking on the icon itself, which will take you into the Help file, or by going back into Preferences and selecting Show.
	Important Information: This symbol, frequently shown against a grey background, and sometimes with orange text, indicates a very important note or instruction.
	Error: This symbol, shown against a grey background, and associated with a message in red text, indicates that you have tried to do something not permitted, or have omitted a required step, for example forgetting to select at least one index to search.
	Go Down a Level: This indicates the object (usually an index) has component parts that can be listed by selecting the folder icon.
	Go Up A Level: This indicates the current listing (usually a group of indexes) is part of a higher level that can be shown by selecting the folder icon.
	Result Symbol: This indicates a record, description, item etc. that matched as a result of a search query. This symbol, as well as the blue result item number beside it (e.g. 1), are hyperlinks to viewing the complete matching result.
Gold Mining	Term Highlighting: In most indexes, the words that matched in the search will be highlighted. As an added feature, the triangles surrounding highlighted words can be used to jump directly to the next or previous matching word. See Viewing Records/Term Highlighting for further details.
GR-0001 V1987:18/2.2	Green Highlighting: This indicates the preferred call number or number to cite when requesting the record from the BC Archives Access Unit.
AAAA0001	Gray Text: This colour of text indicates that the identifying number or citation can not be used to directly request access to the materials described, and that clients should seek staff assistance to clarify what records are desired, prior to completing a call slip or records request.

What's New as of January 14, 2002

• A common search page for all on-line BC Archives information sources. Searching of the Genealogical Indexes (such as Vital Events) is now available through on same search page as main BC Archives site, and all indexes can be searched through one operation.
• In addition to Full Text searching of contents, the new Search Page now supports searching on named Search Points or fields. For example, Creator-Author, Subject, Title, Given Name, Surname, or Date (Note: at present only some of the indexes are sufficiently structured to allow a wide range of search points).
• New searching features and functions including searching for phrases, approximate matching (fuzzy match), and Free Form queries that allow complex queries to be entered directly by the user.
• An Index Browse function that shows hyperlinked lists of keywords or phrases contained in the indexes, and the number of times they occur.
• A Help on Indexes screen which provides current record counts, and detailed field listings.
• Sophisticated caching and session features designed to enhance performance and usability
• Improved navigation features for moving between searches, summaries and matching results.
• New display and presentation features such as matching word highlighting and navigation, and printer friendly views of summaries and results
• User preferences that can be set for a session, or retained longer if cookies are used.

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Inquiries:	Inquiries related to archival holdings, specific records, access, research, or reproduction orders may be submitted via electronic form or Email, as well as by mail or fax.
Home Page:	http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca	Maintained by:	webmaster@www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca
Copyright:	Information on this site fall under records classification ORS 9300-40, and is provided for research purposes only. Please review Access and Usage.  Unless indicated otherwise, this page and all contents are Copyright © 2002, Province of British Columbia, BC Archives.