Searching Your Database

The search bar is always available in the main window and provides instant access to the powerful search facilities built into Readerware.

To use the search bar simply select the type of search, Title, Actor etc., fill in the search criteria and hit the Enter key or click on the Search button. The search criteria is case insensitive and by default will return videos that contain the search criteria anywhere in the field. For example, doing a title search for night might return:
In the Heat of the Night
Midnight Cowboy
Night Moves
Nightmare Before Christmas
You can also use an asterisk as a wildcard in your searches. For example if you want to search for movie titles that begin with Night, you could enter Night*. Using the above list only the following would be returned:
Night Moves
Nightmare Before Christmas
If you don't enter a value in the search field, Readerware will return all records with no data in the selected field. For example, select a My Rating search and press the Search button without selecting a value. Readerware will return all videos without a rating.

The search results will be displayed in the main window using the currently selected view. You can then edit, print, browse, view records etc.

That is really all there is to it. A more detailed explanation of the various search types and options follow. At this point you might prefer to simply go and play.

The Default Search

Readerware allows you to define a default search. Readerware runs this search when you start the program or open a new database. Initially the default search is set to search for all titles and display them sorted by title. To define your own default search simply perform the search as normal and select the Search->Save as Default Search menu item. For example you could set the default search to display all unwatched titles or videos in a specific category.

The Search Bar

You can search on virtually any field. As you select the different search types you will notice that the search criteria field will change. Sometimes you will type the search criteria in an entry field, for example a title search. Sometimes you will select from a list, for example an actor search.

You can configure the search bar, put the searches you use all the time at the top of the list, hide searches you never use etc. If you are looking for one of the searches listed below but don't see it in the search list, you just need to enable it in preferences.

Readerware Searches
Search Description
Actor Select an actor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Aspect ratio Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Author Select an author from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Book Enter search text
Borrower Select a borrower from the list to display a list of videos currently on loan to this borrower
Borrower ID Enter or scan a Borrower ID to display a list of books currently on loan to this borrower
Buyer waiting Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Call Number Enter a Call Number, wildcards allowed
Category Select a category from the list using the mouse or keyboard. Readerware will search all category fields.
Certification Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Color Select a value from the list to search by video color, Color, B&W etc.
Closed captioned Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Comments Enter search text
Composer Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Condition Select a condition from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Conductor Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Contributor Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*. Readerware will search all contributor fields, Actor, Director etc.
Copies Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard. Readerware will search based on the number of copies of a video you have
Cover condition Select a condition from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Date entered Click on the down arrow and select the date using the calendar. Readerware returns items entered on or after the specified date
Date last updated Click on the down arrow and select the date using the calendar
Dewey Enter a Dewey Decimal Number, wildcards allowed
Director Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Duplicates The duplicates search will return possible duplicate videos. You can determine which fields are matched when checking for duplicates in preferences.
Editor Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Episode title Enter part of a title, Readerware will return any video with an episode title containing these characters
Extras Enter search text
Favorites Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Format Select a value from the list to search by video format, DVD, Blu-ray, LaserDisc etc.
Full text search Enter search text. Readerware will search all text fields for the entered value, title, actor, video info etc.
Image Select a value from the list, Readerware will display videos with and without images
Inventory count Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard. The inventory count search is used to make sure all items are present after performing an inventory of your collection.
Keys search Enter search text. Readerware will search all key fields for the entered value, UPC, User Number, Video ID, Call Number etc. Note: Wildcards are not supported on a keys search.
Keywords - OR Enter comma separated keywords. Readerware will search for items containing any of the keywords specified. Keyword order is not important
Keywords - AND Enter comma separated keywords. Readerware will search for items containing all of the keywords specified. Keyword order is not important
Language Select a value from the list to search by language
Last played date Click on the down arrow and select the date using the calendar
LCCN Enter a Library of Congress Card Catalog number
Location Select a location from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Loans Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard. Readerware can search for items on loan, overdue etc. If loan columns are displayed, the loan information will be included. This search returns all active loans, if you have 5 copies of an video out on loan, the video is listed 5 times with the information for each loan
My Rating Select a rating from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Out of print Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard. Readerware will search for videos in or out of print
Owner Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard to search by owner
Photographer Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Place Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Played Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Producer Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Purchase date Click on the down arrow and select the date using the calendar
Purchase place Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Region Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Screenwriter Select a contributor from the list using the mouse or keyboard. You can also use part of a name within asterisks, the wildcard character, i.e. *smith*
Series Select a value from the list. Readerware will search for videos that are part of the specified series
Sound Select a value from the list to search by video sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 etc.
Source Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard to search by the source used to catalog the video
Status Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Studio Select a value from the list using the mouse or keyboard
Title Enter part of a title, Readerware will return any item where the title contains these characters
Transfer Rating Select a rating from the list using the mouse or keyboard
UPC/Barcode Enter a UPC or scan the barcode. Leave the search field blank to search for albums without a UPC
Updated by last wizard This search will display those items updated by the last wizard run, i.e. the last auto-catalog run. This can be useful when you want to review the changes made by a wizard
User number Enter the user number of a video
User 1 -
User 10		 These searches will appear in the search list under the name you assigned for any user defined fields you activated. Enter search text
Video ID Enter an video ID
Video Info Enter search text
ASIN Enter an ASIN, wildcards allowed


Searching for Duplicates

A question that comes up quite a bit is how can you detect duplicate entries in a Readerware database.

The duplicate search is available in all products to let you quickly find possible duplicates. Select Duplicates from the search by drop down list and click on the Search button. Readerware will display a list of possible duplicate entries. If you do not see the Duplicates entry in the search list, remember that you can customize the search list. You can hide the searches you never use and move the searches you use all the time to the top of the list. If you don't see the Duplicates search, you just need to enable it in preferences.

Before you use the Duplicates search, there is one more question you need to consider, what is a duplicate? You have to tell Readerware how to detect a duplicate entry, you do this by selecting the columns Readerware should match on.

You might consider a duplicate to be a book with the same ISBN. You would select the ISBN column and then Readerware will display a list of books with duplicate ISBNs. The results list will include all books where two or more books have the same ISBN. However you could have the same title with different ISBNs, if you want to check for all copies of a particular title you could select the Author and Title columns. What about format? Would you consider a hardcover and paperback edition of the same title to be duplicates? If you have both CD and vinyl versions of a favorite album, would you consider them duplicates? If you do, then select the Artist and Title columns in preferences. If you do not consider them duplicates, include the format column too. Now Readerware will only display titles with the same format as duplicates.

You determine what constitutes a duplicate. If you are storing your books in different locations, you might only consider books in the same location to be duplicates, the same title in another location is not considered a duplicate. So you include the Location column in the duplicate check. This is a very flexible approach and you can always change the selection as the term duplicate may mean different things to you in different situations.

When Readerware displays the duplicates it lists only items that have two or more matches and it lists all duplicate items. If you only have one book with a specific ISBN, it will not appear in the search results. If you have two books with the same ISBN, both books are listed. Four books with the same ISBN, all four books are listed. You can then examine each book and decide what to do. If you want to delete duplicates, you can decide what entry to keep and what entries to delete etc.

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