Menu "Edit" - "Advanced search"
The "Advanced Search" dialog offers searches for persons, families and shared records among their any elements.
You can use any number of keywords to search.
Follow this procedure to set keywords and to specify in which elements to search for them:
1) The left panel shows the structure of records as a tree of elements. Rectangles with a "plus" sign [+] to the left of an element name means that the element has sub-elements, and you can expand this "branch" by double-clicking on this element. Note that this tree-like structure includes all possible elements the records can have according to GEDCOM format, as well as the user tags, if they are defined. The type of record (Person, Family, Shared record or User-defined type) can be chosen from the dropdown list under this panel.
In this way, this panel can serve also as a kind of "guide" to the GEDCOM format - you can use it to know what elements a record can have, the types of these elements, and what kinds of values the elements can accept.
When an element in the tree has been selected, the top part of the window will show the element's description and, in square brackets, the values that this element can have. The following table shows what these values can be, their descriptions, and what search options will be offered to the user:
| Value | Description | What will be searched and how |
| empty | The element has no value | The element is searched for just by the fact of its existence in the record |
| N characters | The value is a string of characters of maximum length N. | A text field is offered in which text to be searched for can be entered. |
| text | The value is a text of any length | A text field is offered in which text to be searched for can be entered. |
| ref. to x | The value is a reference to a record of type x | A list of all records of type x is offered, from which the required record can be chosen. |
| choice | The value can be one from the list of values defined in the GEDCOM format. | A list of all possible values of this element is offered. Aside from that it is possible to enter text to search for. |
| exact date | This date is in standard GEDCOM format DD MMM YYYY, where DD is a number 1...31; MMM is a three-letters month name: JAN, FEB, MAR, etc. YYYY is the year. |
A text field is offered in which a keyword can be entered. |
| simple date | This is the same as the exact date, but can be partially specified, for example, only month and year, or just the year. | A text field is offered in which a keyword can be entered. |
| long date | The date in full format according to the GEDCOM standard. This can be exact date, from-to date, before date, after date, date between, approximated date, interpreted date, or date phrase. | A text field is offered in which a keyword can be entered. |
| date from-to | This is a variation of long date. | A text field is offered in which a keyword can be entered. |
| event type | The value can be any of GEDCOM event tag: BIRT (birth), MARR (marriage), DIV (divorce), etc. | A list of all event tags is offered. |
| color | The value is a color code in hexadecimal format, as used in HTML. | A text field is offered in which a keyword can be entered. |
To find a record of some particular element value, click on this element with the RIGHT mouse button and select "Add to search" from the dropdown menu. The corresponding input field will appear in the right panel "What to search and where". To exclude the element from the search, select "Remove from search" item in the dropdown menu. The elements chosen for the search will be highlighted in red. To exclude all chosen elements click on the "Clear chosen" button.
The search is conducted within word boundaries. This means that the keyword will be sought inside of each word of an element (i.e. phrases - words with spaces between them - are not searched).
Simple wildcard symbols can be used in keywords, similar to those used for searches in DOS and Windows. These signs are as follows:
* (asterisk) - a placeholder for zero or more of any character;
? (question mark) - a placeholder for one of any character;
+ (plus) - a placeholder for one or more of any character.
If no keyword is entered at all, it is equivalent to searching for "*" (i.e. to search any nonempty value of the specified element).
Search is case insensitive.
Examples of searching persons by name:
- Search word is "Jon": only names will be found which exactly match "Jon".
- Search word is "Jon*": names will be found which start with this word: "Jon", "Jonny", "Jonathan", etc.
- Search word is "Jon+": names will be found which start with this word: "Jonny", "Jonathan", etc., but not "Jon" because '+' sign specifies on its place must be at least any one symbol.
- Search word is "Jon??": names will be found matching "Jonny", but not "Jonathan" or "Jon" because two '?' signs specify on their place must be exactly two any symbols.
- Search word is "*jo*n*": the following names will be found: "John", "Jon", "Johnson", "Johannes", "Josephine", and even "Marjorie Ann" because each '*' sign means it can be any number of any symbols (including space) on its place, or can be none at all.
The radio buttons OR-AND work when searching for more than one keyword, and define the logic used in the search: "AND" means to find records containing all keywords and "OR" means to find records containing any of the specified keywords.
If the switch "Always on top" is checked, the window will always remain in front of other windows.
The result of the search is shown in Lists of relatives, families or shared records. If nothing is found, an empty list is shown.
About dates search:
In the current version of the program, complex searches for dates - such as search of date before, date after, etc. - is not implemented. Dates are interpreted as plain text. Such an approach would be sufficient if all genealogic programs strictly supported the GEDCOM date format, but this, unfortunately, is not so. Instead of standard dates in GEDCOM files you can find any style. August 23rd, 1956 could be expressed as 23/8/56 or as 56.08.23, or in some other format. Perhaps in subsequent versions, if there is demand for such a feature, the author will include some kind of "date analyzer" that will facilitate more complex and effective searches.
See also: 
Menu "Edit" - "Search"