This is the most powerful search feature available in IDimager. With multi select searching you just select several entries and then start the search operation. It';s as simple as that. The good part is that many types of information can be combined in a single search operation. For instance you can search for all images that have "label A and label B assigned and shot with ISO 400 and have a 3 star rating and were taken in November 2007 and are stored on the D: drive". All this with just a few clicks.
Here is how it basically works. In the Catalog Explorer there are several top branches like Catalog Labels, Ratings, Metadata, etc. Each of these branches can be expanded. The items inside each branch have selection boxes at the left side. When you click on such a selection box then it becomes selected. You can select several items and from different branches. Then you can start the search operation with all selected items by clicking the green run button in the Catalog Explorer's mini-toolbar. Easier is to just press [Enter]. That's it.
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Tip to select all sub items
While the selection boxes can have double checked states (meaning all lower items are automatically included, it is also possible to select all lower items. Do this by holding down [Shift]+[Ctrl] and then click the selection box of a parent entry.
By holding [Shift]+[Ctrl]+[Alt] and click you can select all children in not mode (red)
You'd typically use this option if you want all items to be selected but a few not. Instead of having to select each child you just [Shift]+[Ctrl]+Click the parent item |
So in short: select one or more elements throughout the Catalog Explorer and press [Enter] to run the search.
As you can see there are two colored run buttons in the mini toolbar.
[Enter]
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Click this button to run the query with all selected items combined (AND).
E.g. Nature AND North America
[Alt]+Click this icon to only return results that are already in the active search results.
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[Ctrl]+[Enter] |
Click this button to run the query with all selected items joined (OR)
E.g. Nature OR North America
[Alt]+Click this icon to only return results that are already in the active search results.
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When you select an item you can click on the selection box it in the Catalog Explorer. The selection box will then display a double check box. Another way to select items is by clicking the selection icons in the mini-toolbar. For instance; to select catalog label "Nature" you click "Nature" and then choose the type of selection by clicking the appropriate button in the mini toolbar. All options also have mouse shortcuts for clicking on the selection box (e.g. Ctrl+Click on selection box = single select item)
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Deselect all active selections (reset selections)
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[Ctrl]+[mouse click]
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Select this item and *not* the items below this item
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[Alt]+[Ctrl]+[mouse click]
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Exclude this item only (not the items below it). When you select this state, then the results of this item will be excluded from the search result (NOT)
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[mouse click]
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Select this item and *all* items below
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[Alt]+[mouse click]
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Exclude the item and all items below it. When you select this state then the result of this item, combined with the results from all lower items, will be excluded from the search result (NOT) |
Once you get familiar with this kind of searching you will find it very easy to build complex search operations that span over different branches of information.
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Tip to search in existing search results!
Sometimes it is convenient to search for results and only return images that are also part of the existing search results. if you need that, then hold down the [Alt] key and click either the orange or green run button in the mini-toolbar. That will return only images that are also part of the existing search results. Keep in mind that if no search results are available, then you will never get any result. |