Meaning, text or both: the match menu

The match menu in the filter row decides how 4Search compares your words with each article. Meaning options look for articles about the same idea. Text options look for your actual words. The mixed options do both.

#The three families

The menu groups its options under three headings. The part in brackets tells you the family.

The part before the brackets says which part of the article is compared: Title, Title & Desc. (the headline and the summary), or Title & Body and Title/Body (the headline and the article text). A title option is sharper; a body option finds articles where your subject is not in the headline.

The menu starts on Title & Body (Meaning). Leave it there for most searches.

#Quotes, plus and minus

With a (Text) option, the search box understands a few signs:

Without signs, a Text search lists articles with any of your words, best matches first. With a Meaning option these signs have no effect: the words are read for their meaning. For the Web column, Google reads quotes and minus signs on any tab. See Google-style operators.

#Names, places and symbols

On the News, Images and Videos tabs the menu has more Text options that search what 4Search found inside each article rather than its wording:

• People (Text), Organizations (Text) and Places (Text) find articles that name a person, company or group, or place. Type the name as it is usually written, for example Nancy Pelosi or Boston.
• Stock Symbols (Text) finds articles tagged with a ticker, such as AAPL.
• Criminal Charges (Text) finds articles that name a charge.
• The Related versions also search the names an article is mainly about.
• Meta Tags (Meaning), Meta (Text), Meta Related (Text) and Meta_Information (Text & Meaning) search the tags and section labels an article was filed under.

These options are useful when a headline does not mention the person or company you are following.

#The menu on the All tab

The News filters row on All has a shorter menu with six options: Title & Body (Meaning), Title (Meaning), Title/Body (Text & Meaning), Title (Text & Meaning), Title/Body (Text) and Title (Text). It applies to the News column only.

#Common questions

Why do quotes not give me exact matches?

Quotes work with the (Text) options. Choose Title/Body (Text) or Title (Text) in the match menu and search again.

Which option should I pick for a person's name?

Start with the default and type the name with capital letters. If the results drift to other people, choose People (Text).

Why did a Text search return articles with only one of my words?

Without signs, a Text search lists articles with any of your words. Put a + before words that must appear, or quote the phrase.

Does the match menu change the Web results?

No. Web results always come from Google as it reads your words.