Regular expressions
The Princeton Geniza Project database allows for search expressions containing certain 'regular expressions'. Regular expressions are codes that can be inserted in search queries to match patterns of text.
| ^string | Matches the text at the beginning of the string |
| string$ | Matches the text at the end of the string |
| . | Matches any single character (including special characters) |
| a* | Matches the sequence of zero or more of the specified character |
| a+ | Matches the sequence of one or more of the specified character |
| a? | Matches zero or one occurrence of the specified character |
| abc|def | | Matches either one of the specified strings
| [abc] | Matches any one of the specified characters |
Boolean Search
The Princeton Geniza Project database uses a boolean full-text search. This type of search allows users to combine keywords with operators to refine searches. Possible operators and examples of their use:
| מולאנא מולאי | Search for rows that contain either of two words by simply typing them consecutively. In this case, the search will find documents that contain either מולאי or מולאנא. |
| כתאבי +מולאי+ | Use a + sign before word to search for rows that contain all of them (in this case the words כתאבי and מולאי) |
כתאבי AND מולאי
כתאבי OR מולאי | The keyword AND indicates that both search terms must be present in the results. OR matches either search term. |
| כתאב –כתאבה |
Use a - sign to exclude a term from your results (in this case, the search will include כתאב but exclude כתאבה) |
*כתאב
?כתאב |
Use an asterisk or a question mark as a wildcard. An asterix matches any number of characters. A question mark matches any single character |
T-S AS 146.139
Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Sender and addressee are unidentified. Full of expressions of deference. The sender was distressed at 'the calamity' (al-nūba) that befell the addressee 'and joins in the preoccupation of his heart' (musāhim fī shughl qalbih). Regards from Abū Isḥāq al-Ṣayrafī and Abū l-Ḥasan al-Khāzin. The addressee should pass on greetings to Abū ʿImrān al-Kohen and tell him that his son is well and that "all the friends" were pained to hear about his illness. Mentions Abū Saʿd b. Pinḥas. Someone should try to rein in Abū l-Khayr, who 'went out' somewhere and is now unemployed and 'playing' all day long. The addressee should find a trustworthy man (rajul maʾmūn) to assist. Then: "Yours is the noble opinion (wa-lak ʿuluww al-raʾy). [Please kiss for] me the hand of my master the father." (Information in part from CUDL.) Join: Alan Elbaum.
