INTERACTIVE SEARCHING / SERIALST SAMPLE

Preliminary Information:

To search LISTSERV archives interactively, you MUST be operating
from an IBM VM/CMS or VAX/VMS system AND you must obtain (or have
access on your mainframe to) LDBASE, the interactive database
access program for LISTSERV.  Ask your local systems personnel if
you can access LDBASE from your account.  If not, you may retrieve
a copy from your nearest LISTSERV site with the commands:

     For IBM VM/CMS systems:

       -  TELL LISTSERV AT nodeid GET LDBASE EXEC
       -  TELL LISTSERV AT nodeid GET LSVIUCV MODULE

      ex., TELL LISTSERV AT UVMVM GET LDBASE EXEC

     The command to invoke the program is: LDBASE nodeid (where
     nodeid is the site of the LISTSERV archives you wish to
     access)

     For VAX/VMS systems:

          SEND LISTSERV AT nodeid GET LDBASE COM

     The command to invoke the program is: @LDBASE.  This will
     install required files in your directory and display more
     detailed instructions about the program.

Networkers operating from other systems may not presently access
LISTSERV archives in interactive mode, and must use the batch mode
approach for searching.

Searching SERIALST Interactively:

The following example illustrates an interactive search through
the SERIALST archives from an IBM/CMS environment.  At the
outset, it should be mentioned that interactive search response
time may be fast or slow, depending on the time of day and the
distance between nodes, and whether or not all lines of access
between your computer and the LISTSERV's host computer are up
and running.  In almost all cases, patience is advised!

To retrieve messages from a recent SERIALST discussion about
SISAC questions:

1. Invoke LDBASE <for the UVMVM listserver> on your command line:

          LDBASE UVMVM

2.  Wait for a response from the UVMVM listserver welcoming you
to LISTSERV@UVMVM.  At the prompt, type: SEARCH <keywords of your
choice> IN SERIALST <and (optional) any qualifiers, such as a
date, that might help specify your search>.  For example:

          SEARCH SISAC IN SERIALST SINCE 12/92

3.  Again, wait for a response.  LISTSERV will indicate when it
has started a search and tell you what it finds.  In this case,
we get back the message:

          --->  DATABASE SERIALST, 7 hits

4.  You now have the option of sending for an index of the
messages, or retrieving all the messages, sans index.  To send
for the index, issue the command:

          SENDBACK INDEX

Or, to send for all the messages, issue the command:

          SENDBACK PRINT ALL

If you send for the index, a file will be sent back that looks
like:

> index
Item #   Date   Time  Recs   Subject
------   ----   ----  ----   -------
001777 92/12/09 14:45   19   Question re: SISAC
001780 92/12/10 12:05   22   Re: Question re: SISAC
001782 92/12/10 17:52   19   RE: Question re: SISAC
001785 92/12/11 00:07   24   Re: Question re: SISAC
001786 92/12/11 09:18   54   SISAC Bar Code (list of publishers)
001795 92/12/17 14:38   46   More about the SISAC bar code
001799 92/12/20 21:01   25   PC-based software for serials functions

>From the index, you can determine which messages are relevant and
recall them selectively.  For selective retrieval, you must go
back and re-initiate steps 1-3.  At step 4, instead of using the
index command, issue the SENDBACK PRINT ALL <item #> command by
selecting item numbers from index column on the left.  Ex.:

          SENDBACK PRINT ALL 1786-1799

This command will retrieve selected SERIALST messages from discussions
re. SISAC since December 1992.  (Simply issuing the command,
SENDBACK PRINT ALL, will retrieve the full text of all messages from
this search, sans index).

See additional information in the PACS-L SEARCH DOC Tutorial
for models on Boolean searching, specifying dates, or a range
of dates, and other search tips.  These options may also be
utilized in interactive search statements.

-----------------
Birdie MacLennan              bmaclenn@uvmvm.bitnet
University of Vermont         bmaclenn@uvmvm.uvm.edu