We use a third party search tool that has been specifically configured for our website and terminology.   With it you can perform site-wide searches, category searches, wildcard searches, and exact phrase matching (capabilites explained on this page).

Adobe PDF documents, Microsoft Word documents, and graphic files used on the site are indexed by the search tool, in addition to standard web page content, and are by default included in search results.

The search tool ignores "a," "and," "the" and similar common words unless these words are included in a phrase matching expression (explained below).

The website is organized by the two broad markets we serve: Small & Medium Business and Home & Home Office.   Accordingly, search capabilities are pre-configured to search within these market categories in addition to performing site-wide searches.

If you're a homeowner (consumer), we recommend that you search within the Home & Home Office category to find information relevant to your environment.   Alternatively, for business purposes, search within Small & Medium Business.

Just below the input field, select the appropriate category to narrow your search.

Select the "Any" or "All" option based upon your intention as described next.

Selecting the Any Search Word option applies Boolean ("or") logic to the search, meaning, search results are returned that match any search expression entered in the input field.

Any Search Word: cats dogs = cats or dogs

In this example, the search tool will yield results when either one or both of the search expressions are found.

Selecting the All Search Words option applies Boolean ("and") logic to the search, meaning, search results are returned only if all search expressions you entered in the input field are found.

All Search Words: cats dogs = cats and dogs

Again, the search tool will return results only if all search expressions are found.

A wildcard is a character that may be used (substituted) in a search expression to represent one or more alphanumeric characters.   It is a feature used for matching patterns.   Instead of laboring to further explain wildcards, in this case, examples are worth a thousand words.

The question mark ("?") may be used to represent a single alphanumeric character in a search expression.

Example: the search expression ho?se yields results which contain such words as house and horse

Example: the search expression ?at yields results which contain such words as cat   bat   mat

An asterisk ("*") may be used to specify one or more alphanumeric characters in a search expression.

Example: the search expression e*e yields results which contain such words as excite   executive   exclude   execute

Example: the search expression file.* yields results which contain such words as file.exe   file.bat   file.doc

Use the asterisk ("*") wildcard carefully.   It's common to retrieve too many results (useless results) when not used wisely.

This feature allows you to search for a phrase, that is, words in a specific order as they appear on a page, by surrounding the search expression with double quotes (e.g., "passive infrared sensors").   Similar to wildcards, less explanation and more examples are probably best to clarify your understanding of this feature.

Example: the search expression "square plexiglas skylights" will match searchable content containing square plexiglas skylights but not plexiglas square skylights, nor plexiglas skylights, nor any variant of the search phrase.

Example: the search expression "passive infrared sensors" will match searchable content containing passive infrared sensors but not passive infrared sensor, nor any variant of the search phrase.

Again, the purpose of this feature is to return results that precisely match your search expression.   Remember to enclose the search expression with double quotes.