# Search 101
GovTribe offers advanced search capability throughout all of its data modules, allowing you to find the most relevant Opportunities, Awards, and more. You can fine-tune your research to your unique needs.
In this document, we will describe Search in the context of the Federal Contract Opportunities screen. However, the Search functionality works the same across all GovTribe modules.
## Search Basics
At the top of all data screens, the GovTribe Search fields are displayed, allowing you to search for specific data relevant to your needs.
| Item | Description |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Text Entry field** |
Type search terms here. Use keywords and phrases to locate the data you want.
Note that there is an assumed AND operator between each word. For example, the follow search term:
Cyber Security Operations for example will return federal contract opportunity records that contain all of the terms "cyber" AND "security" AND "operations", not necessarily need to be in that order or adjacent to one another.
The search will also return common variants of the words (e.g., "securities" and "operation").
Use quotation marks (“cyber security operations”) to return records with that exact term.
Click to execute your search after you have entered all of your search criteria.
Note that if your cursor is in the Text Entry field, you can also simply hit ENTER to execute the search.
|
| **Filters** |
Click to access relevant filters to your search. See Using GovTribe Filters for more information.
|
| **Sort Results** |
Click to access sort options, i.e., Due Date, Relevance, Updated Date, etc.
Note that the default sort is different for different situations and modules. For example, the default sort is:
“Relevance” when text is entered in the Search Text Entry field.
“Posted Date” when searching Federal Contract Opportunities (and no text is in the Text Entry field)
“Most Favored” when searching Vendors
|
| **Reset Search** | Click to remove all search criteria and start over from scratch. |
| **Create Saved Search** |
Click to save the current search criteria to be accessed in the future, and to receive Notifications when the search’s results include new data. The Saved Search will be available to all users on your account, however, only the account that created the Saved Search will receive the automatic notifications.
Click to export your results as a CSV file, which will be sent to the email address associated with your account.
Note: If you attempt to export more records than your current plan level allows, a message will display prompting you to upgrade your account or refine your search.
|
| **Share Search** |
Click to share the current search criteria as a clickable link, using one of the following three options:
Email Opens a new email in your default email application, with the link in the email body copy, but no pre-populated recipients.
Email Account Opens a new email in your default email application, with the link in the email body copy, with all email addresses of all users on your account populated as recipients.
Copy to Clipboard Copies the link to your clipboard so you can paste it anywhere you like.
|
## Using Keywords to Filter
Keywords in the Search field can also be used to filter search results. Keywords can be any words relevant to your search, such as a title (or partial title), words related to your product or service, etc. You can type just one word, or a phrase.
You can search using only keywords, or combine your keywords with the filters provided in the [GovTribe Filters list](#using-govtribe-filters).
Simply begin typing keywords in the text entry field provided. The system will display similar, relevant search terms, if applicable, which you can select if appropriate, or continue typing to define the keywords you want to use. Click **Search** to apply your keywords to the search results.
{% hint style="info" %}
You can also continue selecting filters from the [Filter field](#using-govtribe-filters), as well.
{% endhint %}
## Using GovTribe Filters
Use the **Filter** button in any Search bar to filter your search results by common criteria tracked in the GovTribe database, as shown in the following example.
## Advanced Search Syntax
For the vast majority of searches, this will likely suffice. However, there are a number of operators available to further refine (or expand) your search.
| Operator | Function | |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
|
+
(plus sign)
| Signifies an AND operation | |
|
| (pipe) (Shift+)
| Signifies an OR operation |
|
-
(minus sign)
| Signifies a NOT operation with regard to single term | |
|
" "
(quotations)
| Signifies an exact phrase match | |
|
( )
(parentheses)
| Signifies precedence or otherwise group operations | |
{% hint style="info" %}
You can use the operators separately, or in combination, except for the Negative - operator. That must be used in combination with other keywords or phrases.
{% endhint %}
*Example 1:*\
Entering the following as a Federal Contract Opportunity Search:
**`"cyber security operations" -training`**
will return all contract opportunity records that contain the exact phrase "cyber security operations", EXCEPT those that also contain the word "training".
The - prior to the word "training" means that you want to see everything preceding AND NOT the term immediately following.
*Example 2:*\
Entering the following as a Federal Contract Opportunity Search:
`"cyber security" + (systems | training)`
will return all contract opportunity records that contain the exact phrase "cyber security" and also contain either the word "systems" OR the word "training".
---
# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://docs.govtribe.com/user-guide/getting-started-understanding-the-basics/search-101.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
