Advanced Search Query Builder: The Easy Way to do Internet Searches

 

Ever wanted to get rid of those pesky AI summaries that seem to appear every time you do a Google search ? Want to bypass AI and 'do your own thing' with an advance internet search ? Now you can - and without needing to remember what query syntax to use.

To find out how, just read on…..

Background

Internet searching has changed a lot over the last few years, due largely to the automatic introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents into everything but the most basic searches by the all the major search engine providers.

There is no doubt that those AI summaries which appear uninvited in response to most queries can be very useful, particularly for those who know little about a particular subject to start with and aren’t quite sure where to start looking.

But they aren't always needed, and they can clutter up the results presentation and slow things down if you already know what you’re looking for, and want to narrow down your search accordingly.  AI intervention also has the disadvantage that the results presented in the summary and thereafter will be dependent on the AI algorithms the agent’s LLM used to select them, and this may exclude items that would have been of interest to the user.

After a particularly irritating series of AI interventions of this sort when searching recently, I decided to try an advanced search for myself, but quickly realised I’d forgotten the precise syntax to use for the various restrictions I wanted to apply. Realising I was unlikely to be alone in suffering from this problem (you try remembering all the query command lines if you’ve not done one for 6 months!) I thought it would be worthwhile to spend a bit of time putting together a simple HTML tool to simplify the process…and avoid having to 're-learn' query syntax every time.

Here’s the result….

What is it and what does it do ?

Firstly, please note that the query builder utility app pre-supposes you want to restrict your search in at least some way – there’s no point in using it otherwise.

The app I've generated comes in the form of a simple HTML file which will run on any internet browser. It allows you to specify several search restrictions using a simple to use main screen display and selection boxes (see Figure 1).

Since advanced queries are designed to be more specific, and will reduce the number of links presented, using the app should also reduce the likelihood of automatic AI intervention and thus allow you to retain more control of the search process.  You can add as many restrictions as you wish via the selection box system, and some of these have dropdown menus where appropriate.  You can select one of the 3 most popular search engines for your search, and it’s easy to switch for comparison displays of the same search. Since the program also displays the ‘raw’ search string that will be submitted, this can be copied, and either modified by the user to extend the search or simply submitted to another search engine.

How Do I use the Software ?

1)     1) The software is available as a single HTML file. It was designed for use on a Windows pc, but should be accessible via tablets or mobile phones.

2)     2) To use it, first download the file ‘Advanced Search Compiler.html’ from the list of files presented using this link.

3)     3) Right Click the file from Explorer and select the ‘Open With’ option. Select your browser of choice – the HTML file is not browser specific.

4)     4) Once the file opens, you’ll see a screen similar to that shown in Figure 1.

5)     5) The only box that requires a user entry is Search Term. Enter your term of interest. (There is no size limit but bear in mind a long search term may induce AI participation and will likely increase the number of ‘hits’). The Search Engine selection box must also be occupied – this is controlled by the dropdown menu, which allows selection of one of the 3 principal search engines. All other boxes are optional, and are there to refine your search if required. If you leave a box empty, the app will not apply that particular restriction.

6)     6) Dropdown menus are also provided for Date Range Selection, Filetype and selection of the search engine you wish to use.

7)     7) When you have completed your selection, check the compiled query display at the bottom of your screen – this shows the query as it will be passed to the search engine you’ve chosen when you initiate the query.

8)     8) When you've checked your entries, click the ‘Open in Search Engine’ button. This should open a new window and present the results of your search. You can then refine the search if required or exit the program. You don't need to submit the query yourself - the app does it for you.

Some Useful Hints and Tips

1)     *  If you wish to look for a particular string in the Title field of each entry only, you can add the following at the end of your search term:     intitle:abcdef. This will look for the term in the title only and is distinct from the exact match term, as this searches for matches in the complete entry and not just the title. 

2)     *  If you wish to modify the compiled query yourself, or use it for a different search engine, you can copy it and transfer it to another browser window to modify as desired before running it.

3)      * If you plan to use this software frequently, why not bookmark the URL for ease of access? To do this, simply star the entry at the top of your screen after you’ve loaded the program into your browser e.g  for a file run from the Windows downloads directory, the URL would look like this:      file:///C:/Users/Administrator/Downloads/HTML/Search%20Engine%202.html

4)      * You do not need to specify the complete URL for a website if you wish to restrict results to it. Simply enter a shortened version of the URL and the search engine should find it. e.g for Wikipedia only items, enter ‘wikipedia.org’ and the system will do the rest.

  *     *  Although it's not possible to switch off AI summaries entirely, you can usually exclude them by adding 'AI' to the exclusions box. This should eliminate them from the display.

         *  You can add more than 1 term to the exclusions box e.g. 'AI terminal windows' in the box should omit terminal and windows from the search and eliminate the AI summary.

5)      * If you don’t want to go to the trouble of downloading the HTML file, you can run the same program directly from my website search page.

Happy Searching……

 First published 3.9.26

Figure 1: Main screen