TTB Search/Navigation Help

Advanced Search

Once you know the basics of search, you might want to try Advanced Search, which offers numerous options for making your searches more precise and getting more useful results.

With Advanced Search, you can:

1. Search for pages that contain ALL the search terms you type in
2. Search for pages that contain the exact phrase you type in
3. Search for pages that contain at least one of the words you type in
4. Search for pages that do NOT contain any of the words you type in
5. Select a specifc language that the pages are written in
6. Select a certain file format
7. Choose to return results that have occured either anywhere, in the title, or in the URL of the page
8. Search for pages within a certain domain, or website
9. Sort either by relevance or by date

Here are some advanced tips to help you maximize the effectiveness of your search:

• "OR" Search
• Number Range Search
• Date Range Search
• Search Cheat Sheet

"OR" Search

To find pages that include either of two search terms, add an uppercase OR between the terms. For example, here's how to search for regulations dealing with alcohol or tobacco.

Number Range Search

To search for documents or items that contain numbers within a range, type your search term and the range of numbers separated by two periods (".."). You can set ranges for weights, dimensions, prices (dollar currencies only), and so on. Be sure to specify a unit of measurement or some other indicator of what the number range represents.

For example, to search for a TTB form between 5100 and 5200, type the following:

Date Range Search

You can search for documents that contain dates that fall within a time frame. To use date range search, type the following:

• The search term
• The "daterange:" operator (see below)
• The start date
• The range separator (depending on the date format, it is either two periods or a hyphen)
• The end date

Do not add a space between the search operator and the date range. The dates could be in either of the following formats:

• The YYYY-MM-DD (ISO 8601) format. Date ranges using this format should be separated by two periods ("..").
• The Julian format. The Julian date is calculated by the number of days since January 1, 4713 BC. For example, the Julian date for August 1, 2001 is 2452122. Date ranges in this format should be separated by a hyphen ("-").

For example, to search for a document about Wine Regulations that was modified within a specific two-year period, type the following:

Search Cheat Sheet

For quick cheat sheets that you can print out and save for later, go to Print-and-save Search Cheat Sheet.