Catalog Search

Catalog search helps you find exercises within the catalog page you currently have open.

Search does not search every catalog area at once. A search in All Exercises looks through published community exercises. A search in Created by Me looks through exercises you own. A search inside a topic, textbook, or team catalog is limited to that page's exercise set.

Use the search icon at the start of the search box to switch search modes.

What Search Looks At

Search primarily checks exercise content. If you already know the exact exercise ID, you can also search by that exact ID to jump directly to the matching exercise.

If you know the topic, textbook chapter, or catalog structure but not the exact words inside the exercise, use the page's topic, outline, or filter controls before adding a text search.

Search Modes

The catalog search includes three modes. The best mode depends on how much control you want over the query.

Default

Default is the best choice for most searches.

• Each term you type is treated as required.
• Quotes, exclusions with -, and prefix matching with * are supported.
• This mode is designed to give predictable results without requiring full boolean syntax.

Use this when you already know the main words that should appear in the exercise.

Boolean

Boolean gives you more direct control over the query.

• You can use boolean-style operators such as +, -, *, <, >, ~, quotes, and grouping with ( ).
• This is useful when you want to fine-tune which terms matter most or write a more advanced search expression.
• Unlike Default mode, Boolean mode does not automatically rewrite the query for you.

Use this when you want power-user control over matching behavior.

Boolean Operator Reference

These behaviors apply to Boolean mode.

• + requires the next term or phrase to appear in matching results.
• - excludes the next term or phrase from matching results.
• * turns the preceding word into a prefix search, so it can match longer words that start the same way.
• > increases the importance of the next term or phrase, which can push matching results higher.
• < decreases the importance of the next term or phrase, which can keep it in the search without weighting it as strongly.
• A term with no operator is optional in Boolean mode. A result can still match without it, but results that contain it may rank higher.
• ( ) groups part of the query so operators can apply to that group together.
• ~ marks a term as unwanted without fully excluding it. Results containing that term can still appear, but they may rank lower.

Examples:

• +derivative -graph integr*
• calculus >derivative <limit
• +(algebra geometry) -graph
• trig ~graph

Natural Language

Natural Language is better for broader topic searches.

• The system treats your query more like ordinary language.
• Results are ranked by natural-language relevance rather than by explicit operator rules.
• This mode is useful when you are exploring a topic and want the search engine to infer which results are most related.

Use this when you want broader relevance ranking instead of strict term-by-term matching.

Basic Search

Typing a word or short phrase will look for exercises that contain those terms.

Examples:

• quadratic
• integration by parts
• sine rule

When search can use full-text ranking, the most relevant matches appear first. When it falls back to simpler text matching, the newest matching exercises appear first.

Exact Phrase Search With Quotes

Use quotation marks when you want words to stay together as a phrase.

This works best in Default and Boolean mode.

Examples:

• "chain rule"
• "completing the square"

This is helpful when the same individual words appear in many exercises, but the exact phrase is more specific.

Excluding Words With -

Add a minus sign before a term to exclude exercises containing that word.

This works best in Default and Boolean mode.

Examples:

• limits -derivative
• "implicit differentiation" -trig

This is useful when a search term is broad and you want to remove one common type of result.

Prefix Matching With *

Add * to the end of a word root to match words that start with that root.

This works best in Default and Boolean mode.

Examples:

• integr*
• polyn*
• deriv*

This works best when the root has at least three characters.

Combining Search Techniques

You can combine plain terms, quoted phrases, excluded terms, and prefix matching in one search.

This style of query works best in Default and Boolean mode.

Examples:

• "partial fractions" rational
• deriv* -implicit
• "unit circle" trig -graph

Search With Filters

Filters narrow the same exercise set as the search box. Available filters depend on the catalog page.

Common filters include:

• Randomized only for exercises that include randomized variables or values.
• Content State for separating drafts from published exercises where drafts can appear.
• Exercise Type for formats such as fill in the blank, drag and drop, multiple select, and formula tap.
• Difficulty for narrowing by challenge level.
• Review Status where review information is available.

If a filter is not shown, that page does not support that filter or the filter is not relevant to the current catalog.

Very Short Search Terms

Very short terms still work, but they are handled more simply than longer search terms. In practice, you will get the best results from:

• specific keywords
• exact phrases in quotes
• three-or-more-character roots when using *

Troubleshooting Results

If you get too many results:

• add another required keyword
• use quotes around an exact phrase
• exclude a common unrelated word with -
• switch from Natural Language to Default or Boolean

If you get too few results:

• remove quotes or exclusions
• try broader words
• switch to Natural Language
• clear filters
• make sure you are searching the right catalog page

If you get no results:

• clear filters first
• try the search in a broader page, such as All Exercises or Created by Me
• check Created by Me if the exercise may still be a draft
• check Bookmarks if you saved the exercise earlier