Overview
Keyword Search Hits—also referred to as search term hits—occur when a document matches keyword- or term-based search criteria in QuikData. These hits determine why a document appears in a search result set and are recalculated each time a search is run.
Regardless of whether a search is initiated through Quick Search, Advanced Search, or Search Manager, understanding the results of keyword hits is essential when validating search results.
Getting There
This article focuses on understanding search results rather than UI navigation. Refer to the relevant search articles for step-by-step instructions.
The Source of Truth for Keyword Search Hits
When a keyword search is executed, QuikData evaluates document text against the active search criteria. Documents that meet the criteria are returned in the results and may display highlighted terms in the Document Viewer.
While visual highlighting can be helpful, highlighting alone is not the authoritative indicator of why a document was returned. Validation should always rely on the tools described below.
To determine why a document was returned as a keyword search hit, the Keyword Field and HTML/Search hit Viewer, should be used as authoritative references.
A. Keyword Field Behavior
The Keyword field displays the specific term or terms that caused a document to be returned in the current result set.
This field is context-dependent and reflects only the terms used in the active search that generated the results being viewed.
Key characteristics of the Keyword field:
Displays the keyword or search term responsible for the document’s inclusion in the current results
The same document may show different Keyword values when retrieved through different searches
Keyword values do not persist across searches and are not aggregated
Examples:
A Quick Search for apple displays apple in the Keyword field
A Saved Search using a full-text condition for banana displays banana
If a document matches both searches, the Keyword field reflects only the active search
This behavior is consistent across Quick Search, Advanced Search, and Search Manager.
B. HTML / Search Hit Viewer
The HTML/Search Hit viewer displays document content using its HTML representation and highlights the exact words or terms that caused the document to be returned.
Because this viewer is directly tied to the search engine’s interpretation of document text, it should be used when validating:
Phrase searches
Boolean or proximity searches
Complex keyword or dtSearch syntax
The built-in search panel within the viewer allows users to navigate between individual hits and confirm how and where matches occur.
Document Viewer Considerations
Keyword highlights shown in document viewers are:
Temporary
Tied to the active search
Updated dynamically with each new search
When a new search is run, the following are updated:
Highlighted terms displayed in the viewer
Values shown in the Keyword field
This ensures that search results always reflect the current search context, not prior searches.
Built-in Search Panel (Non-HTML Viewers)
When reviewing documents using viewers other than the HTML/Search Hit viewer (such as Auto Viewer), users can use the built-in search panel to locate text within the document.
This panel can be shown or hidden using the Toggle Side Panel viewer control.
The built-in search panel:
Displays the number of times a term appears within the document
Allows users to navigate between occurrences using the arrow controls
Searches performed using the built-in search panel are viewer-only and:
Are not saved to the Search History dropdown
Do not affect search results or the Keyword field
The built-in search panel does not support dtSearch syntax. Instead, it uses basic wildcard behavior.
For example, searching for "ocu" will highlight instances of the word document.
Note: This panel should be used as a visual aid only and not as a source of truth when validating keyword search results.
Keyword Search Hits vs Persistent Highlighting
A common source of confusion is the difference between Keyword Search Hits and Persistent Highlight Sets.
Keyword Search Hits determine whether a document appears in a search result set and are validated using the Keyword field and HTML/Search Hit viewer.
Persistent Highlight Sets are user-defined visual overlays that remain active across documents and searches and do not control search results.
Understanding the source of truth makes it easier to distinguish between these two features.
Notes
Running a new search clears highlighting from the previous search
Keyword values are recalculated each time a search is executed
Search behavior is consistent regardless of the entry point used
Key Takeaway
To accurately validate keyword search results:
Use the Keyword field to identify which terms caused the hit
Use the HTML/Search Hit viewer and built-in search panel to confirm exact matches
Remember Print or Auto view highlighting is a visual reference only
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