Search Interface

It is possible to search for resources in various ways on the registry.

The first, and simpler one, is by keywords. Just enter one or more keywords separated by spaces in the appropriate input box on the right. The keywords can be linked either by "AND" (the default) or by "OR" logical functions.

Note that any text enclosed in double quotes (") will be considered as one "word", allowing searching for expressions or even full sentences. The search is case-insensitive and results are ordered by occurrences of the keywords in the resource.

Another method is to use the ADQL query language to effectuate more precise search. The Astronomical Data Query Language can be used in its XML or its String form.

Here is a query example in its XML form:

<Where xmlns="http://www.ivoa.net/xml/ADQL/v1.0"
 xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <Condition xsi:type="intersectionSearchType">
    <Condition xsi:type="likePredType">
      <Arg xsi:type="columnReferenceType" xpathName="description" />
      <Pattern>
        <Literal xsi:type="stringType" Value="%esa%" />
      </Pattern>
    </Condition>
    <Condition xsi:type="comparisonPredType" Comparison="&lt;&gt;">
      <Arg xsi:type="columnReferenceType" xpathName="curation/publisher" />
      <Arg xsi:type="atomType">
        <Literal xsi:type="stringType" Value="CDS" />
      </Arg>
    </Condition>
  </Condition>
</Where>

Here is the same query in its String form:

  WHERE #description# LIKE '%esa%' AND #curation/publisher# <> 'CDS'

Note that the elements to search should be specified using the xpathName attribute for the XML form and enclosed in sharp characters (#) for the String form. The ADQL versions currently supported are v0.7.4, v0.8, v0.9 and v1.0 ; it must be specified by using the proper XML namespace declaration.

In case the identifier of the resource wanted is known, the fastest and surer way to access it is to use the last input box. It is also the only way to access "inactive" and "deleted" resources. Note that identifiers are case-insensitive.

Finally, it is possible to get all the resources of a particular type by selecting it in the left menu. Be aware that some types might return a lot of resources like for example the CDS Catalog Service or the Cone Search.