Flowchart of Text Query Application

A typical text query application on a document collection enables the user to enter a query. The application enters a CONTAINS query and returns a list, called a hitlist, of documents that satisfy the query. The results are usually ranked by relevance. The application enables the user to view one or more documents in the hitlist.

For example, an application might index URLs (HTML files) on the Web and provide query capabilities across the set of indexed URLs. Hitlists returned by the query application are composed of URLs that the user can visit.

Figure 1-2 illustrates the flowchart of how a user interacts with a simple query application:

1. The user enters a query.

2. The application runs a CONTAINS query.

3. The application presents a hitlist.

4. The user selects document from hitlist.

5. The application presents a document to the user for viewing.