docsearch

Documentation search

Syntax

docsearch

docsearch expression

Description

docsearch opens the documentation home page in a new tab in your system web browser. If your system web browser is already open, but not visible, then docsearch also brings it to the foreground.

docsearch expression searches the documentation for pages with words that match the specified expression and highlights them. To clear highlighting, press the Esc key. To search third-party or custom documentation, you must first run the builddocsearchdb command to build a search database for the additional help files.

Examples

Search for Single Words

Find all documentation pages that contain the word plot.

docsearch plot

Search for Multiple Words

Find documentation pages containing the words plot and tools.

docsearch plot tools

Expand the search to include variations of the word plot, such as plotting or plots, using a wildcard character (*).

docsearch plot* tools

Find pages containing either word, but not necessarily both words, using the OR operator.

docsearch plot OR tools

Narrow the search to pages that include an exact phrase by enclosing the phrase in quotation marks.

docsearch('"plot tools"')

Input Arguments

expression — Expression that defines search terms

character vector

Expression that defines search terms, specified as a character vector. Expressions can include:

• Quotation marks to specify exact phrases, such as "plot tools"

• Boolean operator keywords in uppercase (listed here in order of precedence): NOT, OR, AND

• Asterisk (*) wildcard characters, except at the beginning of a word or in an exact phrase (Searches require that at least two characters in the expression are not wildcard characters)

Tips

• To access third-party or custom documentation without the docsearch command, open your system web browser and navigate to the documentation home page. On the left side of the home page, click Supplemental Software. Then, click the name of the third-party or custom documentation that you want to access.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a

R2024b: Documentation opens in your system web browser

When you access the documentation from an installed version of MATLAB^®, the documentation now opens in your system web browser. Previously, the documentation opened in the Help browser. As part of this change, the Help browser has been removed.