QueryType is an enumeration used internally by the search parser to categorise query terms based on the presence of special operators. It allows the parser to track whether a term is optional, required, forbidden, or a combination of these roles. For example, a single token may be both optional and forbidden in some edge cases (though such a query would never match).
| Value | Meaning |
|---|---|
optional |
The word appears without any special prefix. It contributes positive points if matched but is not required. |
require |
The word is marked as required (typically via quotes). A result must contain all required words in at least one of its fields to be considered valid. |
cannot |
The word is prefixed by - (minus) and is forbidden. If it appears in a field, the result is invalid. |
optReq |
A combination meaning the word is both optional and required. This can occur when multiple prefix rules collide; the engine treats it as required. |
reqCnot |
The word is both required and forbidden; the engine treats it as forbidden. |
optCnot |
The word is optional and forbidden; the engine treats it as forbidden. |
all |
The word is simultaneously optional, required and forbidden. This effectively means the word cannot contribute any meaningful role. |
Most queries fall into the first three categories. The combined cases exist to support future syntactic extensions and to handle unusual scenarios gracefully.