Editing Help:Searching (section)

==== <code>prefix:</code> ====
{{shortcut|H:PREFIX}}
{{anchor|prefix}}

<code>prefix:{{var|page name}}</code> patterns {{em|only the beginning characters}} of a [[WP:Page name|page name]]. Because the "beginning" characters can, if you need, go on to include the characters all the way to the end of the page name, prefix must include spaces, since page names often include spaces. For this reason <code>prefix:</code> must only ever be given as the {{em|last part}} of a search box query, and next character after the colon cannot be a space. <code>prefix:</code> does not search for partial namespace names, but requires at least a full namespace name to start to find pages, but <code>prefix:</code> also recognizes an [[WP:Namespace#Aliases|alias]] of a namespace, and it recognizes redirects (or shortcut). Prefix is the most widely used and powerful filter as it can mimic the namespace filter, and because <code>intitle:</code> cannot easily target a single page, even together with other filters. [[Special:PrefixIndex]] is a MediaWiki, graphical, version, using only <code>prefix:</code> to find pages.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Query
! Description
|-
| {{kbd|{{search link|Salvage wreck prefix:USS}}}}
| Articles containing the words {{samp|salvage}} and {{samp|wreck}} whose title starts with the characters {{samp|USS}}.
|-
| {{kbd|{{search link|wave particle prefix:Talk:Speed of light}}}}
| The [[Speed of light]] article's talk pages containing the terms {{samp|particle}} and {{samp|wave}}, including the current and the [[WP:Archive|archived]] talk [[WP:Subpage|subpages]].
|-
| {{kbd|{{search link|wave particle prefix:Talk:Speed of light/}}}}
| Same search, but only in the archived talk subpages.
|-
| {{kbd|{{search link|"portal namespace"  readers prefix:Wikipedia talk:}}}}
| Is equivalent to {{samp|Wikipedia talk:"portal namespace" readers}}.
|-
| {{kbd|{{search link|language prefix:Portal:Chi}}}}
| Portal namespace page names that begin with {{samp|Portal:Chi}} and have the word {{samp|language}} in the page.
|}