Err Msg: No Documents Matched the Query

ID: Q238660

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Index Server version 2.0

SYMPTOMS

Instead of receiving a list of matching documents when you perform a query using Microsoft Index Server, you may receive the following error message:

No Documents Matched the Query

CAUSE

This error is one of the most common errors that occurs when you try to query on a catalog. This error means that the catalog is responding the way that it should; however, there is an incorrect setting somewhere that is causing Index Server to determine that it has no documents to return.

WORKAROUND

To find the incorrect setting, use the following troubleshooting steps in the order they are listed, and then test after each step:

In the Index Server snap-in in the MMC, right-click the name of the catalog you are working with, and then click Properties. In the Properties dialog, click the Web tab and make sure that Track Virtual Roots is enabled and that the correct site is selected on the drop-down menu. If you had the incorrect site selected, rebuild the catalog from scratch (stop Index Server, delete the contents of the Catalog.wci directory, and then restart Index Server).

In the Index Server snap-in, click the Directories folder that is a subset of your Catalog. In that list of directories, any directory listed there must have an icon that has a folder with a globe on it. If it has just a folder, delete it from the list. You may want to rebuild the Index if you make changes here. Index Server considers directories that appear in this list with just a folder icon as "physical" directories, which means results that are returned from those directories are not virtual paths (vpaths), but physical paths. This can cause the vpath variable to be unpopulated.

Try the samples in the \INETPUB\IISSAMPLES\ISSAMPLES directory. The only variable that may need to be changed is the pointer to the catalog, if you are not using the default catalog. In an IDQ you should see a line like the following:
```
# CiCatalog=d:\inetpub\wwwroot\tmjs_index 
```
Remove the pound sign (#), as the pound sign comments it out, and make sure the path is pointing to the folder that contains your Catalog.wci. In an ASP, you will need to add the Q.Catalog line in the context below:
```
set Q = Server.CreateObject("ixsso.Query")
        set util = Server.CreateObject("ixsso.Util")
    Q.Catalog="<catalogname>"
    Q.Query = CompSearch
    Q.SortBy = "rank[d]"
    Q.Columns = "DocTitle, vpath, filename, size, write, characterization, rank"
    Q.MaxRecords = 300  
```
Where <catalogname> is the name of your catalog as it appears in the MMC for Index Server (with the quotation marks around it).

In the code of your page, make sure the following is true:

In an IDQ:
```
CiScope=/ 
CiRestriction=%CiRestriction%
CiCatalog=<path to the directory holding the Catalog.wci folder> 
```
In an ASP:
```
FormScope=/ 
Q.Query=compsearch
Q.Catalog="<catalogname>" 
```
Where <catalogname> is the name of the catalog as it appears in the Index Server snap-in in the MMC.

This will ensure that you are running the widest possible search with the most chances of returning results against the correct catalog, with nothing on the query line to prevent results from appearing. Note that this can be changed later.

In the IIS snap-in, right-click the root of your Web site and choose Properties. On the Home Directory tab, make sure that the Index this Directory check box is checked. Now, try your query again.

Make sure that the directory you are trying to return results from has its Index this Directory check box checked.

Index Server does its indexing as the System account. If the System account does not have at least Read permissions on the files that are to be cataloged, the files will not be indexed. Also, make sure the System account has Full Access permissions on the root of the drive that physically contains the catalog, and on the Catalog.wci directory.

You are only allowed to view results that you have permissions to see. If you are accessing the query page as the anonymous user, you need to make sure that the anonymous user has at least Read permissions to the document you are trying to find. This goes for any user that is attaching to the query page.

Authenticate coming into the query page as an administrator if possible. Try setting the directory that the query page is located in to Basic/Clear Text authentication only, so that you receive a prompt when you attempt to connect to that page. If you log in as an administrator and still receive a "No Documents Found" message, more than likely, you do not have a permissions issue. If you get results, you do have a permissions issue. As an alternative to this, temporarily add the anonymous user to the Administrators group in User Manager.

If you are querying on a specific page and it is returning in a #filename query, but it is not being filtered (abstract is not populated), and it is an HTM, HTML, or ASP page, make sure you do not have a ROBOTS=NOINDEX metatag in the header of the document. This will not prevent indexing, but it will prevent filtering.

Additional query words:

Keywords :
Version : winnt:2.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb