How to Search Phrase with Wildcards in GroupDocs.Search for Java

In modern document‑centric applications, how to search phrase quickly and accurately is a make‑or‑break factor for user experience. Whether you’re building a knowledge base, an e‑commerce catalog, or a compliance‑driven repository, the ability to locate an exact phrase—or a flexible variation of it—keeps users productive and reduces support overhead. This tutorial walks you through installing GroupDocs.Search for Java, creating a search index, loading documents, and running both exact‑phrase and wildcard‑enhanced queries, all with clear, production‑ready code snippets.

Quick Answers

  • What is the primary benefit of phrase searches? Precise matching of word order and proximity, guaranteeing that only documents containing the exact sequence are returned.
  • Can wildcards be used inside a phrase? Yes—wildcards let you skip or replace words while preserving the overall order.
  • Do I need a license for development? A free trial works for testing; a full license is required for production deployments.
  • Which Maven version should I use? The latest GroupDocs.Search for Java release (e.g., 25.4 at the time of writing).
  • Is this approach suitable for large document sets? Absolutely—GroupDocs.Search can handle multi‑hundred‑thousand‑document collections with sub‑second query latency when the index is optimized.

What is “how to search phrase”?

Searching a phrase means looking for a specific sequence of words in a document.
When you execute a phrase query, the engine checks that the words appear in the exact order and within the defined proximity, eliminating irrelevant hits that contain the same words in a different context. This makes phrase searches ideal for locating legal clauses, product codes, or any text where order matters.

Why Use GroupDocs.Search for Phrase and Wildcard Queries?

GroupDocs.Search delivers high‑throughput indexing of up to 1 million documents while maintaining sub‑second query response times on typical server hardware. Its query language supports exact phrases, simple * and ? wildcards, and advanced patterns such as numeric ranges (*2~5). The library integrates with any Java application via Maven or a direct JAR download, and it runs on Java 8+ without external services.

Prerequisites

  • Java 8 or newer (Java 11 LTS recommended).
  • Maven 3 or later (if you prefer dependency management).
  • Basic familiarity with Java project structure and object‑oriented concepts.

Setting Up GroupDocs.Search for Java

Using Maven

Add the official repository and the GroupDocs.Search dependency to your pom.xml:

<!-- Maven repository -->
<repositories>
    <repository>
        <id>groupdocs-releases</id>
        <url>https://repository.groupdocs.com/release</url>
    </repository>
</repositories>

<!-- GroupDocs.Search dependency -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.groupdocs</groupId>
    <artifactId>groupdocs-search</artifactId>
    <version>25.4</version>
</dependency>

Direct Download

Alternatively, download the latest JAR from the official release page: GroupDocs.Search for Java releases.

License Acquisition

  • Free Trial: Ideal for quick experiments; limited to 100 MB of indexed data.
  • Temporary License: Request a 30‑day evaluation key from the GroupDocs portal.
  • Full License: Required for production use and unlimited indexing capacity.

Basic Initialization and Setup

Create a folder that will hold the index files and instantiate the Index object. The Index class represents the searchable index stored on disk and provides methods to add, update, and query documents.

<repositories>
   <repository>
      <id>repository.groupdocs.com</id>
      <name>GroupDocs Repository</name>
      <url>https://releases.groupdocs.com/search/java/</url>
   </repository>
</repositories>

<dependencies>
   <dependency>
      <groupId>com.groupdocs</groupId>
      <artifactId>groupdocs-search</artifactId>
      <version>25.4</version>
   </dependency>
</dependencies>

Add the documents you want to make searchable:

String indexFolder = "YOUR_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY/PhraseSearch";
Index index = new Index(indexFolder);

How to Search Phrase with Wildcards in GroupDocs.Search

This section demonstrates three levels of phrase searching—exact match, simple wildcard, and advanced wildcard patterns—showing how to create an index, add documents, and execute each query type with concise Java code. The examples illustrate both text‑based queries and object‑based query construction, enabling developers to integrate flexible search capabilities into their applications.

Overview

Use this approach when you need an exact match of a word sequence, such as a legal clause or a product model number.

Direct Answer

Load the index, call search with a quoted phrase (e.g., "quick brown fox"), and the engine returns only documents containing that exact sequence, preserving word order and spacing. The query executes in milliseconds, even on indexes containing hundreds of thousands of files.

Step 1: Create an Index

String documentsFolder = "YOUR_DOCUMENT_DIRECTORY";
index.add(documentsFolder);

Step 2: Add Documents to Index

Index index = new Index(indexFolder);

Step 3: Search for a Specific Phrase (Text Form)

index.add(documentsFolder);

Step 4: Object‑Based Queries (Search Exact Phrase)

String queryText = "\"sollicitudin at ligula\"";
SearchResult resultText = index.search(queryText);

Phrase Search with Wildcards

Overview

Wildcard placeholders (* for any number of characters, ? for a single character) let you skip variable words while still enforcing the surrounding order.

Direct Answer

Insert a wildcard token (*) inside a quoted phrase—e.g., "quick * fox"—to match any word(s) between quick and fox. The engine expands the wildcard at query time, scanning only the indexed terms that satisfy the pattern, which keeps performance comparable to a plain phrase query.

Step 1: Create an Index

(Same as Simple Phrase Search.)

Step 2: Add Documents to Index

(Same as above.)

Step 3: Text Form Search with Wildcards

SearchQuery word1 = SearchQuery.createWordQuery("sollicitudin");
SearchQuery word2 = SearchQuery.createWordQuery("at");
SearchQuery word3 = SearchQuery.createWordQuery("ligula");
SearchQuery queryObject = SearchQuery.createPhraseSearchQuery(word1, word2, word3);
SearchResult resultObject = index.search(queryObject);

Step 4: Object‑Based Queries with Wildcards (Wildcard Search Java)

String queryText = "\"sollicitudin *0~~3 ligula\"";
SearchResult resultText = index.search(queryText);

Overview

Combine numeric ranges, optional characters, and custom regex‑like patterns for sophisticated matching, such as version numbers or product codes.

Direct Answer

Use the extended wildcard syntax *min~max to define a range of allowed word distances, or ? to match a single character. For example, "error *2~5 code" finds the word error followed by any two to five words and then code. This precision reduces false positives while still offering flexibility.

Step 1: Create an Index

(Repeated for clarity.)

Step 2: Add Documents to Index

(Repeated.)

Step 3: Text Form Search with Complex Wildcard Patterns

SearchQuery word1 = SearchQuery.createWordQuery("sollicitudin");
SearchQuery wildcard2 = SearchQuery.createWildcardQuery(0, 3);
SearchQuery word3 = SearchQuery.createWordQuery("ligula");
SearchQuery queryObject = SearchQuery.createPhraseSearchQuery(word1, wildcard2, word3);
SearchResult resultObject = index.search(queryObject);

Step 4: Object‑Based Queries with Advanced Wildcards

String queryText = "\"sollicitudin *0~~3 ?(0~4)la\"";
SearchResult resultText = index.search(queryText);

Practical Applications

  • Content Management Systems: Editors can locate exact clauses or flexible excerpts without manually scanning hundreds of pages.
  • E‑commerce Catalogs: Shoppers find products even when they omit a descriptor or use synonyms, thanks to wildcard tolerance.
  • Legal & Compliance: Quickly isolate contractual language that may appear with minor variations across agreements.

Performance Considerations

  • Create Search Index only once per stable document set; reuse the same Index instance for all queries.
  • Add Documents Incrementally when new files arrive—avoid rebuilding the whole index to keep CPU usage low.
  • Design Precise Wildcard Patterns; broader patterns (*) increase the number of term expansions and can raise CPU load.
  • Call index.optimize() periodically (if supported) to compact the index and keep memory consumption under control.

Common Issues & Solutions

IssueSolution
No results returned for a wildcard queryVerify the wildcard syntax (*min~max) and ensure the target words exist within the defined distance.
Index becomes stale after file updatesUse index.add(updatedFolder) or the incremental update API to refresh only changed files.
High memory consumption on large datasetsIncrease JVM heap (-Xmx4g or higher) and consider splitting the index into multiple shards for parallel processing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a wildcard and a phrase search?
A: A phrase search requires the exact word order and spacing, while a wildcard allows you to replace or skip words within that order, offering flexible matching.

Q: Can I use wildcards with numeric data in searches?
A: Yes—wildcard range parameters (*min~max) work with numbers as well as words, enabling queries like "version *1~3".

Q: How should I handle very large document collections?
A: Keep the index optimized, perform incremental updates, and craft specific wildcard patterns to limit term expansion. GroupDocs.Search can index 1 million documents while keeping query latency under 200 ms on standard hardware.

Q: Is GroupDocs.Search suitable for real‑time search scenarios?
A: Absolutely—once the index is built, queries execute in milliseconds, making it ideal for interactive search boxes and auto‑complete features.

Q: Can I integrate this library into an existing Java project?
A: Yes. Add the Maven dependency or JAR, instantiate the Index as shown, and you’re ready to query without altering existing code.

Last Updated: 2026-05-28
Tested With: GroupDocs.Search 25.4 for Java
Author: GroupDocs

double word1 = SearchQuery.createWordQuery("sollicitudin");
SearchQuery wildcard2 = SearchQuery.createWildcardQuery(0, 3);

WordPattern pattern = new WordPattern();
pattern.appendWildcard(0, 4);
pattern.appendString("la");

SearchQuery wordPattern3 = SearchQuery.createWordPatternQuery(pattern);
SearchQuery queryObject = SearchQuery.createPhraseSearchQuery(word1, wildcard2, wordPattern3);
SearchResult resultObject = index.search(queryObject);