Search pdf for 'eight' but not 'weight'

My neighbor is trying to search a pdf file for the word 'eight' but doesn't want 'weight', 'eighty' or other instances where 'eight' is within a larger string. She searched for ' eight ' (with spaces on either side), and it ignores the spaces. I just tried the same, and it ignores the spaces in the search.

How do you get the pdf search to not ignore spaces?

She has tried with a space before and after, both before and after; on Vista and Windows 7; with an Adobe reader and a reader/writer.

It seems like there should be a setting, and under Edit/Preferences, there is a Search option. But I sure don't see how to set it to not ignore leading and trailing spaces in a search.

thursdaysgeek

Posted 2011-03-29T15:35:38.770

Reputation: 2 310

1What reader are you using? – Pricey – 2011-03-29T15:37:13.960

I'm using Acobe Reader 9, and I think she mentioned 9 as well. – thursdaysgeek – 2011-03-29T15:41:43.883

Answers

Select Edit > Advanced Search

Select "Match Exact word or phrase", then tick the "Whole words only" option.

Apparently this is only in Adobe Reader X (sorry).

In Adobe Reader 9 it's Edit > Search (Shift+Ctrl+F)

Adobe Search menu

There's no drop down but there is the "Whole words only" option:

Adobe Search options

ChrisF

Posted 2011-03-29T15:35:38.770

Reputation: 39 650

Adobe Reader 9 doesn't have an Edit > Advanced Search. Under Edit, it has Search, Search Results, and Preferences. Preferences has a Search category, but nothing about "Whole words only". – thursdaysgeek – 2011-03-29T16:25:28.743

The "Find" toolbar also has a drop-down menu (from the small arrow) that allows you to select "Whole Words Only". – sblair – 2011-03-30T12:29:06.067

Most search engines will consider exact match if you surround the text with " like " eight "

laurent

Posted 2011-03-29T15:35:38.770

Reputation: 4 166

1The OP has already tried that and found it didn't work. – ChrisF – 2011-03-29T15:44:14.253

3I think laurent is suggesting to not just wrap in spaces, but also quotes. – Pricey – 2011-03-29T15:52:13.283

@PriceChild - Yes, exactly - I understood the OP has tried only with spaces – laurent – 2011-03-29T15:54:28.980

If I surround the word with quotes, it finds nothing, because no words have quotes around them. That sounded like a good idea. – thursdaysgeek – 2011-03-29T16:27:55.840

Keep your software up-to-date, Adobe Reader 9 has bugs and security leaks.

Here is a screenshot of Adobe Reader X:

enter image description here

As it looks like they slightly revamped the search engine it might support the " " syntax as well...

Tamara Wijsman

Posted 2011-03-29T15:35:38.770

Reputation: 54 163

1I'll suggest to my neighbor to try the newer adobe, if that's an option for her. Both of us use what our companies provide, and at least for me, upgrading on my own is simply not allowed. – thursdaysgeek – 2011-03-29T16:51:09.190

You could try to propose an upgrade if the feature is necessary for your work, another option is to use a portable version of Adobe Reader X. – Tamara Wijsman – 2011-03-29T16:55:19.477

To search for phrases with spaces:

Press Shift-Ctrl-F to Open Full Reader Search.
Enter the phrase but use the underscore character "_" in place of each space.
Change Return results containing to "Match Any of the words".
Click on "Show More Options" on the bottom left of the window.
Check the option "Stemming" under "Use these additional criteria".

wmagic

Posted 2011-03-29T15:35:38.770

Reputation: 1

That doesn't seem to answer the question, as it wasn't about phrases, but rather a word that could be contained within other words. – thursdaysgeek – 2017-04-05T15:39:22.297