# MATCH

The `MATCH` field specifier (case sensitive) allows you to find documents in which the entirety of a specified field contains a value that exactly matches a specified string.

NOTE: You can optimize the field specifier speed by restricting the field to the `MatchType` property type. You can also optimize the field specifier by restricting the field to the `ReferenceType` property type, but only if you use only `ReferenceType` fields in the specifier.

To use the `MATCH` field specifier against fields that were added using the `DREREPLACE` index action, you must define the fields as `MatchType`.

## Format

    FieldText=MATCH{yourStrings}:yourFields

`yourStrings` | One or more strings. A document returns only if one of these strings matches one of `yourFields` exactly. The matching is case-insensitive. You can match strings that contain punctuation (but see the following note) or consist of several words. NOTE: Strings in the query should be percent-encoded. This ensures that any commas or curly braces that are part of a string are not interpreted as query syntax. If you are sending HTTP requests using the content-type `application/x-www-form-urlencoded` you should then percent-encode all parameter values, meaning that any commas or curly braces that are part of a string are percent-encoded twice (such that a comma is represented by the sequence `%252c`). For more information, see Percent Encoding in Queries.
`yourFields` | Type one or more fields. A document returns only if it contains one of these fields, and if the value in this field exactly matches one of `yourStrings`. Separate multiple fields with colons (there must be no space before or after a colon).

## Example

    FieldText=MATCH{Archive,Web,docs}:DIR:DIRECTORY

The `DIR` or `DIRECTORY` field must have the value `Archive` or `Web` or `docs` for the document to return as a result.

    FieldText=MATCH{Premier league}:DB

The `DB` field must have the value `Premier League` for the document to return as a result.

    FieldText=MATCH{0-226-10389-7}:ISBN

The `ISBN` field must have the value `0-226-10389-7` for the document to return as a result.

    FieldText=MATCH{Einstein%252C Albert}:AUTHOR

The `AUTHOR` field must have the value `Einstein, Albert` for the document to return as a result.

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