# MATCHCOVER

The `MATCHCOVER` field specifier (case sensitive) allows you to find documents in which the values in all instances of a specified field have matches in the set of string values provided in the specifier. In other words, the specifier must cover all instances of the field. A search using `MATCHCOVER` is slower than one using MATCH.

To match numeric values, use EQUALCOVER.

NOTE: You can optimize the field specifier speed by configuring the field with the MatchType and CountType property types (the field specifier is optimized only if you specify both property types).

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

To use the `MATCHCOVER` field specifier for fields that contain multiple identical values that might match, you must define the fields as CountType.

## Format

    FieldText=MATCHCOVER{yourStrings}:yourField

`yourStrings` | One or more strings. A document is returned only if the value in each of its instances of `yourField` matches one of the strings in `yourStrings`. The matching is case-independent. You can match strings that contain punctuation (but see Note below) or consist of several words. NOTE: To distinguish query syntax punctuation from punctuation within strings, double-percent-encode commas and curly braces within strings. Query syntax punctuation must be left unencoded. There must be no space before or after a separator comma.
`yourField` | The name of the field to match against. A document returns only if: it contains one or more instances of the field and the value of each instance is found in `yourStrings`, or it does not contain the field at all.

## Example

    FieldText=MATCHCOVER{Confidential,Secret,TopSecret,FBI}:SECURITYLEVEL

For a document to return as a result, its `SECURITYLEVEL` fields must have no values that are not in the specified list. For example, if a document includes a `SECURITYLEVEL` field with the value `MI5`, it does not return.

(If a document has no `SECURITYLEVEL` field at all, it returns.)

_FT_HTML5_bannerTitle.htm