# 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