Frequently Asked Questions

ISO-9660 restricts file names to 8+3 in length (old DOS limits). Since Java relies on files with long names it's not possible to use Java class files directly. However, it is possible using file archives supported by all major browsers. We provided QuestAgent classes packed in both CAB (supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer) and ZIP (supported by Netscape Navigator and others) formats. In addition, our indexing engine creates index files with names that do not violate ISO-9660 naming restrictions.

For information about ISO-9660 extensions for long file name and supporting platforms, you can visit http://www.cd-info.com.

Is QuestAgent compatible with Netscape Navigator 3.x and/or IE 3.x?

All QuestAgent applets except Word Highlighting interface are compatible with version 3.02 of both Netscape Navigator and IE.

If you want to use word highlighting but still support these browsers, you can provide additional QuestAgent applet as an alternative search solution for outdated and incompatible browsers.

How can we convert our existing database to HTML and make it searchable?

For database to HTML conversion we recommend dbQuickPage This easy to use and inexpensive tool supports many popular file formats: Microsoft Access, dBase, Paradox, FoxPro, Lotus 1-2-3, Excel and Text delimited data.

Documents created by dbQuickPage can be indexed using QuestAgent Pro. Incoming 2.0 release of dbQuickPage will provide additional features for easier integration with JObjects QuestAgent.

Does QuestAgent support DBCS (Double Byte Character Sets such as Japanese, Korean, Chinese)?

DBCS is not currently supported. However, we plan to support document localization in the following months.

Installation and Running

Installation fails with the "INSTALL caused an exception c0000025H in module MSJAVA.DLL" message.

This or similar error message will occur if your try to install QuestAgent using outdated version of Microsoft Java VM. Download the latest version of MS Java from http://www.microsoft.com/java or download QuestAgent with JVM.

How to run QuestAgent tools from Java?

If QuestAgent installer is not available for your platform you can run indexing tools provided with QuestAgent from the command line.

1. Add lib directory and all .jar files to your CLASSPATH environment variable.

2. Start QuestManager with:
java com.jobjects.quest.QuestManager
Exact commands depend on Java VM installed on your machine. Indexing tools provided with QuestAgent are compatible with both JDK/JRE 1.1 and JDK 1.2 (Java 2 platforms).

To build your indexes from the command line you can use QuestIndexer (com.jobjects.QuestIndexer Java class) and QuestOptimizer (com.jobjects.QuestOptimizer Java class) tools.

Document Indexing

Indexing stops at 150 files. Is this a limitation of unlicensed software?

Yes. Unlicensed software can index up to 150 files. If you need to evaluate QuestAgent with more files contact sales@jobjects.com for a less restrictive license key.

Do I need META tags in my HTML documents to create index?

No, you don't need META tags. Indexing engine shipped with QuestAgent performs full text indexing.

However, you can take an advantage of "Description" and "Keywords" META tags. See documentation for details.

Does QuestAgent support international characters?

Yes. QuestAgent supports full ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1) and HTML 3.2 character set.

Does QuestAgent support documents with PDF, Word and RTF format?

Current version of QuestAgent supports only HTML, text and XML files. However, we might add support for other document formats in some of the future releases.

For information how to index unsupported file types see "File Extension Changing" chapter in QuestAgent User Guide.

How to force indexing engine to reject only predefined stop words?

To use only predefined stop words open "Advanced Settings" panel in QuestManager and set "Ignore percentage" and "Ignore maximum" parameters to zero. This will prevent indexing engine from discharging words based on its frequency.

When I run QuestIndexer, it gets through all of the files just fine, but then just hangs...

Problem above occurs with the JDK and JRE 1.1.6 on Win32. This release of Java execution environment contains unreliable JIT compiler that hangs with the QuestIndexer tool as described. To prevent this you should disable JIT compiler using "-nojit" Java option

java -nojit com.jobjects.QuestIndexer ...

Also, you could download updated JIT compiler with improved reliability that can be used in place of the JIT currently bundled in the Win32 versions of JDK 1.1.6 and JRE 1.1.6. For download instructions visit http://www.javasoft.com/products/jdk/1.1/index.html.

Can I forbid indexing of some parts of a document?

Yes. Content you specify between <QuestIgnore> and </QuestIgnore> tags won't be indexed. These tags are recognized only by JObjects' indexing engine and have no effect in HTML browser.

Note: You must have QuestAgent 4.0.3 (build 2696) or later to use this feature.

Searching and Search Applets

I've run the software and get successful results when using the javascript or applet option but I'm having little luck with the Word Highlighting option.

Two conditions must be met for Word Highlighting to function properly:

1. "HTML interface with Word Highlighting" must be deployed to document root.

2. Document directory structure may NOT contain blank characters in directory and file names.

These requirements are specific to Word Highlighting option and other QuestAgent search applets may work absolutely fine if the conditions are not met.

Also, note that Word Highlighting can be used with QuestAgent Pro only. Index databases created by Lite version are not valid for use with this option.

Why SecurityException occurs in Netscape Communicator on some computers?

This is a well-known bug in Netscape Communicator noticed on Windows 95/NT platform. It occurs on systems with Java Development Kit in the PATH and CLASSPATH variable defined. Workaround is to unset CLASSPATH environment variable and remove JDK (or JRE) from the system's PATH.

If you have different experience contact support@jobjects.com.

QuestAgent applet hangs Communicator (Internet Explorer) on Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3 installed.

This is a known bug in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3. It usually occurs when your display color palette is set to True Color. To solve the problem, download the patch from Microsoft and install it. See Microsoft document Q168748 for details.

What determines the order of hits in QuestAgent?

By default, all index databases created using QuestManager tool will have words ordered by its frequency. You can use "Data Mappings" settings (Pro version only) to define importance of some data fields.

Known issues about QuestAgent with Internet Explorer 4.0x on Macintosh

Microsoft Java Virtual Machine in IE for Mac has compatibility problems causing QuestAgent to fail on search. Set IE to use Apple MRJ Virtual Machine instead.

To enable MRJ in Internet Explorer, choose the Preferences command in the Edit menu, then select "Java" (under the Web Browser category) in the option directory on the left side of the dialog box that appears. In the panel on the right, use the "Java virtual machine" popup menu to select "Apple MRJ". You must then quit Internet Explorer and run it again before it will start using MRJ.

For test purposes I've built index with one file only. When I search for "something" I get either "Nothing found" or error message. What's the problem?

Problem is probably "Ignore percentage" option. This parameter allows you to ignore words that appear in more than the specified percentage of files. When you index one or few files only all word may me rejected. To turn off this feature, open your index profile using QuestManager and in advanced settings set "Ignore percentage" parameter to zero.

If this problem occurs only with Word Highlighting interface check this.

I'm trying to customize the form used for searching (word highlighting applet) editing .tpl files, but nothing changes.

You will need to reload search page for changes to take effect. QuestAgent caches presentation templates leaded after applet initialization. To reload page in Netscape hold the Shift key and click Reload button.

How can I display more than 100 hits at a time?

For all QuestAgent applet layout (except word highlighting interface) use geom.maxhits_choice.label applet property. For example, add the following line to the qagent.prm file:
  geom.maxhits_choice.label=300|200|100|50
For word highlighting interface you need to change form.tpl file. See this file for usage example.

Since word highlighting interface is not functional in 3.x browsers, how can I direct user to the alternative search applet automatically?

You can direct user to the appropriate search page using few lines of JavaScript. For example, in page where you have link to the qindex.htm file, replace:
  <a href='qindex.htm'>Search</a>
with this simple script:
  <script>
    if(navigator.appVersion >= "4")
        document.write( 
          "<a href='qindex.htm'>Search</a>" );
    else
        document.write( 
          "<a href='search2.htm'>Search</a>" );
  </script>
All users with browser version 4.0 or higher will get a link to the word highlighting interface. Users with older browsers will be directed to the classical QuestAgent applet (in this example QuestAgent's "Medium Applet Layout" has been provided as an alternative search solution).

Licensing and Support

How long does it take to order and get license key?

You can place your order in a few minutes using your credit card, check or purchase order. (Make sure to provide valid email address with your order.) In 24 hours we'll send you your personal license key to unlock the software.

If you don't hear from us in 48 hours please contact sales@jobjects.com.

Can we distribute many different titles under the same license?

Yes. If you've purchased QuestAgent distribution license you can distribute as many different titles as you need. However, total number of distributed copies should never exceed number permitted by the purchased license.

Do we get software updates and bug fixes for free?

Yes. Purchasing JObjects QuestAgent License you'll receive your personal license key to unlock the software. This key will be valid for all minor software updates.

All you need to do is to download and install updated version and then install your license key file.

Can we use more than one QuestAgent applet on a CD-ROM we produce?

Yes, you can use more than one search interface on your CD-ROM without additional costs.