This guide will walk you through using Memora’s find() method. Understanding how to retrieve documents is vital, and we recommend you to start with our main search introduction for a solid foundation.

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Basic usage

Here’s a simple illustration of how to use the find() method for retrieving documents from Memora:

import Memora

memora = Memora.auth('your-api-key')

docs = (
  memora
    .find('the meaning of life')
    .go()
)

In this example, we retrieved the top 3 most relevant documents related to the meaning of life from the default collection.

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Syntax

find(query, quantity)

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Parameters

query
string
required

Your search query.

quantity
number

The desired number of documents you want Memora to return. The maximum value is 20 and the default value is 3.

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Return value

The find() method returns an array of the quantity most relevant documents in order of relevancy — the document at index 0 is the most relevant. Each document in the array follows this structure:

{
  id: '2d9b2e9e-3e0c-4d99-aa00-9b211124522a',
  content: 'The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42',
  metadata: {
    from: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
    type: 'book',
    release_year: 1979
  }
}

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Searching within a collection

Documents are always stored within a collection. In the previous examples, the search was conducted in the default collection as we didn’t specify one.

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Example

To specify a collection, simply use the on() method before calling find():

docs = (
  memora
    .in('collection-name')
    .find(query)
    .go()
)

​
Syntax

on(collection)

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Parameters

collection
string
required

This is the collection name that Memora will search documents in.

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Metadata filtering

Documents can have metadata and you might need to filter your search based on certain attributes or metadata of your documents. Memora makes it easy to do so.

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Example

docs = (
  memora
    .on('book-citations')
    .find('the meaning of life')
    .where('published_at', '>', 1978)
    .go()
)

​
Syntax

where(path, operator, value)

​
Parameters

path
string
required

This refers to the property in the document metadata you wish to filter.

operator
string
required

This determines the comparison mode for the filtering. More on operators below.

value
string or bool or number or array
required

The value that the metadata property is compared against.

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Metadata operators

Memora supports a variety of operators for precise querying.

NameAvailabilityDescription
=AlwaysReturns true if the value of path equals value
!=AlwaysReturns true if the value of path does not equal value
>The value of path and value are numbersReturns true if the value of path is greater than value
>=The value of path and value are numbersReturns true if the value of path is greater than or equal to value
<The value of path and value are numbersReturns true if the value of path is less than value
<=The value of path and value are numbersReturns true if the value of path is less than or equal to value
containsValue of path is array and value is not arrayReturns true if value is found within the path array. Example here
inValue of path is not array and value is arrayReturns true if the value of path is found within the value array. Example here

We are continuously working on adding new operators for more intricate queries. If you need an operator not listed above, please contact us.

For the examples below, consider a collection named book-citations containing documents in the following format:

[
  {
    "id": "01H3YY4RTACHHNMSM71JNREP56",
    "content": "The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42",
    "metadata": {
      "book": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "published_at": 1978,
      "genres": ["science fiction", "humor"]
    }
  },
  // ...
]

​
contains example

You want to find book citations that discuss the meaning of life, but only those of the genre science fiction:

docs = (
  memora
    .on('book-citations')
    .find('the meaning of life')
    .where('genres', 'contains', 'science fiction')
    .go()
)

​
in example

You want to find book citations that discuss the meaning of life, but only those of that are from Douglas Adams or George Orwell:

docs = (
  memora
    .on('book-citations')
    .find('the meaning of life')
    .where('author', 'in', ['Douglas Adams', 'George Orwell'])
    .go()
)

​
Advanced Filtering: Using And() & Or()

You can string together multiple filtering conditions.

docs = (
  memora
    .find('the meaning of life')
    .where('genres', 'contains', 'science fiction')
    .And('author', '=', 'Douglas Adams')
)

​
Syntax

And(path, operator, value)
Or(path, operator, value)

​
Parameters

path
string
required

This refers to the property in the document metadata you wish to filter.

operator
string
required

This determines the comparison mode for the filtering. To learn more about the available operators, read above.

value
string or bool or number or array
required

The value that the metadata property is compared against.

​
Chaining multiple filters

You can chain as many And() or Or() modifiers as you like after a where() filter. For example:

  docs = memora
    .in('book-citations')
    .find('the meaning of life')
    .where('published_at', '>', 1978)
    .And('genre', 'contains', 'biography')
    .And('author', '!=', 'Adam Smith')
    .go();

Note: Currently, Memora does not support chaining an And() with an Or(). We’re working on this feature and aim to roll it out soon.

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Wrapping up

That’s it for now about the find() method. You should be able to retrieve documents based on sophisticated queries. In the next section, we’ll delve into the delete() method for erasing documents and collections in Memora.

If you have further questions or need additional clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out via our support channels.

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