Starting up as a developer, using the Google search engine each time you bump into a brick wall feels like cheating, but after a while you realize that memorizing syntax ( that's always changing ), algorithms or data structures is a complete waste of time , why do that when you can just google it :), getting the info you need on demand . Here are the best ways to refine your Google search and help you google like a pro (software engineer).
PIPE OPERATOR
This pipe operator is used to search between alternatives one or | the other, it can also be grouped by wrapping it in parentheses and other search terms can be added to it, example, (Vue JS | react JS) the latest features, it's really useful when you're trying to compare between two items… Site:URL Example, site:techreel.co what is electron JS, this returns info from a particular website, like in this case techreel co.
WILDCARD *
Seems pretty useless at first , it's basically a placeholder for anything , example how to cook *. We're still figuring out this one.
EXCLUDE -
You can exclude a term from your search by using the - ( minus operator ). For example , how to drink water from a cup - glass , this will return data where the word glass is not included .
"Exact match"
By wrapping your search in quotations, you're telling the Google search engine to find an exact match of what's in-between the quote, rather than the search engine looking for related terms or words.
RANGE ..
This can be used to find content within a specific range, it could be money, years or numbers, it's achieved by putting two(2) dots in between your range, for example, Django 4.0 announcements 2020..2022. This will return specs
FILETYPE: docx
This is useful for when you're trying to find a specific file type of something, like an image, a document e.t.c. Example cat image FILETYPE:PNG, this search would return cat images of PNG format.
After: & Before:
This can be used to filter content after or before a certain date( usually year). Example, what is the Metaverse after:2020, or similarity, how to get started with q basic before:1980 ;)
The Google search engine has a bunch of ways to refine its search. We didn't go through all of them, but these are the most important ones that you're most likely going to use. They'll improve your googling skills x10 from beginner to pro :).