How I best perform a deep search for images?

Hi, I’m new with devonagent.

(I watched the video tutorials. but its very complex)

How do I best perform a deep search for images?

I want to search the web for paintings from several artists, to example Van Gogh and Cezanne.

Then doing this search frequently for only new paintings.

That can be done by a custom scheduled search, filtered for linked images.

As a test, I made a duplicate of the Web (Deep) search set.

In the set’s General tab I gave it the default search criterion, Cezanne (you can add others if you wish). I set it to filter previously archived results, and set the Scanner for linked images.

In the set’s Actions tab I set it to archive results, and to send the results of each search to my email address.

In the Schedule tab it’s set for Never, but can be repeated manually. If you wish, you can schedule it to run automatically.

When I choose the Results tab after a search, clicking on a page displays the images on that page.

Bill – I tried doing an image search also. I used Web Deep, selected embedded images scanner. Searched for “stevia insulin AUC” because I was trying to find graphs of how the sweetener stevia did or did not affect insulin release. I asked DA to follow the links 1 level deep.

This seemed like a reasonable thing to use DA for. But 95% of the images that came back were useless thumbnails or icons related to the web page, but not the topic. Contrast this with using Google image search. Google nails it.

Was this a reasonable use of DA ? If so – what did I do wrong? If not, then what is the “embedded images” scanner for?

I keep trying to use DA in my work because it looks like such a great tool, and I want it to work. But I fail every time. Sigh.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I’ll note that the search I did for Cezanne images using the Scanner filter for linked images was the first such search I had ever done. The linked images setting did result in presentation of all the images on each page. But as the subject of the pages was about the visual medium Cezanne used, the search resulted in a great many images of his paintings.

Normally, my primary interest is in information conveyed by text in Web pages, so I wouldn’t filter for linked images. Often, graphic or photo content supplements the textual information and if so I capture that as well. I’m pleased by the efficiency of DEVONagent Pro searches (by contrast with a Google or Bing search) when looking for Web information, especially for addition to a DEVONthink database. The vast majority of my captures of Web pages are as rich text of a selected area of the page, which may include formatted text, images, tables, lists and hyperlinks.

So if I were researching stevia insulin AUC I would not normally filter for linked images, but look for the pages conveying the most useful information about that topic, even were I looking for graphical representations. While I agree that graphical representations can be important, I’m often critical of those I see in the literature as overly simplistic, or even wrong, especially if not interpreted in context.

I did a quick search for your topic. Most of the results were abstracts without images, but some results did include graphics presenting study results. One appears quite interesting, a study of the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on glucose levels among a variety of subjects: intl-care.diabetesjournals.org/c … e;35/5/959 This is a good example of a graphical presentation that is potentially very useful, but only if the text accompanying the graphic has been comprehended. :slight_smile:

There are rather interesting speculations about how non-nutritive sweeteners can have effects on glucose levels in some subjects.

You’re right, Bill, about context, but that was just an example of me trying DA and failing again. Truth is – i answered the previous question by hitting Pubmed, not by using DA or Google. But I want to be able to use DA. I’ve read the manual and watched the tutorials and it’s just not enough.

I don’t mind having to learn to use a complicated tool, but there are so many switches that I could flail for a couple hundred hours trying all the combinations. I can’t be the only person struggling with this.

What I think I need to finally “get” DA is a set of specific / detailed / concrete examples of DA performing better (in any way; for any purpose; on any topic) than Google. I know they must exist. Don’t worry about making it pretty. For example – next week, when you (or one of the other Devon gods) run DA to find something (anything), just do a quick and dirty video screen capture of the process. Show every switch you set and just let 'er rip. I know I would learn a lot just by ‘looking over your shoulder’.

By the way – I see you’re in Brown County. Great place to visit.

Thanks again for any help you can offer.

  • Rick