Search and Ask with evidence

Use Search to locate a document. Use Ask when you want an evidence-based response to a question. Both respect workspace access; neither searches everything on the internet for you.

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Actual dtxWiki screen with fictional demo data. Item names can differ from the walkthrough. Ask first-use screen showing source and Context preparation completed, ready to start a session.

Find a document first

1. Open Search and enter Product Launch.
2. Choose Scope → Context to look for the plan, or Library to find references.
3. Select an available Mode and choose Search.
4. Open the result and inspect the page or source.

The available modes depend on server capabilities. Keyword retrieval matches words and direct names. Semantic retrieval and Hybrid retrieval require the corresponding configured capabilities. A label in documentation does not mean that every installation provides that mode.

Search can return multiple exact matches or warn that restricted sources are hidden. Choose the right candidate; a result's absence can reflect permissions or processing state, rather than proof that the document does not exist.

Ask a question

1. Open Ask and choose New or Start first Ask session.
2. Enter a focused question, such as “Who owns the Product Launch?”
3. Choose Send.
4. Inspect Cited evidence and Search path. Open the evidence and check the relevant passage.

Ask searches Context first. If it finds no Context match, it tries Library artifacts and discloses that fallback. Without matching evidence, it reports that no matching evidence was found and can record the question as a coverage gap.

What changes when an answer model is configured?

Server state	Expected response
No answer provider	A deterministic retrieval summary listing the evidence found. This still works as an evidence-finding workflow.
Usable answer provider	The provider may compose an answer from the retrieved evidence pack. Check its citations.
Configured provider unavailable or failed	An evidence summary can still appear, with a warning about the provider or composition failure.

Ask is not a general assistant for unsupported claims. A longer answer is not automatically a more reliable one. See AI providers for administrator setup and data flow.

Visibility also matters: Viewers use published Context evidence; authorized Editors can retrieve drafts they may read. An answer based on evidence you no longer have permission to read may be hidden when reopened.

Save a useful answer

Saving is disabled when the answer has no usable Library or Context evidence. Add material, ask again, and verify the result.

For an answer with evidence:

1. Choose Save answer.
2. Select a Save mode, such as a new Context page, a child page, appending to an existing page, updating a draft, or feedback only.
3. Check the title, destination, target page, page type, and review option.
4. Choose Propose placement, read the proposed placement, then Accept placement if it is correct.
5. Open the resulting page or Review item and check its actual publication state.

Appending and updating affect existing knowledge. Choose the target carefully; accepting a placement is not a universal promise of immediate publication.

Improve a weak result

• Try the exact page title or a distinctive phrase in Search.
• Check whether a source is still processing or stored without conversion.
• Publish a clearer page for ordinary readers, with meaningful headings and source references.
• Check the workspace and account rather than assuming every member sees the same evidence.
• If provider warnings persist, ask the administrator to inspect the server settings.

Continue with Review and history.

Implementation reference: Ask retrieval and composition, Ask placement UI, draft-evidence access test.