Step SearchTM Help

     
step search
search help

How to Find a Product

 Here is a quick summary on how to use Step Search to find a product with your specifications:

 
1. Select one or more options you want to search by. That will narrow your search to all products having the options you picked.
2. Choose additional options--in the order that's important to you--to continue your search. Each new Selector shows your picks, your remaining choices, and the number of products that match your selections.
3.   Refer to Specification Help to learn more about available options. Click the specification name to view the specification definition you would like information about.
4.
back
  or
step search
 Backup during your search as needed. UNDO an option you have previously picked, or start over by clicking reset specifications or Start Over.
5.
view list
 View a Product Number List, if available, of all products having the options you selected. Click View List to see the List.
6.
compare
 View a Comparison Table of all products having the options you selected. Click Compare to see the Table.
7.   Look at the Datasheet for your selected product. Click on the hyperlinked product  number on the Comparison Table, or the hyperlinked product Number on a View List.

To Search

Multi-Select Mode

Multi-Select provides a multiple-selection approach whereby several options can be chosen simultaneously. If there are no products with the combination of options you picked, your last selected options will be dropped sequentially until a "best match" is found. The program determines your option priority through the sequence in which you picked them: what you picked last is least important, etc. Multi-Select guarantees you never see "Sorry, No Match" through its unique multiple query capabilities.

 

More Information on How to Find a Product

What "Options" Are

Each product family has its own Step Search Selector with its own set of specifications. Each specification has options, or choices you can make during your search.
    Example:
    For the welder specification "Polarity" options include AC, AC/DC, DC, etc.

How to View Specification Help

Specification help provides a definition of the specification and/or its options to help you make an informed decision. When applicable, it may also include a graphic, such as an image or line art diagram.

Specification Help will be a hyperlink to the help information. (You can also tell whether there is help information if your cursor "arrow" changes to a "hand" when you position it over the specification name.)

How to Back Up During Your Search

You can back up at any time during your search in two ways:
  1. Undo any option you have previously picked by clicking the option again.

    UNDO is helpful when you don't want to start over in your search. You can UNDO at any time after making at least one selection; and, after you've made several selections, you can UNDO them in any order.  You can also deselect any specification by clicking on the check mark (if a multiple selection is possible) or clicking on the radio button (if single selection only is possible).

  2. Reset  the Selector and start over by clicking:

reset specification

Reset specifications is useful when you want to clear all selections that have been made in that product family and start a new search.

How to See a List of Similar Products

As you make selections on the Step Search Selector, the number of matching products gets smaller. When the number of matching products is narrowed below a certain threshold, you will see:

        
view list

Click View List to see all products matching the options you selected on the Step Search Selector. Each product number will be shown in its own row, with links to navigate to other pages within the catalog. You can even create your own custom Comparison Table by selecting from just those products you would like to compare.

How to See a Comparison Table of Similar Products

As you continue making selections on the Step Search Selector, the number of matching products is narrowed below another threshold; then you will see:

      
compare

Click Compare to view all specifications for all matching products. Each product will be shown in its own column, making it easy for you to view side-by-side the differences among the products.

When you can "Compare" is based on the number of matching products. Each family has its own threshold, or maximum number of matching products, which governs when Compare appears. The threshold is usually set at 8 products, but may differ from one family to another.

How to View a Product Datasheet

There are several ways to get to a Product Datasheet using Step Search:
  1. Comparison Table

    Narrow your search to a Comparison Table. All products having datasheets available will be hyperlinked. Click on a hyperlinked product number in the Table, see K1728-1 in the example below, to view its datasheet.

  1. Product Number List

On the View List, all products having datasheets available will be hyperlinked.  Click on the link to view that products datasheet.  See the example below where K1499-3 is hyperlinked.

  1. Step Search Selector

    Narrow your search to a single product number. If there is only product to meet all the specifications you have selected, then the product number will automatically be shown as a hyperlink as depicted below.

        Search by Product Specifications: Welders        
        K1643-1 may meet your needs.        
step search
back
reset specifications

Step Search Selector Basics

A Step Search Selector contains a list of specifications and each specification's options. How the options are displayed varies with Single-Select and Multi-Select Modes. In addition, the way in which the options are displayed changes after selections have been made.

Before a Selection is Made

Multi-Select Mode

When searching with Multi-Select, the options are displayed with either a Check Box, or a Radio Button:
  • Check Box
    A Check Box will be displayed next to each selectable option (see example below). Choose one or more options by clicking in the box next to the corresponding option. If you change your mind after clicking a box, just click on it again to de-select it.
    
  • Radio Button
    A Radio Button will be displayed next to each selectable option (see example below). Choose one option by clicking on the button next to the corresponding option. If you click "Mild Steel", then change your mind and click "Cast Iron", then  "Cast Iron" will be the specification selected. If you change your mind after clicking a button, and you do not want to make a selection for this specification, simply click the No Preference radio button.

After a Selection is Made

The Step Search Selector will update after at least one selection has been made.

Multi-Select Mode

When searching with Multi-Select, the options are displayed either as a Radio Button or a Check Box:
  1. Radio Button
    A marked radio button will be shown as a selected specification and the value will be shown to the right of the radio button (see example below). You can click on the Undo Selection radio button to UNDO this selection at the next step search.

  1. Check Box
    A marked check box with a value show to the right means you have selected this specification value (see example above). You can click on the check box to UNDO which removes the selection of the specification at the next step search.
  1. Unavailable Selection
    There are cases in Multi-Select Mode when one of the options selected is not available. If that happens, see the example below:

        

The Consumable example above shows that Bronze for the Metal to Weld and Oxyfuel as the Process were both selected in the initial step search.  The Oxyfuel process can not be used with Bronze so the Oxyfuel Process option was deselected and appears  under the "combination does not exist this value deselected" column.  You may continue with your step search or you may click the Reset Specifications button to restart your step search. 

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