How to Use This Application

The app has a lot of features. Follow these instructions to make the most of them.

Use the New Search function to search for specific names in the DOJ's Epstein-related documents.

  1. Click on the "New Search" button in the navigation bar.
  2. Enter one or more names, one per line with no quotes, commas or other separators (e.g., Bill Gates(new line)Donald Trump(new line)etc).
  3. Also set a maximum number of pages to search per name. A limit of 1 page is fastest, and will tell you the total number of documents containing each search term, but will only download the document summaries from the first page of results. The DOJ supplies 10 results per page. Links to PDFs are downloaded as part of each result, but not the PDFs themselves.
    Entering 0 means there is no limit to the number of pages downloaded, but due to performance constraints, it can only be used when the search list only has one entry. When the search list has multiple entries, a limit of 20 pages is enforced, though of course you can still set the limit lower than that.
  4. Click "Search" to begin. The system will search the DOJ website and display results in a progressively updated table.
  5. Results are cached per user: if you search for the same name again, it will retrieve from the database instead of re-searching the DOJ website, meaning you don't need to worry about accidentally searching the same name twice.
  6. Use the "Clear" button to remove completed searches from your view.

Note: Searches can take several hours depending on the number of names and pages.

The SQL Query Tool allows you to run custom SQL queries on the search results database.

  1. Navigate to the "SQL Query Tool" from the main menu.
  2. Enter your SQL query in the text area (e.g., SELECT sr.pdf_link, sr.summary, u.username FROM search_results sr JOIN search_terms st ON sr.search_term_id = st.id JOIN auth_user u on st.user_id = u.id WHERE u.username = 'john';). If you're not familiar with SQL queries you can ask John or Dan to write one for you. (The example given might actually be the one you want, however. Change the username to your username and it will return all every search result for every search term you entered.)
  3. Click "Execute Query" to execute it. Results will be displayed in a paginated table.
  4. Use the "Export to CSV" button to download the results as a CSV file.
  5. You can also view your query history and re-run previous queries.

Warning: DELETE or UPDATE statements are banned from the SQL Query Tool, as are complex DOS-style queries designed to clog up the system. It's only for seeing data, not changing data.

As an admin user, you can manage search terms through the Django Admin interface.

  1. Log in as an admin user and click "Admin" in the navigation.
  2. Under "Epstein Application", click on "Search terms" to view the list of all search terms.
  3. You can filter, search, and sort the list by various fields (e.g., search term, user, date).
  4. To delete a search term from the database so you can perform a fresh search of that term:
    • Check the box next to the search term(s) you want to delete.
    • Select "Delete selected search terms" from the action dropdown.
    • Click "Go" and confirm the deletion.
  5. This will remove the search term and associated results from the database.

Caution: Deleting search terms will permanently remove both the search term and its associated results.

Personalize the look and feel of the website through the Settings page.

  1. Click on "Settings" in the navigation menu.
  2. Choose from available custom themes to change the appearance of the site.
  3. The theme selection affects colors, fonts, and overall styling, but does not change the website's functionality.
  4. Your theme preference is saved and will be applied on future visits.

Themes are purely cosmetic and do not affect how the search or query tools work.

This tool was written by John Davidson. Contact him for support or suggested changes.