Using a stack decoder for structured search

Abstract

We describe a novel and flexible method that translates free-text queries to structured queries for filling out web forms. This can benefit searching in web databases which only allow access to their information through complex web forms. We introduce boosting and discounting heuristics, and use the constraints imposed by a web form to find a solution both efficiently and effectively. Our method is more efficient and shows improved performance over a baseline system. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.