Textual search for numerical properties

A computing device comprising:

• a processing unit;
• and
• a memory including instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the computing device to:
• store a set of data objects, each of the data objects comprising a numerical property;
• store a search index that contains search index entries, each of which specifies a meta-property, a reference string and a set of data object identifiers;
• receive an indexing event indicating a change in the set of data objects has occurred, wherein the indexing event notifies the electronic computing system that a data object has been added, deleted, or edited;
• respond to the indexing event by automatically indexing a data object that has been added, deleted or edited, comprising:
• automatically determining whether a property of the data object is the numerical property;
• determining whether each block in a set of blocks that represent the numerical property have been processed;
• upon determining a block has not been processed, automatically identifying a first search index entry in the search index that is associated with the meta-property associated with the given block and that specifies the reference string comprising a base reference string having a length proportional to a number represented by the given block;
• and after identifying the first search index entry, automatically adding an identifier of the data object to the first search index entry;
• automatically transform an original search query into a transformed search query, wherein a numerical comparison query element in the original search query that specifies the numerical property is transformed into an equivalent textual comparison query element in the transformed search query;
• automatically use the search index to identify a result set that contains ones of the data objects that satisfy the transformed search query;
• and
• after identifying the result set, automatically present a list of the data objects in the result set.

A computer-readable storage hardware comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing unit of an electronic computing system, cause the processing unit to:

• store a set of data objects, each of the data objects comprising a numerical property;
• store a search index that contains search index entries, each of which specifies a meta-property, a reference string and a set of data object identifiers;
• automatically generate the search index at the electronic computing system, including to:
• receive, at the electronic computing system, an indexing event indicating a change in the set of data objects has occurred, wherein the indexing event notifies the electronic computing system that a data object has been added, deleted, or edited;
• and
• respond to the indexing event by automatically indexing a data object that has been added, deleted or edited, comprising:
• automatically determining whether a property of the data object is the numerical property;
• determining whether each block in a set of blocks that represent the numerical property have been processed;
• upon determining a block has not been processed, automatically identifying a first search index entry in the search index that is associated with the meta-property associated with the given block and that specifies the reference string comprising a base reference string having a length proportional to a number represented by the given block;
• and after identifying the first search index entry, automatically adding an identifier of the data object to the first search index entry;
• automatically transform, at the electronic computing system, an original search query into a transformed search query such that a numerical comparison query element in the original search query that specifies the numerical property is transformed into an equivalent textual comparison query element in the transformed search query, the equivalent textual comparison query element not including the numerical property specified in the numerical comparison query element;
• automatically use, at the electronic computing system, the search index to identify a result set that contains ones of the data objects that satisfy the transformed search query;
• and
• after identifying the result set, automatically present, at a presentation device, in response to the original search query, a list of the data objects in the result set.