# AskBinaryText

## Description

This command searches for the specified substring in the file being disassembled. This command can be used for fast lookups of text strings in the executable file or even to find references to a data. You can interrupt it pressing <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> + <kbd>Break</kbd>.

If a range is selected using anchor (`Anchor` action), IDA will search for the specified substring in the range.

The substring is specified like this:

```
        "This is substring to search"
```

i.e., in the double quotes. Also you can specify individual byte values as numbers:

```
        6A 10
```

Follow this link to learn more about the format of the input string.

For example, if you want to find a reference to the following string:

```
 35F2:106A      db 'Hello',0
```

you could search for number 106A in the file.

See also:

* [Binary string format](https://github.com/HexRaysSA/ida-docs/blob/9.3/user-guide/general-concepts/binary-string-format.md)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.hex-rays.com/ida-actions/askbinarytext.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.