Within the context of an environment that actually needs to distinguish between “find if there” and “find if there; create and find if not” there is likely a specific term used already. I would double check to see if there is a preference in your field or from your colleagues.

If that fails, here is how I see the options. Get “Get” mildly assumes

something

will be found; if not, the scope should be extended until a simple skeleton is found, with no meaningful result. It also suggests obtaining or returning with the object.

Get me a cola.

She is an elderly woman, if she can’t get me a sweater. I hate her. She can’t get me any sweater. She is an adult. She doesn’t have a sweater.

How could a response of just “I couldn’t find one” read “Then go get me one! “? ” ” implies going to the store or looking harder.

Strongly

assumes that something exists and you need to locate it. src, eml, all of it. &pl #): for fast response.

How do I find the key?

How do we find a criminal.

A punster could just as easily justify responding to “find me a Coke” without using the coke and letting the requester know the coke was found instead of contacting the person who provided it to her/his friend. What implication does it take for bringing the object back?

retrieve

is generally used for looking up information or fetching something that is already known and located: go

retrieve the files on the Anderson case.

This dog tries to retrieve the ducks from its environment and barks when they fetch their food.

What are other computer related terms?

Search

Searching again implies that something does exist and you need to find it. I personally consider “search”, more applicable for potently not existing; “find” seems more appropriate for something you know exists though a child can be abused. What’s the way in which searching for extraterrestrial life takes time?

Where would you make a good camp?

where

the word obtain implies possession more than existence but it would be a little difficult to obtain something that doesn’t exist. I don’t generally relate “obtain” to searching for anything at all; the object is already known or located and you want to own it.

To whom you aspired, he gained greatness.

We collected a rare collection of antiques.

What belongs to the jewel?

find

The implications of “location” are much more physical. Is this applied to objects you have lost and would like to leave behind? Locating carries little to no implication of returning with the object.

How do I find my child?

Where is Red 5?

Is there always pressure to relocate the current project?

The idea of actually creating an object if one isn’t found seems most applicable to these terms:

• get
• obtain
• retrieve

These are have a stronger implication of actually returning with an object and a weaker implication of finding an object. I would personally use “get” as it seems to fit this pattern the best:

Get me a coke.

I couldn’t find one.

What do you think? Get me a coke.

Oh, fine.

The idea of simply reporting if an object exists and, if it does, returning with it matches these options well:

• get
• find
• search’
• I

would use “get” as it more strongly implies that you actually need the object for some reason. “Retrieve” is close but I think it is a little too close to “get” and may be a little confusing.

And such is my reasoning. The summary: Use “get” for finding an object if it exists and creating it if it does not, use “find” for finding an object and doing nothing if it does not exist.

For the first example I would use the word fetch, or maybe retrieve in some cases, as it has often the meaning of getting back something.
For the second example, acquire would be my suggestion if you don’t want to use acquire though obtain would quite fit the situation.

For the first example I would use the word fetch, or maybe retrieve in some cases, as it has often the meaning of getting back something.
For the second example, acquire would be my suggestion if you don’t want to use acquire though obtain would quite fit the situation.

Within the context of an environment that actually needs to distinguish between “find if there” and “find if there; create and find if not” there is likely a specific term used already. I would double check to see if there is a preference in your field or from your colleagues.

If that fails, here is how I see the options. Get “Get” mildly assumes

something

will be found; if not, the scope should be extended until a simple skeleton is found, with no meaningful result. It also suggests obtaining or returning with the object.

Get me a cola.

She is an elderly woman, if she can’t get me a sweater. I hate her. She can’t get me any sweater. She is an adult. She doesn’t have a sweater.

How could a response of just “I couldn’t find one” read “Then go get me one! “? ” ” implies going to the store or looking harder.

Strongly

assumes that something exists and you need to locate it. src, eml, all of it. &pl #): for fast response.

How do I find the key?

How do we find a criminal.

A punster could just as easily justify responding to “find me a Coke” without using the coke and letting the requester know the coke was found instead of contacting the person who provided it to her/his friend. What implication does it take for bringing the object back?

retrieve

is generally used for looking up information or fetching something that is already known and located: go

retrieve the files on the Anderson case.

This dog tries to retrieve the ducks from its environment and barks when they fetch their food.

What are other computer related terms?

Search

Searching again implies that something does exist and you need to find it. I personally consider “search”, more applicable for potently not existing; “find” seems more appropriate for something you know exists though a child can be abused. What’s the way in which searching for extraterrestrial life takes time?

Where would you make a good camp?

where

the word obtain implies possession more than existence but it would be a little difficult to obtain something that doesn’t exist. I don’t generally relate “obtain” to searching for anything at all; the object is already known or located and you want to own it.

To whom you aspired, he gained greatness.

We collected a rare collection of antiques.

What belongs to the jewel?

find

The implications of “location” are much more physical. Is this applied to objects you have lost and would like to leave behind? Locating carries little to no implication of returning with the object.

How do I find my child?

Where is Red 5?

Is there always pressure to relocate the current project?

The idea of actually creating an object if one isn’t found seems most applicable to these terms:

• get
• obtain
• retrieve

These are have a stronger implication of actually returning with an object and a weaker implication of finding an object. I would personally use “get” as it seems to fit this pattern the best:

Get me a coke.

I couldn’t find one.

What do you think? Get me a coke.

Oh, fine.

The idea of simply reporting if an object exists and, if it does, returning with it matches these options well:

• get
• find
• search’
• I

would use “get” as it more strongly implies that you actually need the object for some reason. “Retrieve” is close but I think it is a little too close to “get” and may be a little confusing.

And such is my reasoning. The summary: Use “get” for finding an object if it exists and creating it if it does not, use “find” for finding an object and doing nothing if it does not exist.

Within the context of an environment that actually needs to distinguish between “find if there” and “find if there; create and find if not” there is likely a specific term used already. I would double check to see if there is a preference in your field or from your colleagues.

If that fails, here is how I see the options. Get “Get” mildly assumes

something

will be found; if not, the scope should be extended until a simple skeleton is found, with no meaningful result. It also suggests obtaining or returning with the object.

Get me a cola.

She is an elderly woman, if she can’t get me a sweater. I hate her. She can’t get me any sweater. She is an adult. She doesn’t have a sweater.

How could a response of just “I couldn’t find one” read “Then go get me one! “? ” ” implies going to the store or looking harder.

Strongly

assumes that something exists and you need to locate it. src, eml, all of it. &pl #): for fast response.

How do I find the key?

How do we find a criminal.

A punster could just as easily justify responding to “find me a Coke” without using the coke and letting the requester know the coke was found instead of contacting the person who provided it to her/his friend. What implication does it take for bringing the object back?

retrieve

is generally used for looking up information or fetching something that is already known and located: go

retrieve the files on the Anderson case.

This dog tries to retrieve the ducks from its environment and barks when they fetch their food.

What are other computer related terms?

Search

Searching again implies that something does exist and you need to find it. I personally consider “search”, more applicable for potently not existing; “find” seems more appropriate for something you know exists though a child can be abused. What’s the way in which searching for extraterrestrial life takes time?

Where would you make a good camp?

where

the word obtain implies possession more than existence but it would be a little difficult to obtain something that doesn’t exist. I don’t generally relate “obtain” to searching for anything at all; the object is already known or located and you want to own it.

To whom you aspired, he gained greatness.

We collected a rare collection of antiques.

What belongs to the jewel?

find

The implications of “location” are much more physical. Is this applied to objects you have lost and would like to leave behind? Locating carries little to no implication of returning with the object.

How do I find my child?

Where is Red 5?

Is there always pressure to relocate the current project?

The idea of actually creating an object if one isn’t found seems most applicable to these terms:

• get
• obtain
• retrieve

These are have a stronger implication of actually returning with an object and a weaker implication of finding an object. I would personally use “get” as it seems to fit this pattern the best:

Get me a coke.

I couldn’t find one.

What do you think? Get me a coke.

Oh, fine.

The idea of simply reporting if an object exists and, if it does, returning with it matches these options well:

• get
• find
• search’
• I

would use “get” as it more strongly implies that you actually need the object for some reason. “Retrieve” is close but I think it is a little too close to “get” and may be a little confusing.

And such is my reasoning. The summary: Use “get” for finding an object if it exists and creating it if it does not, use “find” for finding an object and doing nothing if it does not exist.

For the first example I would use the word fetch, or maybe retrieve in some cases, as it has often the meaning of getting back something.
For the second example, acquire would be my suggestion if you don’t want to use acquire though obtain would quite fit the situation.

Within the context of an environment that actually needs to distinguish between “find if there” and “find if there; create and find if not” there is likely a specific term used already. I would double check to see if there is a preference in your field or from your colleagues.

If that fails, here is how I see the options. Get “Get” mildly assumes

something

will be found; if not, the scope should be extended until a simple skeleton is found, with no meaningful result. It also suggests obtaining or returning with the object.

Get me a cola.

She is an elderly woman, if she can’t get me a sweater. I hate her. She can’t get me any sweater. She is an adult. She doesn’t have a sweater.

How could a response of just “I couldn’t find one” read “Then go get me one! “? ” ” implies going to the store or looking harder.

Strongly

assumes that something exists and you need to locate it. src, eml, all of it. &pl #): for fast response.

How do I find the key?

How do we find a criminal.

A punster could just as easily justify responding to “find me a Coke” without using the coke and letting the requester know the coke was found instead of contacting the person who provided it to her/his friend. What implication does it take for bringing the object back?

retrieve

is generally used for looking up information or fetching something that is already known and located: go

retrieve the files on the Anderson case.

This dog tries to retrieve the ducks from its environment and barks when they fetch their food.

What are other computer related terms?

Search

Searching again implies that something does exist and you need to find it. I personally consider “search”, more applicable for potently not existing; “find” seems more appropriate for something you know exists though a child can be abused. What’s the way in which searching for extraterrestrial life takes time?

Where would you make a good camp?

where

the word obtain implies possession more than existence but it would be a little difficult to obtain something that doesn’t exist. I don’t generally relate “obtain” to searching for anything at all; the object is already known or located and you want to own it.

To whom you aspired, he gained greatness.

We collected a rare collection of antiques.

What belongs to the jewel?

find

The implications of “location” are much more physical. Is this applied to objects you have lost and would like to leave behind? Locating carries little to no implication of returning with the object.

How do I find my child?

Where is Red 5?

Is there always pressure to relocate the current project?

The idea of actually creating an object if one isn’t found seems most applicable to these terms:

• get
• obtain
• retrieve

These are have a stronger implication of actually returning with an object and a weaker implication of finding an object. I would personally use “get” as it seems to fit this pattern the best:

Get me a coke.

I couldn’t find one.

What do you think? Get me a coke.

Oh, fine.

The idea of simply reporting if an object exists and, if it does, returning with it matches these options well:

• get
• find
• search’
• I

would use “get” as it more strongly implies that you actually need the object for some reason. “Retrieve” is close but I think it is a little too close to “get” and may be a little confusing.

And such is my reasoning. The summary: Use “get” for finding an object if it exists and creating it if it does not, use “find” for finding an object and doing nothing if it does not exist.

For the first example I would use the word fetch, or maybe retrieve in some cases, as it has often the meaning of getting back something.
For the second example, acquire would be my suggestion if you don’t want to use acquire though obtain would quite fit the situation.

For the first example I would use the word fetch, or maybe retrieve in some cases, as it has often the meaning of getting back something.
For the second example, acquire would be my suggestion if you don’t want to use acquire though obtain would quite fit the situation.

What would be the

best way to remove “x”

when it should exist or retrieved (x) when it should be obtained (x) when it may or may not exist?

Alternative to the latter might be procured to

the latter.