Standard actions concerning the actor's vision
lookingexamininglooking undersearchingconsulting it about
Searching something (requires light) (past tense searched): applying to one thing and requiring light
Searching looks at the contents of an open or transparent container, or at the items on top of a supporter. These are often mentioned in room descriptions already, and then the action is unnecessary, but that wouldn't be true for something like a kitchen cupboard which is scenery - mentioned in passing in a room description, but not made a fuss of. Searching such a cupboard would then, by listing its contents, give the player more information than the ordinary room description shows.
The usual check rules restrict searching to containers and supporters: so the Standard Rules do not allow the searching of people, for instance. But it is easy to add instead rules ('Instead of searching Dr Watson: ...') or even a new carry out rule ('Check searching someone (called the suspect): ...') to extend the way searching normally works.
Typed commands leading to this action
"look inside/in/into/through [something]" - searching
"search [something]" - searching
Rules controlling this action
check an actor searching can't search unless container or supporter rule name unlist
check an actor searching can't search closed opaque containers rule name unlist
report searching a container standard search containers rule name unlist
report searching a supporter standard search supporters rule name unlist
report an actor searching report other people searching rule name unlist