A text object(s) such as a document containing a plurality of text items (e.g., chapters, paragraphs, etc.) is used to generate a search term. At least one, but not all, of the text items in the text object are selected based on a profile. The selected text item(s) are parsed to generate one or more search terms. This allows a user to drag-and-drop a graphical text object into a search engine icon to automatically perform a search based on the profile. Alternatively, a non-text object (e.g., an image) containing any identifiable item is used to generate the search term. Based on the profile, the item is parsed to generate a text representation of the item. The text representation of the item is used to generate one or more search terms.