mjzee Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 If I enter "Grateful" (without the quotes) in the search box, why doesn't "The Grateful Dead Dark Star" thread show up in search results? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 (edited) It shows up for me. Make sure you're searching across all sub-forums. It's in the Artists sub-forum. If you search Forums, it's on about the bottom of the second page. http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&andor_type=&sid=ead32f15763b7655266a6f59a6a801e0&search_app_filters[forums][sortKey]=date&search_app_filters[forums][sortKey]=date&search_term=Grateful&search_app=forums&st=25 Edited March 27, 2013 by BeBop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 27, 2013 Report Share Posted March 27, 2013 If you enter grateful, the search doesn't go back far enough to find the start of the topic. If you punch in +grateful +dead, you'll find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted March 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Thanks for both of your suggestions. I tried "+grateful +dead" and I do see it in search results, at the bottom of the first page. Since it's the most widely used thread covering the Dead, and with the most recent posts, I don't understand why it doesn't come up higher in the search results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alankin Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Sometimes (often!) Google search works better - do a search this way on google: site:organissimo.org your search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dolan Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 Or simply do it like this: https://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=off&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=grateful+dead+organissimo&oq=grateful+dead+organissimo&gs_l=hp.3...1042.5412.0.5637.25.20.0.5.5.0.139.1888.16j4.20.0...0.0...1c.1.7.psy-ab.p9LctEnH0EQ&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44442042,d.b2U&fp=6f4d7d717d0f18a0&biw=1918&bih=903 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted March 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 I get all that. What I don't get is why the board software returns the search results that it does, as they often seem wildly inexact and unhelpful. Do other IPB boards have the same issues regarding search results? Why can't this be improved by IPB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dolan Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 I just did a search and it popped up at the very top. Are you doing an advanced search and choosing thread titles only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted March 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 I enter "Grateful" (without quotes) in the search box at the top of the webpage (I normally start at the page that results from clicking "View New Content"). I do not use advanced search or go to that page to choose any additional parameters. I just tested it again both on the View New Contents page and on the page Forums Discussion. In both searches, The Grateful Dead Dark Star appears for me at the bottom of the second page of search results. Others have similarly complained in the past about search results. I guess I'm just asking why IPB can't get this right, as this defect tends to diminish the board experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 I just did a search and it popped up at the very top. I tried it yesterday (using advanced search, and selecting "only search in titles"), and it popped up at the top for me also. If you're not using advanced search, you're handcuffing yourself. Then again, that ain't always perfect either, and I sometimes use Google also, for difficult searches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dolan Posted March 28, 2013 Report Share Posted March 28, 2013 The only thing I can think of is that it hasn't been responded to recently enough? That would keep it low on both pages. If that's the case, it probably isn't an IPB problem because that's how the software is set up. To keep the most recent threads at the top. I dunno... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted March 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 There is definitely a problem with the way the search function works. I did my "Grateful" search again (using the search box at the top of the page, no advanced search) and received the same results (with "The Grateful Dead Dark Star" thread appearing at the bottom of the second page of search results). Now, notice the following: Here's the top of the first page of search results: Notice that it appears to be returning results based on the last post date which is listed in the far right column. Now, look at the bottom of the second page of search results: For "The Grateful Dead Dark Star," the date listed in the far-right column is 22 Aug 2011, and the search results conform to that date. However, "Last Post" (see two lines under "The Grateful Dead Dark Star in Artists") shows my last post as being 27 Mar 2013. If search results were truly being returned as per date of last post, this should have been one of the first search results shown. Further, since the thread was started in 2004, I don't know why the 22 Aug 2011 date is being returned at all. Maybe the database simply needs better or more thorough indexing. But something is definitely off with the search function. I think we shouldn't be so quick to condemn those who start new threads without being aware of earlier threads, at least not until the search function is fixed by IPB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dolan Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 It's simply bringing up threads where those keywords appear in a post, and has the most recent last post. That's the way almost all basic message board search engines are designed. It's not a flaw, it's default setting. And a reason why I always use advanced search. Especially when looking for a specific thread title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 (edited) Yes, strongly advised to use the little snowflake-looking Advanced Search Thingy (just to the right of the magnifying glass) to initiate any search. Edited March 30, 2013 by JSngry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 Search feature doesn't work well on 1 word searches IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dolan Posted March 30, 2013 Report Share Posted March 30, 2013 I don't think the default search works very well, period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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