Problems using afterdawn "Advanced Search Engine"

Discussion in 'AfterDawn feedback & suggestions' started by IrlMonk, Mar 23, 2008.

  1. IrlMonk

    IrlMonk Guest

    I seem to be having annoying results when i use the "search messages" tab at the top of the pages.
    if i want to search for certain topics this is how i would do it.

    1. i would use the search messages tab at the top of the page
    2. then i would use "Don't like this search? Try our traditional forum search instead".
    3. Search Options "Forum Search"
    4. then i would input the search text beside "any of these words or all of these words"
    5. then i would press the search tab.

    Results from the search word that i had input into the search window does not be in the found thread titles. maybe one or two titles have the word that i had searched for, but the majority of the results are useless.
    i read a thread explaing how the search tab worked and now i cant find it to see what i am doing wrong....haha
    can someone point me in the right direction or advise me on how to use the search engine properly?
    Cheers

    Is the search engine temporarily disabled?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 23, 2008
  2. pryme_H

    pryme_H Regular member

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    Search engine is working just fine. Did you scroll down? Just beneath the "Don't like this search..." link are the results.
     
  3. IrlMonk

    IrlMonk Guest

    thank you for the reply ;)okay, i see at times the results are good. but if i take a random thread title and do a search:
    thread title= Best Digital camera (Digital photography Forum)searching for any of these words i get dozens of results with those words within those threads although the thread title is not found in the results
    If i use the same thread title and search using all of these words that thread title is not in the results.
    i thought the search engine would show matching thread titles first and then include matching words within a thread afterwards.

    i suppose what i am trying to say is that if you copy and paste a thread title and do a search using all of these words, surely the first result should be that exact matching thread title, then other threads with those words within those threads.

    Link on how to search for your answer: http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/548719
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 24, 2008
  4. pryme_H

    pryme_H Regular member

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    Good find on the advanced and narrowed search tut...

    That should be the case; but, I guess the results are reliant on the tags. I don't know...
     
  5. IrlMonk

    IrlMonk Guest

    cheers pryme_H for your time & interest ;)
    i would like to use the search method more often but sometimes i'm quicker just browsing.
    does everyone else find the advanced search results okay or is it just me?
     
  6. creaky

    creaky Moderator Staff Member

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    I use it in conjunction with google, i'm never very far from one search engine or another
     
  7. IrlMonk

    IrlMonk Guest

    cheers creaky ;)
    i used google to find "best digital camera (afterdawn)" and the result came up trumps. google found the thread title :)
    so the search engine on this forum is not as sufficent as other search engines.
    it may be a good idea to include a search for: words within titles. on afterdawn advanced search.
    just an idea :)
     
  8. creaky

    creaky Moderator Staff Member

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    *cough* can't say *cough*. i daren't say that google is better or the admins will beat me and send me to bed with no supper :p
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2008
  9. IrlMonk

    IrlMonk Guest

    haha creaky. i'm with yea buddy....but with a few minor adjustments who would be bothered with other search engines when browsing this forum.
    a good search engine would entice users to use good titles.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 25, 2008
  10. creaky

    creaky Moderator Staff Member

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    LMAO and Amen to that
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2008
  11. dRD

    dRD I hate titles Staff Member

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    Well, the standard search engine our forum uses is Google. Not a hack by us, but Google itself, just wrapped to our layout, so I don't know how we can top that with our internal search :)

    The "traditional search engine" is our own and even tho it works much like most other forum searches, it has one major nag: it searches through every single word in messages, but ignores the title completely. I've been meaning to fix that for ages. Might look into it this or next week.
     
  12. creaky

    creaky Moderator Staff Member

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    oooooh i could crush a grape, no wonder i've always had trouble finding things :)
     
  13. LOCOENG

    LOCOENG Moderator Staff Member

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    You brute :p

    I rarely use the google search as I'm constantly using the "find posts by" tracking down spammers and no gooders.
     
  14. IrlMonk

    IrlMonk Guest

    lovely stuff dRD ;) look forward to it.
     

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