MSFN Board Search Function

[trainee]

Search Function

I'm curious about people's experience with the board search function?

I've noted that many times people are told to use the search function, and I agree that it often seems that time isn't spent searching for an appropriate answer. I think that lots of new posts on the same topic clutter the board and can confuse people who actually do spend time searching because there are NOW tons of threads to look through. However, my personal experience with the search function has been fair at best. Often times I will search for a keyword and topics wont come up, even though I know I have seen them on the board. Other times it complains that my search terms are too short, which can be difficult since many acronyms are 3-letters long. So here's a quick example (relevant to unattended windows), searching for a topic that I posted:

Search for "3ware" = 3 results

1. Relevant

2. Not relevant

3. Not truly Relevant

The topic I created in MSFN\Unattended\Device Drivers\: link

Which has 3ware in the subtitle, and has "3ware" appear 17-times in the body of the post, is never displayed. 17-times! both by itself and as a part of another word. So maybe it won't show me threads that I started myself right?

Search for "massstoragedrivers" = 4 results

1. MY POST!

so this obnoxious term that you would virtually have to know before you started looking, found my own post.

Search for "txtmode" = 2 results

Another issue for searching is really long threads:

1. Relevant

However the actual word "txtmode" doesn't appear until page 8

For many posts, especially stickies, the term you searched for can be buried many pages in. And unless there is an option I'm missing (I hope there is), there is no way to go directly to the first reply that has the search term in a thread.

MSFN?

This is not a MSFN thing. I participate in a few other forums and the same search problem occurs on a regular basis and people are told they are not searching. More or less it appears to be an 'Invision Power Board' deficiency, which will hopefully be improved in the future. IMHO 'Invision Power Board' is still the nicest board out there and makes for a very nice community, but no piece of software is perfect.

When people do ask questions that have been asked before, I try to think about what kind of information they are looking for and how it may or may not be difficult to construct a successful search for it. I think that links to the older threads work as a great response because it makes "all roads lead" to a specific thread. I certainly don't feel that all comments about "use the search function" or "look around" are bad. Many times I feel that people need to be reminded that you get more out of the community when you invest time in it (in this case reading through threads). So, just my 2cents, and I am relatively new to the MSFN community so I don't know if there was a horrible wave of reposts in the past. Comments and differing opinions welcome.

<- Yes I know that I make long boring posts.

Awww man I didn't even post in the right section. Thanks for the move Aaron.

[Aaron]

What many people don't know is that typing one word into the search box isn't enough and gives a broad number of results, most not even relevant.

If I wanted to search for a post about Intel Raid Drivers, I would enter RAID +Intel +iastor.sys, so that it finds results for RAID including Intel and iastor.sys. Without these + symbols, each of the three words becomes an 'OR' and unrelevant results start showing.

Just remember, this isn't as simple as Google! You have to be more specific in what you're searching for.

[trainee]

@Aaron, thanks for the comment, and for the move to the proper section

This certianly is one of the big reasons people miss posts: not refining searches.

But wait there's one more really big one that I was hoping someone would point out! This would actually solve the problem described in the first post. When you so a search and you get so few hits that refining your search won't help, you may want to...????

This probably isn't the most exciting topic in the world, so if someone doesn't guess by tomorrow I'll just post it.

[Drewdatrip]

I think a little how to search guide in the rules may be in order...

|Drew|

[Solid as a rock]

I think a little how to search guide in the rules may be in order...

|Drew|

it would be more faster if the matches are colored as if google do.

[trainee]

Okay, the other thing that I was hoping someone would mention was changing the search date. The defualt is the last 30days. Often I think people expect it to be all posts unless they choose to limit it, however that is not the case.

Furthermore, it searches posts, not entire threads. So back to the 3ware example, even though there was a reply in that thread within the last 30days (an active topic) those replies don't mention 3ware, so the thread won't come up. Love it, hate it, thats the way it works. For people who have been on the boards for awhile this is great becuase it already cuts down on posts you have probably already seen. However I think that new people or people who are trying to research the topic for the first time have a different expectation and may not pay attention to this default setting.

@Drewdatrip, I think a 'How to Search' guide or addition to the forum rules is an excellent idea. If this does happen and I can help in any way, please let me know.

[gamehead200]

I think a little how to search guide in the rules may be in order...

|Drew|

it would be more faster if the matches are colored as if google do.

They are... They come out with red text and a yellow background...

[Solid as a rock]

I think a little how to search guide in the rules may be in order...

|Drew|

it would be more faster if the matches are colored as if google do.

They are... They come out with red text and a yellow background...

i see... i am sure it wasnt. have spending for hours to find howto slipstream intel INF. but ok i am going crazy i think

[Solid as a rock]

I think a little how to search guide in the rules may be in order...

|Drew|

it would be more faster if the matches are colored as if google do.

They are... They come out with red text and a yellow background...

look!! i have a problem with xpcreate. i use search and type as searchkey: 8.3 file name support not enabled. (thats the error xpcreate give me)

i get a large list and none of them is colored. the first topic is the mine and i am sure it dont match because i never had speak about that. thats why i dont like the searchmachine and probally why other people dont use it.... it looks like for some people it dont work....

[prathapml]

i use search and type as searchkey: 8.3 file name support not enabled..........

Which is where you went wrong

You just put the words between "" (inverted commas), and if such a match DID exist, it would show up immediately - no large lists here.

As for coloring the exact search term, type your search term into the browser's "find" function, and press F3 upon loading each page.

Now here's where my views come in.

While the solution to the above issues may sound, and *IS* simple enough, you understand it (and how to use search) only after some time of being on the boards. So, I'd say, it would be worthy of the IPB dev-team's time to incorporate these features atleast for the next release (2.1 ?)

[Alanoll]

alot of people don't know this, but usually the results point to the thread, you can change it so it goes directly to the post the result is actually in.

But i think changing th default time and a "How-To" should be in order.

[Solid as a rock]

alot of people don't know this, but usually the results point to the thread, you can change it so it goes directly to the post the result is actually in.

But i think changing th default time and a "How-To" should be in order.

i like to know how the search goes directly to the post what do match my searchkey... how i have to do this??

[DarkPhoenix]

I think a little how to search guide in the rules may be in order...

|Drew|

it would be more faster if the matches are colored as if google do.

They are... They come out with red text and a yellow background...

I have never ever seen that. heh. All my searches are just plain colored no matter what.

[prathapml]

i like to know how the search goes directly to the post what do match my searchkey... how i have to do this??

When you do a search on the forum Boards, there's a screenful of parameters you can adjust, right?

Well, look at the bottom-right corner for a radio-box option saying "Result Type".

In that, change "Show results as topics" to "Show results as posts".

And, gamehead seems to be accessing MSFN from another planet (just kidding )- just like DarkPhoenix here, I see no coloring of the search matches.

[Solid as a rock]

i like to know how the search goes directly to the post what do match my searchkey... how i have to do this??

When you do a search on the forum Boards, there's a screenful of parameters you can adjust, right?

Well, look at the bottom-right corner for a radio-box option saying "Result Type".

In that, change "Show results as topics" to "Show results as posts".

And, gamehead seems to be accessing MSFN from another planet (just kidding )- just like DarkPhoenix here, I see no coloring of the search matches.

ahh thanks!! and i have seen one time that colored match. i was really suprised!! but i never see it again.....