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Better Search Feature

Started by wynnyelle, April 11, 2013, 07:56:52 PM

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wynnyelle

I want to enhance my site's search function. We need it badly because of how big a forum we are.

This could be made to help anyone else too on a site of any size.

I want the search feature to be able to call up topics to display like a board displays topics, but all the topics get displayed based on their most recently made post, and like a board, and they are called up by the fact that they contain the word or words you searched for.

This could be based on searching the entire topic's messages, or only the title of the topic.

Very interested in getting this developed. Then members or staff could post up links to these keyword searches and they would display just like a board! There would be no way to post a thread in "accidentally" the wrong place since it would be search based, not board based.

This could work with a tag system, or it could just operate on plain keywords in the text.

emanuele

Quote from: Groovystar on April 11, 2013, 07:56:52 PM
and they are called up by the fact that they contain the word or words you searched for.
...I'm not sure what you mean in your last sentence: "called up by the fact that they contain the word or words you searched for"...isn't what search already does? ???

Quote from: Groovystar on April 11, 2013, 07:56:52 PM
I want the search feature to be able to call up topics to display like a board displays topics, but all the topics get displayed based on their most recently made post
mmm...I'm not sure this would ever work: if a user search for something he probably wants the most significant results first, not the most recent, and anyway this option already exists in the search page itself: "search order > show most recent topics first"

Quote from: Groovystar on April 11, 2013, 07:56:52 PM
This could be based on searching the entire topic's messages, or only the title of the topic.
It's an already existing feature (see search page "Search in topic subjects only").

Quote from: Groovystar on April 11, 2013, 07:56:52 PM
Then members or staff could post up links to these keyword searches and they would display just like a board! There would be no way to post a thread in "accidentally" the wrong place since it would be search based, not board based.

This could work with a tag system, or it could just operate on plain keywords in the text.
Yes, that's true in theory, in practice is not *that* easy: search is expensive, potentially *very* expensive (it's one of the functions cut down in case load balancing is enabled).

That said I know another person that I think is pursuing a similar view of topics organization... O:) (no, it's not me, well, at least not directly :P)


Take a peek at what I'm doing! ;D




Hai bisogno di supporto in Italiano?

Aiutateci ad aiutarvi: spiegate bene il vostro problema: no, "non funziona" non è una spiegazione!!
1) Cosa fai,
2) cosa ti aspetti,
3) cosa ottieni.

wynnyelle

Right, that's how regular search works. :)

I think what I am looking for is the ability of members to filter topics board-style for things they want.

I know that when I'm on other forums and search something I want the most recent stuff, not something that may be relevant, but from last year. My site is a roleplay and chitchatting and art/fiction sharing site, and these things all place heavy emphasis on the recent. A RPG that hasn't been replied to in a month is pretty much dead and done for, so if this search called it up, it would ideally be placed below more recent things.

I'm currently looking into installing a tagging system that would also aid search. Most forums don't have to worry about this crap as much as we do because our size makes finding what you want a lot more difficult. Boards have thousands of threads each and so I'm going to try adding functions that let people weed things out a lot more easily.


lc62003

The search function already does everything you ask if you know how to use it.  Using advanced search you can specify message age (between X - Y days old with defaults of 0 - 9999)  AND/OR search order ("Most recent topics first").  HTH.   8)

MrPhil

It sounds like you want to use "Advanced Search" capabilities without going through several screens to get there. You can select age range (days), users (wildcard), which boards to look in, and presentation order (e.g., most recent first). Would you be looking to "replace" the normal search with a fixed selection (except for search terms) from Advanced Search, have all the Advanced Search settings on the next page, have a number of canned Advanced Searches, or something else? I could see every member being able to define a number of canned Advanced Searches, accessible from a drop-down menu. All searches would show the search parameters (one page) so you could update them (e.g., enter search terms). Would that meet your needs?

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