Search is lousy on forum

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papadb10

Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
26
Either the search on this forum is the worst I have ever seen or I am missing something on the instructions. Can anyone give me any tips that would help on this problem, or is there no help.
 
I can only post one word in the search function. Anything else comes up with nothing. Guess I'm too used to google for searching.

Why can't the search function work like google? :confused:
 
digdeep said:
I can only post one word in the search function. Anything else comes up with nothing. Guess I'm too used to google for searching.

Why can't the search function work like google? :confused:
Click to expand...

You can use google to search the site.;)
 
Yeah, I've found that if your search is too broad, nothing comes up. Try narrowing it down like by choosing "only search titles" instead of having it search through the entire thread.
 
Joe Dirt said:
Yeah, I've found that if your search is too broad, nothing comes up. Try narrowing it down like by choosing "only search titles" instead of having it search through the entire thread.
Click to expand...
it works for me everytime when i use "only search titles" :thumbup:
 
yeah, even when using 'advanced' it works maybe 50% of the time. Search functions went downhill since they revamped the site.
 
hmmm... 'only search titles'

I'll try that, too. But I don't think that would help in many cases. For example, I was just doing a search on different cleaners/conditioners for leather handles (Ren. Wax, Obenauf's, Montana Pitch-blend, mink oil, etc etc) Many of these product names will only appear in the text. Titles are usually very general descriptions. I'm still not sure whether the search engine is simply poorly designed or if there are having 'technical difficulties.'

I agree that single words tend to work more often. Also, (I'm not sure how to explain this) certain word combinations and phrases work better than others (Joe Dirt may be correct in that the key is to narrowing the results -- but there is still more to it, because certain specific terms, like a manufacturer name and product name or model number, won't work.)
... sigh ... head hurting...


papadb10, also try different variations/ word combinations of your subject search and you'll usually (eventually) come up with something that works...
 
If you have the Google Tool bar installed go to BF main page, type the search string into the toolbar, then click the little drop down and select 'Current site' it will search BF about a billion times better than the built in SE.
 
digdeep said:
I can only post one word in the search function. Anything else comes up with nothing
Click to expand...
Seconded. Of course Google is an option, and I'm not paying user and all...
Still I'm sure Bladeforums deserve better searh engine.
 
It works if you coddle it a little. Somebody said it works 50% of the time -- okay, but that's not a random 50%. You can make it work all the time. Read the FAQ. :cool:

ThreadMoving.jpg
 
I searched for "search" in the service and support forum (advanced search, "search" as keyword, titles only). Got 77 hits. That's pretty good.
 
glen200300 said:
For example, I was just doing a search on different cleaners/conditioners for leather handles (Ren. Wax, Obenauf's, Montana Pitch-blend, mink oil, etc etc) Many of these product names will only appear in the text. Titles are usually very general descriptions. I'm still not sure whether the search engine is simply poorly designed or if there are having 'technical difficulties.'
Click to expand...

You know, there are more options in the advanced interface than just the "search titles only" option...read the FAQ...

Besides, you don't even need the advanced search to find what you're currently looking for:

A basic search for "Renaissance Wax" provided me with a boatload of threads discussing it, with relatively few unrelated threads where it was just briefly mentioned. Two examples where stacked leather handle care were discussed:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=390641

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=378950

Here are two threads on leather preservation a basic search for "mink montana" supplied me with:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363275

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234812

Plus, if you want to use the advanced search, there are three threads with the words "mink oil" in their titles, as well as 16 threads on general leather handle/sheath care, found via a title search for "leather care".

More on Montana pitch-blend:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148191

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193626

Obenauf's was discussed here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348928

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293319

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199458

I could probably find more relevant threads if I did more than a cursory search.

It ain't rocket science...
 
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