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Author Topic:   The Search Function
Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 1 of 29 (562320)
05-27-2010 8:27 PM


When I use the Search facility, the software "helpfully" sets the Search Forum or Category field to whatever forum I was looking at when I clicked on Search.
But this is never what I want it to do. I always want to search all open forums, and this should be the default setting.
I've communicated this irritation to Percy by private message, and he said that I should start a thread about it, so here it is.
Does anyone not find this feature of the software utterly annoying? If there is one single poster who finds this useful and convenient, then let them speak up.

Replies to this message:
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RAZD
Member (Idle past 1404 days)
Posts: 20714
From: the other end of the sidewalk
Joined: 03-14-2004


Message 2 of 29 (562333)
05-27-2010 9:34 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Dr Adequate
05-27-2010 8:27 PM


another option or two
Hi DrA
Does anyone not find this feature of the software utterly annoying?
I generally use google site first
site:http://www.evcforum.net - Google Search
I have it bookmarked to use, just needing to add my particular search item to the box. Modulus made a little plugin code to embed it into the search box on firefox, see Message 13.
This works especially well if you remember a specific phase that you want to find,
Like "the thirteen clocks" as you can put the phrase in quotes to find it.
Enjoy.

we are limited in our ability to understand
by our ability to understand
Rebel American Zen Deist
... to learn ... to think ... to live ... to laugh ...
to share.


• • • Join the effort to solve medical problems, AIDS/HIV, Cancer and more with Team EvC! (click) • • •

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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Admin
Director
Posts: 12995
From: EvC Forum
Joined: 06-14-2002
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 3 of 29 (562362)
05-28-2010 6:27 AM
Reply to: Message 2 by RAZD
05-27-2010 9:34 PM


Re: another option or two
Advantages of EvC's native search over Google:
  • Finds messages rather than pages of 15 messages.
  • Finds all text rather than just text entered prior to Google's last indexing, which only occurs every 2 or 3 days.
By default EvC orders the search results in reverse chronological order. Google can do the same, but you have to select a date ordered search first.
RAZD writes:
This works especially well if you remember a specific phase that you want to find,
Like "the thirteen clocks" as you can put the phrase in quotes to find it.
Phrases work with the native search facility, as does wildcarding, e.g., "dog*" will find both dog and dogmatic. You can also make searches conditional. For example, "|Percy |RAZD" will find all messages that contain either Percy or RAZD or both. I'd prefer to be able to say "Percy | RAZD", and that will eventually happen, but that takes more parser work, and as I often say, there's only one of me.
Upcoming feature: display the found text in a different color or with a different background color. Then hook it into an incremental search facility that positions the page at each instance of found text in sequence.
Another upcoming feature: ability to select the sort order for search results. Currently only reverse chronological is done, but in the future you'll be able to sort by author, subject, thread, forum, etc.
I should add that there's no schedule for these improvements. I'm currently in the midst of productization of the board software with its current feature set.

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

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New Cat's Eye
Inactive Member


Message 4 of 29 (562377)
05-28-2010 10:05 AM
Reply to: Message 3 by Admin
05-28-2010 6:27 AM


Re: another option or two
I never use the search function and always just use google site search.
At first I was thinking you could just drop the search function altogether, but the upcomming features you mentioned have changed my mind. Especially the sort functions.
It would also be awesome if the All Topics page could be sorted by forum and author!

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purpledawn
Member (Idle past 3456 days)
Posts: 4453
From: Indiana
Joined: 04-25-2004


Message 5 of 29 (562380)
05-28-2010 10:21 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Dr Adequate
05-27-2010 8:27 PM


Not a Prob
quote:
When I use the Search facility, the software "helpfully" sets the Search Forum or Category field to whatever forum I was looking at when I clicked on Search.
But this is never what I want it to do. I always want to search all open forums, and this should be the default setting.
I don't have a problem with it. I usually just search the religious forums or the forum I'm in.
When it is searching all open forums, I don't have much luck finding what I want without narrowing the choices.
Since the science side uses a lot of the religious phrases I may be searching for, it clutters up my search. That's why I have to narrow it down to the forums or titles.
I haven't reached the point of being too lazy to use a few more clicks to find what I need.

Scripture is like Newton’s third law of motionfor every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
In other words, for every biblical directive that exists, there is another scriptural mandate challenging it.
-- Carlene Cross in The Bible and Newton’s Third Law of Motion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Dr Adequate, posted 05-27-2010 8:27 PM Dr Adequate has replied

Replies to this message:
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 Message 7 by Admin, posted 05-28-2010 10:27 AM purpledawn has replied
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Theodoric
Member
Posts: 9076
From: Northwest, WI, USA
Joined: 08-15-2005
Member Rating: 3.7


Message 6 of 29 (562381)
05-28-2010 10:26 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by purpledawn
05-28-2010 10:21 AM


Re: Not a Prob
I haven't reached the point of being too lazy to use a few more clicks to find what I need.
Ouch.
The doc may suffer some bruising from that shot.

Facts don't lie or have an agenda. Facts are just facts

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Admin
Director
Posts: 12995
From: EvC Forum
Joined: 06-14-2002
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 7 of 29 (562382)
05-28-2010 10:27 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by purpledawn
05-28-2010 10:21 AM


Re: Not a Prob
purpledawn writes:
I haven't reached the point of being too lazy to use a few more clicks to find what I need.
Just to be clear about my own position, I'm fully in favor of click reduction, it just isn't always obvious how best to achieve it for the most people.
The question I'm most interested in answering is whether a majority prefer a default of "All Forums" or of "The Forum I'm in Now." (If you're not on a forum specific page then the default is already "All Forums".)

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

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Dr Adequate
Member (Idle past 284 days)
Posts: 16113
Joined: 07-20-2006


Message 8 of 29 (562388)
05-28-2010 10:44 AM
Reply to: Message 5 by purpledawn
05-28-2010 10:21 AM


Re: Not a Prob
I haven't reached the point of being too lazy to use a few more clicks to find what I need.
It's not that so much as that it's annoying when I forget that I need to change it and run a search that I don't actually want to do.

This message is a reply to:
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Replies to this message:
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Granny Magda
Member
Posts: 2462
From: UK
Joined: 11-12-2007
Member Rating: 4.0


Message 9 of 29 (562397)
05-28-2010 11:33 AM
Reply to: Message 8 by Dr Adequate
05-28-2010 10:44 AM


Re: Not a Prob
It's not that so much as that it's annoying when I forget that I need to change it and run a search that I don't actually want to do.
Absolutely. I've done that several times. I would be in favour of seeing it changed to "All Forums" as default, if Percy can find the time.
Mutate and Survive

This message is a reply to:
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purpledawn
Member (Idle past 3456 days)
Posts: 4453
From: Indiana
Joined: 04-25-2004


Message 10 of 29 (562404)
05-28-2010 12:39 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by Admin
05-28-2010 10:27 AM


Re: Not a Prob
When I do use an "all forums" search or a forum other than the one I'm in, I have another tab open to the All Topics page. Then I adjust the needs accordingly.
It doesn't annoy me either way. If I have the wrong one in, I adjust and have it search again.
So I guess I don't have a strong vote either way. Not really an annoyance for me if you switch.

Scripture is like Newton’s third law of motionfor every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
In other words, for every biblical directive that exists, there is another scriptural mandate challenging it.
-- Carlene Cross in The Bible and Newton’s Third Law of Motion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by Admin, posted 05-28-2010 10:27 AM Admin has seen this message but not replied

  
Iblis
Member (Idle past 3895 days)
Posts: 663
Joined: 11-17-2005


Message 11 of 29 (562405)
05-28-2010 12:47 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by Admin
05-28-2010 10:27 AM


Re: Not a Prob
whether a majority prefer a default of "All Forums" or of "The Forum I'm in Now."
If we are voting, I'm firmly with Dr. A ...
Let's walk through a couple of examples. Suppose you are looking for the point where Buzsaw already learned something about cosmology that seems to have slipped his mind again. You might logically assume that all this would be happening in Big Bang Cosmology. But noooo, you are in a Flud thread and it happened in Bible Study.
Or again, suppose you are looking for an awesome summary Modulous once gave of "bubble evolution". Yes, this very likely is in Abiogenesis somewhere, but you aren't, you are In The News trying to slap off trolls.
Numerous such cases outweigh any normal logic. Default should be "All Forums".

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Admin
Director
Posts: 12995
From: EvC Forum
Joined: 06-14-2002
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 12 of 29 (562408)
05-28-2010 12:53 PM
Reply to: Message 11 by Iblis
05-28-2010 12:47 PM


Re: Not a Prob
Iblis writes:
If we are voting...
Yeah, you're voting. I'll change the default to "All Forums" when I make the other search related changes if that's the way it comes down in this thread.
Edited by Admin, : Change author.

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

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CosmicChimp
Member
Posts: 311
From: Muenchen Bayern Deutschland
Joined: 06-15-2007


Message 13 of 29 (562438)
05-28-2010 7:54 PM
Reply to: Message 12 by Admin
05-28-2010 12:53 PM


Re: Not a Prob
I'm in favor of this as well. =)

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Adminnemooseus
Administrator
Posts: 3974
Joined: 09-26-2002


Message 14 of 29 (562462)
05-29-2010 12:36 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by Admin
05-28-2010 10:27 AM


Click reduction
...I'm fully in favor of click reduction...
Come on now - Some of us can use all the exercise we can get.
AM

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Admin
Director
Posts: 12995
From: EvC Forum
Joined: 06-14-2002
Member Rating: 2.3


Message 15 of 29 (593157)
11-24-2010 5:16 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Dr Adequate
05-27-2010 8:27 PM


This search issue has been addressed.

--Percy
EvC Forum Director

This message is a reply to:
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