Try the new search (via Google)

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:02 am

When you click on search now you'll see a Google search box in front of the normal search entry boxes. Give this a try and let me know if you like it.

The problem that I am trying to address is the fact that the normal forum search uses a database that has grown exceptionally large, due to the large volume of posts in the forum.

If the Google search is sufficient for people, I can empty the large database.

3FG · Post by **3FG** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:32 am

I like it. Google allows more flexibility in searching. It is different, but I would get used to it very quickly.

However, I had to use Firefox to use the Search feature. With IE8, I get a page of very large width. The large JP1 icon is visible and the phrase JP1 Remotes Forum Index is visible. Moving the scroll bar to the middle of the page show the usual advertising and FAQ/Search/Memberlits, etc. stuff. I had to be quite deliberate in dragging the scroll bar or the stuff at the middle of the pagejust flashes by.

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:42 am

I didn't think to check it with IE. We have IE6 here at work and I just get "loading" where the search box should be.

mdavej · Post by **mdavej** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:14 pm

What else would removing that database impact? It's nice to have "Find all posts by xxxx". I'd miss the filter options too, but I guess I could get the same results by using the right google search string. Would it impact the File Search as well?

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:02 pm

If I do it right, I think you'd just lose the ability to search for words through the old search.

xnappo · Post by **xnappo** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:32 pm

I like it.

xnappo

Post by **ElizabethD** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:12 pm

I tried it.
I'm no good in searching, ever

So take this with a grain of salt.

Experimental search for Atlas and backlight - I want to find all posts that have those two words. Results:
1. When I use google advanced search for must contain both words (Atlas backlight) and site:hifi-remote.com, straight from the browser, not logged in on this site, I get 192 posts, undated, can't sort by date. Nineteen pages to click through.
2. When I use Rob's new google search section, I get 93 posts plus 3 ads on tope and a bunch of ad links on the right. Can't sort. Ten pages to click through. Don't like all those links, especially for various backlight products

3. When I use our old search for Atlas AND backlight, I get 37 posts. I can sort them by date. Also can filter for who wrote it.

Mixed bag in my mind.

Post by **The Robman** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:42 pm

But the trouble is, the forum's built in search function uses a database that records every use of every word (with a few popular words excluded) and as such we now have a table with 3 million rows on it and my ISP is complaining.

It's very likely to come down to a choice of close down the forum or kill the old word search.

Another alternative would be to just have the search link go here:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q ... com/forums

Update: I just added that search to the page also.

Post by **ElizabethD** » Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:50 pm

OUCH!!!!
No forum is not an option, Rob.

Link to advanced google, then, will do the job I suppose, similar to what you're working on.

We might be able to handle the word search and user in google advanced search. To me sorting by date is more important.

Edit:I just tried your link. Convenient. No ads this time, so it looks better. And there's a link there at the bottom to exclude a bit by date.

Post by **ElizabethD** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:00 pm

Well, I just had to use your new link to google for a thread I know existed.
The search string was for "these words" and comes out as
"hibernation vickyg site:hifi-remote.com/forums"
search found it fine

underquark · Post by **underquark** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:12 pm

A search for "victorian england" took me straight to the post I was looking for. Link

Post by **The Robman** » Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:51 pm

OK, it's official now, I just dropped the large table and deleted the search word box from the forum search.

So, if you want to search for specific words, you'll need to use the Google search.

But, if you want to search for threads by a specific author, you can continue to do that using the forum search.

You can also continue to use the "new posts" link that most experts use:
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/searc ... d=newposts

And you can also continue to use the link to bring up the posts from the last x number of days:
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/searc ... rch_time=1