Search issues megathread

KemicalBurn

KemicalBurn

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Aug 26, 2002
Messages
514
when i try to use the "search this forum" option at the bottom of the forum page it sends me straight to here: http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/search.php with no results (of course)

and then when i try from there i get a error 404 message...is it just me or is it a software bug?
 
Well, i still cant get it functional...but Paradoxcycle was able to merge a duplicate thread with the one i wanted to find, so it seems it most like user error :\
 
Search engine bug?

When I search for DXM* by username Tranced there are no threads found.

I know that there are posts there because I have done a trip report on DXM and menitoned it various other times. Any ideas?
 
Did you try searching by Forums, and by titles only?
 
Yeah, I've just done it again and this was the only thread that came up. It was set to search "any time".
 
How long ago - is it possible the threads have been deleted/purged? A search for just the term 'DXM*' shows a lot of hits, so I'm wondering if your threads are just *gone*. :\
 
Looks like the search engine can't find older results that easily, I've had it happen with many phrases/words over the last week or so, mostly with 3 and 4 letter words.
 
there seems to be a steady stream of problems with search - let's make this the start of a mega thread.

alasdair
 
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I feel proud to have created a mega thread. Does that mean it's really really good?

VBulletin boards need better search engines, something like a built in google would really hit the sweet spot.
 
not necessarily really really good but almost guaranteed to get really really long :)

i agree the vbulletin search could improve. a cursory glance the vbulletin forums suggests we're not alone in thinking this. short of "wait until the next upgrade" i'm not sure what to tell you...

:\

alasdair
 
Do you know what their reasoning is for limiting the search terms to three letters?

It's really really annoying.
 
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i believe it's simply an index performance issue - dropping the limit would significantly increase the size of the size of the index.

that said, given the nature of bluelight's subject matter, three-letter abbreviations would, i imagine, commonly be part of a search.

in note that in vB 3.0 there is support for a 'reserved word list':

Admin CP -> vBulletin Options -> Message Searching Options -> Words to be Included Despite Character Limit

in the event of an upgrade, it's possible than common three-letter acronyms for, say, substance names woucl be added to such a list.

alasdair
 
I can't search for any 3 letter words today even with the *.
 
this was happening to me the other day too, so i asked another bl'er to bump the thread for me and it worked fine for them.

it's working fine for me now though....
 
it was working fine 5 seconds ago and i got the damn 404 again...

I have threads to merge dammit :(
 
certain words don't work in the search engine

i've noticed that when i search....dxm* opiates...it says this pagecannot be displayed. in fact, almost any combination i've used with dxm does that. what gives?
 
Off to Support, mods please move back if necessary.
Have you tried *DXM* - asterisks on either side of a three letter word.
 
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