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This topic has moved here: Subject: How can I do better searches?
  • Subject: How can I do better searches?
Subject: How can I do better searches?

I work here: Sound Devices, LLC. We make bad-ass field audio gear, and you think that's awesome. My messy desk (With work-related items on the computer screen).

One does not simply grenade jump into Mordor...

Is there any logical, concrete way to narrow a search? There are a lot of threads where you really feel like searching to make sure that what you feel like bringing up hasn't been brought up already (The bug report thread in the H3 beta forum or the one here the community forum is a good example), but when you search for words related to what you're thinking about, the results represent more pages to sift through than the thread you were trying search anyway. Is there another "advanced search" interface that I haven't found yet, or some documentation of the syntax for the existing search box?

Achronos recently said in a thread in this forum "See: Search Forums by Author". When I searched the site for "search forums by author", the only result I got was the post where Achronos said that. So I'm wondering if I missed something regarding search functionality (i.e. A part f the site or some help documentation).

So, how can I do better searches?

[Edited on 05.18.2007 6:58 AM PDT]

  • 05.18.2007 6:55 AM PDT
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Posted by: DEATHPIMP72
Anyone but Foman. He smells like cheese.

haha, I think that Achronos was talking about going to the search page, and choosing "Forums - Author" from the drop down menu. You can then enter a b.net member's name in the search box and it will search for any posts by that author.

As it is, the search feature is best used to find posts that you already know have been created (thereby allowing you to search for specific words that you know appear in the post). It is not so useful for finding threads that have already been created -- especially since you cannot sort your results by date and often times you'll end up with a relevant thread from many months ago and feel bad bringing it back to life. Indeed, for as much as everyone says "use the search feature," it's amazing to me how often someone DOES use the search feature and brings a months-old thread back to life, only to be ridiculed here on the forums.

Back on topic though.... The search feature is powerful in many ways, but I do think that it could use some upgrades. I'd like to see simple boolean functioning (AND, OR, and NOT) and the ability to search certain phrases by using quotation marks. It would also be nice to be able to restrict a search by date or to search multiple fields (e.g., search all posts by AnalogWeapon containing the word "Halo"). And you should definitely be able to filter results by date, relevance, area-of-the-website, or author (or more than one of the above).

I don't necessarily think that the search feature has to be as powerful as West's or LexisNexis's (allowing you to search numerous databases using wonderfully restrictive terms), but I would like to see it upgraded somewhat. Where's RunningTurtle when you need him?

[Edited on 05.18.2007 7:24 AM PDT]

  • 05.18.2007 7:18 AM PDT