Search Function

To be blunt, the search function blows.

Is there anything that can be done to help make it work better?

Is it a template issue? I own a phpBB forum and the search feature works fine.

Is it more a problem with the free forum format?

It's quite frustrating at times to get no help when you search for something you know exists here.

I just typed in "oil" in the search feature and was told nothing matched my request.

Any help here would be appreciated.

First, Thanks Hodaka guy and mods. Hope you don't think we are ingrates.

Normally as an example I would use Google like so:

oil site:forumotion.com

But the domain name or "site" is shared by so many other forums that the results take a lot of weeding through.

You normally use google??? To search for something specific here?

Yes, you can have Google search only a given domain for results that is the "site:" bit. So if you want to search ALL craigslists everywhere for WR250R you just input "wr250r site:craigslist.org"

But this forum, like all other forums, has it's own "private" search feature.

Yep but Google generally works better and does not hit the forum host processing, instead putting the load on Google. Trust me they can handle it better. The Google spiders probably index or "reads in" this whole site a couple of times a day if not more. That is why on a bigger forum like advrider.com the mods actually ask that you use Google instead of their search but like I was saying this domain is shared so it doesn't work like "site:advrider.com" will.

I don't believe using google that way is better than actually using the forum's own search feature.

Certainly not within the parameters of this fine little place.

So anyway.... is there something, anything that can be done with the search feature here?

Don't use

oil site:forumotion.com

Instead, use

site:wr250rforum.forumotion.com oil

159 results for THIS forum only.

Note - I like to put the site first and all the search words after - same result as with your method.

But leaving this site to go to google to type in a search when there's a search feature here that should work is not the way things should work.

When the word "oil" produces no results on the forum's search there's a problem.

All I'm asking is if this is a condition of this being a free forum, which means there's much less control the Admin has over the features, skins, and templates of the forum, or if perhaps there's something that could be done to improve the search function?

I have my own phpBB forum and I've had free forums on other providers.

I know that there are plenty of phpBB forums that have a working, functional search feature.

If you've found a work around using google that's fine.

Still doesn't answer my question.

Quote :

I have my own phpBB forum and I've had free forums on other providers.
I know that there are plenty of phpBB forums that have a working, functional search feature.

Then you must know that 3-character search terms are often ignored, such as 'oil'.


Note: I was responding to the Chief, not ignoring you.

ramz wrote:

Quote :

I have my own phpBB forum and I've had free forums on other providers.
I know that there are plenty of phpBB forums that have a working, functional search feature.

Then you must know that 3-character search terms are often ignored, such as 'oil'.


Note: I was responding to the Chief, not ignoring you.

That's cool.

click here and type the word "oil" with no quotes into the search bar, and click the magnifying glass.

148 matches.

phpBB forum - the difference is, I own the entire format. It's not a free forum.

So phpBB searches - in some formats, do support 3 character searches.

If that's the problem here I just want to know. That's all.

ramz wrote:

Don't use

oil site:forumotion.com

Instead, use

site:wr250rforum.forumotion.com oil

159 results for THIS forum only.

Note - I like to put the site first and all the search words after - same result as with your method.

Thanks ramz! I had just convinced myself that it would only work on the domain name; I think google even says domain name which technically is what I was using so I never thought to try it.