Search Functions

IMO, the search function is frustratingly limited. For example, there are time when I would like to, we'll say, find all posts by "elcarev68", who I find extremely funny as well as very thoughtful.. Unless I type in the exact name or find a recent post, I am unable to locate elcare68.

Is there any way the search function could be modified to make it more "intuitive"?

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I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

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When you go to the search page do you use the boxes labeled "Search Messages" and "Search Authors?" I've found those to be limited and frustrating. Directly above them is "Google Custom Search." It has proven to be easier and more successful for me.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
Yes and yes. Without using Google, it's frustrating and sometimes it is with Google. smiling smiley

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I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
Is it possible to use/add wild cards with the current search function?

There are two types of people in this world: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.
I just tried that in the google search box. I tried elcare, elcare? and elcare* and I got 25 results each time. Not that I am stalking this poster; it's the example stilllearning was using. smiling smiley

LJ Wrote:
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> Is it possible to use/add wild cards with the
> current search function?

Kim
Meanwhile, poor elcarev68 is wondering why she has an inbox full of spam and personalized Google ads from Lifelock, Stranger Danger learning kits and police strength pepper spray.

There are two types of people in this world: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Find any post by elcarev68. Click their name. Click "see all posts." No search needed.

Time to build a bigger bridge.
If the poster has thousands of posts, that will take a while to go through them all to find the relevant one.

Kim
Yes, I agree that's the easiest way, but if they aren't a prolific poster, then I have to search for one of their posts. smiling smiley

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dspeakes Wrote:
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> Find any post by elcarev68. Click their name.
> Click "see all posts." No search needed.

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
I was recently looking for a post from elcarev and found something hilarious. In a response from someone new at that time the name got changed to "elfcarve."

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
The situation in the original post was that stilllearning wanted to find "all the posts" by elcarev68. Clicking the name will enable you to do that. Finding a specific post would require a search on a specific word or phrase.

Time to build a bigger bridge.
Oh, I thought they were trying to find a specific post someone wrote. Then I went back and they wanted all posts. I guess I was confusing myself. There are times when I knew someone said something about something and I've tried to find it by going back through all of their posts and it's been pages and pages and pages.

Kim
I thought Still meant that you have to know exactly how someone spells their user name to find them unless you're looking at their name at that moment. If all I can remember is it is something like elcare... with some number after it and maybe another letter in there somewhere, I'm not going to find it. I would have to start randomly reading posts hoping to see her name somewhere in there to click on it.

It's kind of like trying to look up a word in the dictionary when you don't know how to spell it.

There are two types of people in this world: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data.
Haha. That was me last night when I started my stupid thread. At first I typed stupiest in the title. How stupid would that be to start a thread on stupid and not spell it correctly!?!

LJ Wrote:
> It's kind of like trying to look up a word in the
> dictionary when you don't know how to spell it.

Kim
dspeakes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The situation in the original post was that
> stilllearning wanted to find "all the posts" by
> elcarev68. Clicking the name will enable you to
> do that. Finding a specific post would require a
> search on a specific word or phrase.

My point was that I wanted to view posts by "elcare68", however I could never remember the full user name nor locate any past posts to click on, unless I entered it the user name exactly. I would like to be able to enter part of the user name with an asterisk as many sites allow, to do the search.

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I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
Kimmie, I was laughing so hard my mouse was moving around making it hard to hit that like button.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
I have made you laugh. My work here is done.

LisaSTL Wrote:
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> Kimmie, I was laughing so hard my mouse was moving
> around making it hard to hit that like button.

Kim
Back in the early days of the forum, when using the Search function, we typed in the first letter or two. All names beginning with that letter would then drop down. We'd scroll, and select. It was interesting to see so many names that had never posted. And yes, it was helpful in finding the poster.

Don't remember why Jacob changed that.
I'm working on making this more intuitive. Expect an update in the next week or so.

In the past, the search list was actually a list of every single forum member. There are now way to many members to list all at once -- so it had to be removed. The update will be much more manageable -- but it will take a bit more work on my end.
@stilllearning -- the feature is now updated.

[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

As you may have noticed, I added another extra too.

You can now @mention someone and they will be notified in the updates box.

smiling smiley

There are probably bugs! Please let me know if you encounter any.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2015 11:40PM by JacobJ.
OMG, it works!!!! Thank you Jacob, so much! You just improved the quality of my life. smiling smiley

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I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
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