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Annoying post/thread search issues.

azith28azith28 Registered User regular
This may already be well known...but since i cant search for it, I wouldnt know if its already been reported.

I cant put the word "Wii" into a search. even if i enclose it in quotes along with other words like "Wii Games" or even something pretty specific like "New Wii Owner, what games to buy" (The name of an old thread, or close to it). Because 'Wii" is a 3 letter word, the search returns nothing (not long enough).

Is there any way to exclude certain words from the filter that counts letters? Sure theres a new 'what <insert game console here> games to buy' every month but it would be nice to search out the old ones and the word Wii should at least be able to be put in this forums search engine.


Thanks

Stercus, Stercus, Stercus, Morituri Sum
azith28 on

Posts

  • IrukaIruka Registered User, Moderator mod
    edited July 2010
    I thought the standard was to use google and just search the forums through it, ala:
    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=%22Wii+games%22&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&num=10&lr=&as_filetype=&ft=i&as_sitesearch=http://forums.penny-arcade.com/&as_qdr=all&as_rights=&as_occt=any&cr=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&safe=images

    Sure its slightly round about, but Its better than nothing.

    Iruka on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Searching is one of the most intensive things our forum software does; having to check every three-letter word to see if it's "wii" could slow down the entirety of the forums a ton.

    It's not as if our options are "have a working forum where we can search three-letter words" or "have a working forum where we can't search three-letter words." They're "have a working forum where we can't search three-letter words" or "don't have a working forum."

    Thanatos on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    edited July 2010
    Unfortunately we are never going to change the search system to allow the searching of three letter words. Sorry.

    Tube on
  • L|amaL|ama Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Google has the advantages of allowing 3 letter words, generally being faster, not having search-per-minute limits, and not crashing the forums when you search specific phrases. It also has easier to navigate results for me, so I generally use it instead of the forum's search function and would recommend you at least give it a go.

    L|ama on
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    Opera 10.x PA Forums Quicksearch Instructions

    Menu -> Settings -> Preferences

    Click "Search" tab

    Click "Add" button

    Name: PA Forums Google Search (although you can name it anything you want)

    Keyword: paf (although you can change it, I use "paf" because I have a seperate one for the pa mainsite as "pa")

    Address: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Aforums.penny-arcade.com+%s

    Leave everything else blank/unchecked

    Save. Now you can type "paf whatever otherstuff" to search the forums from the Opera address bar

    Firefox Quicksearch Instructions

    Firefox still uses a ass backwards way of adding custom searches from Netscape 4. You have to make a 'search extension'. I'll type how to make one once I'm done yelling at Mozilla.

    Internet Explorer 8 (maybe 7?) Search Instructions

    Go to this URL in IE:

    http://www.ieaddons.com/en/createsearch.aspx

    Input this as the URL:

    http://www.google.com/?hl=en&source=hp&q=site%3Aforums.penny-arcade.com+TEST

    Name it "PA Forums Google Search" ( once again, can be named what you want)

    Character encoding can be left as-is.

    Click "Install Search Provider", accept the prompt. Now you can drop down and get a PA Forums Google search right in the toolbar!


    Google Chrome Quick Search Instructions

    Wrench -> Options

    "Basics" tab

    Next to the Default Search option, click "Manage"

    Click "Add"

    Name: PA Forums Google Search
    URL: http://www.google.com/?hl=en&q=site%3Aforums.penny-arcade.com+%s
    Keyword: paf (can be whatever you want)


    Save. Now you can type "paf whatever otherstuff" to search the forums from the Chrome address bar

    FyreWulff on
  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Thanks, that would be pretty useful FyreWulff.

    joshofalltrades on
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    Added Chrome and IE instructions in the meantime

    FyreWulff on
  • SporkAndrewSporkAndrew Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    Thanks, FyreWulff, but I had to change the address to http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site&#64976;3Aforums.penny-arcade.com+%s

    For some reason it wasn't working without the /search

    SporkAndrew on
    The one about the fucking space hairdresser and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    I think that accidentally got removed when I was trying to figure out why the forums started suddenly truncating the link text again.

    Fixed for the Opera link

    Sorry about not being able to get the Firefox one up so far. I've followed all the developer instructions and I can't get the custom file to make me suddenly have a new search engine in FF. But I did find a extension that lets you make them dynamically, so I may just make a tutorial for that if I can get it to always include the site:forums.penny-arcade.com

    The only browser definitely left out of this is Safari - it doesn't support OpenSearch and is simply locked to Google, Yahoo, and Bing. I think the only option for it right now is to just make a bookmark to a pre set up google search

    FyreWulff on
  • RBachRBach Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Firefox:
    1) Go to google.com and right click on the search box. Select "Add a keyword for this search"
    2) Name the search whatever you like (e.g. Penny Arcade Forums) and add a keyword like pa, paf, whatever.
    3) Find the newly-added bookmark in your Bookmarks menu or toolbar (depending on where you saved it), then right click on it and select Properties.
    4) Copy and paste this link into the Location field, then click OK.

    To use, just type your keyword (pa in my case) into Firefox's address bar followed by your search term.

    RBach on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    Okay, I saw that before, but I was all "Shit, I want a thing for search, not a bookmark!"

    lol, Mozilla Foundation

    FyreWulff on
  • RBachRBach Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Yeah, it's kind of silly. I just made a folder to store all my search keywords/"bookmarks" and dumped them all there.

    Incidentally, I removed Firefox's dedicated search box years ago as I just use these keywords all the time, anyway.

    Oh, and that link uses Google's SSL search and I'm too lazy to change it. So enjoy extra-secure search I guess?

    RBach on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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