Search Function is BROKEN in v3.5

[StrategyGamer]

Search Function is BROKEN in v3.5

And I don't mean its been deprotected:D

I mean it doesn't work.

Any search of the EAB returns thousands of false hits.:confused:nuts

Please fix. Thanks.:)

[Chuckles]

That's funny. It works fine for me. Is it possible that you are simply expecting it to work differently than it does? If I search for "Exile" for example, it returns 107 different threads, each of which contains the word "Exile" in at least one post in the thread. (I admit that I didn't read through all 107 threads to confirm this, but it was true of the first several and the last one, and that's enough to convince me). If you're expecting the search function to return only posts that contain a match instead of threads, that's not how the default search works. The "Advanced Search" allows you to specify that you want only individual posts if you like, and you can save your preferences from that page.

[StrategyGamer]

A few days back the search function worked perfectly. Today when I tried it, it is broken.

I searched for "Total Chaos AGA" with quotes. Today it claims 1917 hits which is ludicrous as just the other day there were only a few. Most of the threads listed do NOT contain the string "Total Chaos AGA". For example the 2nd thread about "minix" and most of the other threads... even one about C64s, parrallel cables and other things that 100% do not contain the string "Total Chaos AGA". The search function is broken with quoted search strings. The search function DID work perfectly before the v3.5 sidegrade.

[Chuckles]

Well, that is a lot more informative than simply saying "it is broken". If you don't explain in what way it is "broken", nobody is likely to try very hard to fix it.

Try the "Advanced Search" and enter the keywords however you like - quote 'em or don't, as you wish, and change the "Search Type" from "Natural Language" to "Boolean". I suspect you'll find the results much more to your liking. As for being able to search for a multi-word quoted string using the normal search, hopefully that can be fixed reasonably soon now that the problem is better defined.

[StrategyGamer]

Hehehe ok no prob. I will try your tricks.:)

Just 4 fun I did the following normal search:
Search: Key Word(s): "Chuckles love gay porn on his Amiga A1200"
Showing results 1 to 40 of 4339 :evilgrin
Search took 2.02 seconds.
Thank you for using the EAB search function.
:lol :crazy :laughing :crazy :lol :laughing :cheese :help

[oldpx]

This should make the difference (http://eab.abime.net/search.php?searchid=297001):

[StrategyGamer]

Well we must be on different planes of existence because the EAB v3.5 that I am surfing has NO "Search type Natural Language / Boolean" setting.

How can I make a screenshot to show you?

I am using Firefox on WindowsXP

There are lots of options under Advanced Search but not the boolean thing and I have no idea how that Turkish guy conjured up a pic of an invisible nonexistent option! :confused:help:confused

[oldpx]

You can alt+printscreen your window, ctrl+v (paste) it into any image editing tool (even paint shall do) and upload here.

This is how the search page appears to the Turkish guy. Same with IE and Firefox...

[lopos2000]

You have to select 'Advanced Search' in the Search menue.

[StrategyGamer]

I'm not CrAzY honest! :)

[Konrad]

I'm using Firefox and I see the selection for natural language or boolean in the advanced search option.

[oldpx]

Disable your firefox extensions and try again.

[StrategyGamer]

FireFox:Tools/Extensions shows me a completely empty window.

btw I don't know what 'extensions' are.
This is the first time I ever heard of them. What do they do? Izzat how I would install ModPlug into my firefox for hearing mods on BTTR?

[lopos2000]

In the Firefox browser in the top right corner you'll a circle. Click on that. That will bring you to the Firefox homepage. From there you will find links to the extensions, plug ins and more.

[RCK]

Please clean you Firefox cache and retry,
"Natural" vs "Boolean" search is definively what you are looking for.

FireFox > Tools > Options > Private Life > Empty Cache button.

[oldpx]

Private Life
Translation from french version? :)

Just "privacy"

[oldpx]

aHA! Don't use large fonts! Reduce the font size to normal. I tried to use windows with large fonts and guess what, I couldn't see the To: field in gmail anymore. eab worked fine however.

[RCK]

Translation from french version? :)

Just "privacy"
yes ! with the powa of my mind :p

[RCK]

aHA! Don't use large fonts! Reduce the font size to normal. I tried to use windows with large fonts and guess what, I couldn't see the To: field in gmail anymore. eab worked fine however.Nice idea !
it's true that you have huge font on your screenshot.

[StrategyGamer]

First I would like to say that the fontsize should make no difference, as the HTML layout engine takes the fontsize into account, yes?

My Windows XP has 3 font settings:
Normal
Large
Extra Large

They were set to Large so I wouldn't go blind but I have now set them to Normal as per your request.

I qut FireFox and reloaded it. I didn't increase the fontsize within FireFox as I usually do.

The Boolean/Normal selector is still not there.
Or it is there and invisible.
Or it is there and visible but I just can't see it due to EAB induced insanity.:crazy

I post a screenshot of my EAB advanced search function with missing invisible nonexistent options.

[StrategyGamer]

Hello
I have now made my fonts as small as they will go.
I can't see what I am typing now...
Here is my screenshot of the transparently nonvisible cloaked search option.

[lopos2000]

Font size here doesn't matter at all in Firefox. I tried it with the larges font settings and I could still use all the function in the 'Advance Search' option.

[RCK]

Please clean you Firefox cache and retry,
"Natural" vs "Boolean" search is definively what you are looking for.

FireFox > Tools > Options > Private Life > Empty Cache button.
Have you done that ?

[RCK]

EAB updated to 3.5b4 and Boolean rules restored.
@StrategyGamer: Is it working correctly now ?

[StrategyGamer]

The boolean rules did not need to be restored. That was never the problem.
It is a search string problem.

No, the new version is not working.

In the old version if you searched for
"Total Chaos"
then it only returned matches that contained the string
Total Chaos
with 1 space between the Total and the Chaos, case insensitive.

But in the new version if you search for "Total Chaos"
It actually searches for and returns anything that has "total" and "chaos" anywhere in the message, case insensitive.

If I use quotes it is supposed to search for that exact string. Not deconstruct what I have typed and then search for anything having all the same individual words. I hope you are following me. :)

In the current version there is NO difference between using quotes and not using quotes in the search engine, which begs the question, why do I have a quote key on my keyboard? :nuts:D

I can write you some code in BASIC to show you how its done if you want me to.:)

[RCK]

I understand correctly, and the solution of your problem is the boolean mode.
First, you have to understand that Quote are useless with Mysql FullText Search Engine.
When you want to lookup for all the words, "Natural Language" search type should be selected, and when you want to lookup the whole string, "Boolean" mode is the way.

Exemple:
- Go to search engine http://eab.abime.net/search.php
- Lookup for Total Chaos
- "Natural Language" option -> 931 results
- "Boolean" -> 22 results

My question is, since beta4, are you able to see the two search options ?

http://eab.abime.net/gfx/eaboolean.png

[StrategyGamer]

I understand correctly, and the solution of your problem is the boolean mode.
First, you have to understand that Quote are useless with Mysql FullText Search Engine. Apparently not true since it still forces me to use quotes.



when you want to lookup the whole string, "Boolean" mode is the way.

No. You must use boolean AND use quotes to do a normal string search.



My question is, since beta4, are you able to see the two search options ?
When I upgraded FireFox 1.0 to 1.04 I began to see the boolean and natural language search options.

So I can now workaround the bug by doing the following procedure:
1. Do an advanced search even though I am not doing an advanced search.
2. Click on Boolean even though it doesn't say if it is a "boolean and" or a "boolean or".
3. Type my multiword string such as "Total Chaos AGA" in quotes.

Its a very user hostile way to do a simple string search. In the old EAB it was 1 step
1.Type my multiword string such as "Total Chaos AGA" in quotes.

In the new EAB "Natural Language" does not mean "Natural Language". It means "or" or "find everything with ANY of the words you type"

In the new EAB "Boolean" does not mean "Boolean". It means "and" or "find everything with ALL of the words you type"

So boolean search for Total Chaos AGA returns messages about
TOTAL Carnage AGA and Kid CHAOS
Since that message contains all 3 words.

Doing Advanced "boolean" search for "Total Chaos AGA" in quotes searches for the whole string as if it were one word, just like any search using quotes is supposed to do.

The current "Boolean" and "Natural Language" options are totally nonsensical and meaningless in this context in the English language.:nuts You could switch them with each other and they would still be just as accurate as they are now.

"Boolean" should be replaced with "Find ALL of the words"
"Natural Language" should be replaced with "Find ANY of the words"

[andreas]

No. You must use boolean AND use quotes to do a normal string search.
He's right.
Search function hasn't ever been that broken.

BTW (only for personal interest): why wasn't it possible to leave the search option as in EAB 3, i. e. why had it to be changed at all?

The current "Boolean" and "Natural Language" options are totally nonsensical and meaningless in this context in the English language.:nuts

True. They only confuse people instead of benefitting them.
Do only use them with thinking.

"Boolean" should be replaced with "Find ALL of the words"
"Natural Language" should be replaced with "Find ANY of the words"
Or remove Natural Language entirely, as it doesn't work as expected.

[RCK]

BTW (only for personal interest): why wasn't it possible to leave the search option as in EAB 3, i. e. why had it to be changed at all?
To drop EAB's database size to 50%

[andreas]

I see!! :banghead
Mea culpa. Didn't know that the changes could be so drastically made happen ... but well, I can only agree to the statement that it steals the user's time if the stuff is not working, since it will force people to open identical threads because they have major difficulties in finding threads corresponding to search terms!

ALTHOUGH ... I think that you have other "worries" at the moment :)
So I think we all will require a lot of patience with you for the next weeks :)

[RCK]

I hope MySQL and vB team will make this better with time :)