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Dirk Labbe
General User
Joined: 05 Jun 2005
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 4:26 am Post subject: Search engine does not support quotes |
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I have been trying to search for threads in the Writer forum containing the phrase "line wrap", and alternatively containing the phrase "line break".
When I entered this into the search engine, it ignored the quotes and gave me all threads with the words "line" and "wrap". About 950 of them ... spread over about 20 pages.
With the current number of threads a search that returns 950 hits, most of them not what I meant isn't helpful.
Suggestion: could the search engine be extended to allow to search for phrases (like Google) instead of just keywords?[/i] |
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hol.sten
Super User
Joined: 14 Nov 2004
Posts: 3533
Location: Hamburg, Germany
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:10 am Post subject: Re: Search engine does not support quotes |
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| Dirk Labbe wrote: | I have been trying to search for threads in the Writer forum containing the phrase "line wrap", and alternatively containing the phrase "line break".
When I entered this into the search engine, it ignored the quotes and gave me all threads with the words "line" and "wrap". About 950 of them ... spread over about 20 pages.
With the current number of threads a search that returns 950 hits, most of them not what I meant isn't helpful. |
The search page explains itself. You can read there: | Quote: | Search for Keywords:
You can use AND to define words which must be in the results, OR to define words which may be in the result and NOT to define words which should not be in the result. Use * as a wildcard for partial matches |
So to narrow down your search enter "line AND break" (without the quotes).
And there is a second option right below the search field: Activate "Search for all terms". So to narrow down your search enter "line break" (without the quotes) and click on the radio button of "Search for all terms".
And there is another option to narrow down your search: "Search for Author". Call the memberlist and look for the top posters. It's unlikely that the top posters like DannyB, JohnV, and ftack post questions.
| Dirk Labbe wrote: | | Suggestion: could the search engine be extended to allow to search for phrases (like Google) instead of just keywords?[/i] |
It already does. But if you are still unsatisfied go to http://www.phpbb.com/ and ask for search engine enhancements. phpBB is, as you can read at the bottom of every OOoForum page, the software used for this forum.
With kind regards
hol.sten |
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8daysaweek.co.uk
Super User
Joined: 29 Nov 2003
Posts: 2130
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:17 am Post subject: Re: Search engine does not support quotes |
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Hi hol.sten,
| hol.sten wrote: | | So to narrow down your search enter "line AND break" (without the quotes). |
I think that this will find any post that includes the words line and break in the post but not necessarily together as a phrase.
I also miss this feature, but I think it's a limitation of the forum software rather than something that the admin could do anything about.
BFN  ,
_________________
James
www.8daysaweek.co.uk - A User-Focused OOo site |
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Dirk Labbe
General User
Joined: 05 Jun 2005
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 7:31 am Post subject: Re: Search engine does not support quotes |
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hol.sten,
Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question.
| hol.sten wrote: |
The search page explains itself. You can read there: [...]
So to narrow down your search enter "line AND break" (without the quotes).
[...]
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However your explanation of Boolean searches seems a little off the mark. My problem isn't that I don't know how to do a Boolean search (I do), or how to specify an extra condition on author, but that the search engine doesn't allow me to search for phrases. Or strings if you like. As soon as there is a space the search engine searchses for averything to the left and to the right of that space and links it using a logical AND.
Let me explain ... if I want to search for the phrase "line break" I am searching for all threads that contain the string "line break". This set is a subset of what you would get when you select all threads that contiain the word "line" and the word "break" somewehre in the text. And as I hope i will be a very small subset.
| hol.sten wrote: | | Dirk Labbe wrote: | | Suggestion: could the search engine be extended to allow to search for phrases (like Google) instead of just keywords?[/i] |
It already does.
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Sorry, but it does not. See my first post and my explanation above.
| hol.sten wrote: |
But if you are still unsatisfied go to http://www.phpbb.com/ and ask for search engine enhancements. phpBB is, as you can read at the bottom of every OOoForum page, the software used for this forum.
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Well perhaps ... but I am a user of this forum, not of whatever software was used to build it. I never read the small print at the bottom, and I had no idea that phpBB referred to some sort of software ... now I do, thank you.
However, since I have a problem with/suggested solution for the OpenOffice.org site, this forum titled "Site feedback" seems the proper place to address it.
In addition I don't believe that I should address phBB directly for the following reasons:
a) I have no idea if the option is perhaps present in the software used to drive the forum, but simply wasn't enabled, or is available in an never version, or conflicts with some technical limitation somewhere. I'm just a user, not a site admin
b) I think that bypassing the OpenOffice.org site for a feature request is not the right way to go. First of all ... the site admin might well be much more aware than I am of how (if at all) to implement this feature, and may very well have more regular contact with whoever wrote the forum software than I do.
c) A feature request from the admin of a large Open Source site may well carry a bit more weight than the same request from myself (whom they have never heard of).
But thank you for your time in responding and helping me clarify the nature of my problem to readers.
Best regards,
Dirk Labbe |
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hol.sten
Super User
Joined: 14 Nov 2004
Posts: 3533
Location: Hamburg, Germany
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 7:36 am Post subject: Re: Search engine does not support quotes |
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| 8daysaweek.co.uk wrote: | | hol.sten wrote: | | So to narrow down your search enter "line AND break" (without the quotes). |
I think that this will find any post that includes the words line and break in the post but not necessarily together as a phrase. |
OK, that's right, but it reduces the result set notable.
| 8daysaweek.co.uk wrote: | | I also miss this feature, but I think it's a limitation of the forum software rather than something that the admin could do anything about. |
If you realy miss it, why not adress it to the phpBB developer? If it's done in an update it will eventually be available here too.
With kind regards
hol.sten |
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8daysaweek.co.uk
Super User
Joined: 29 Nov 2003
Posts: 2130
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 7:39 am Post subject: Re: Search engine does not support quotes |
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| hol.sten wrote: | | If you realy miss it, why not adress it to the phpBB developer? If it's done in an update it will eventually be available here too. |
Indeed I have in the past, my post was just an effort to explain an apparent misunderstanding.
BFN ,
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James
www.8daysaweek.co.uk - A User-Focused OOo site |
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