searching the posts on this forum? Erroneous retrieval...

[cverbrug]

Hello all,

I thought maybe it became time i open this thread. When searching the forum, (maybe it is me - but there's nowhere a manual) often you do not retrieve the posts which are there.

So when you search for example in a topic line for words X and Y, then the systems answers there are no such posts. (While you know for sure the posts exists).

So my two cents questions are:

1. Is the search function working properly (and then maybe someone could explain how to perform searches, which do retrieve the results'.
Or
2. The search function does not really work (and then the question is , can this be solved)

To be honest, after loosing so much time sometimes with searching and not finding any answers, it is sometimes simpler to ask the question again. And people then are happy to answer it again. Great, but isn't this a bit a waste of time of all of us.

I was posting this to find out if other people have the same experience in searching the forum for answers (which you know are there, but you simply can't get them retrieved out of the database)...

Happy New Year
Christophe

[witpqs]

I've switched to using google instead. Preface your search term with

site:matrixgames.com

and it will limit it's search to that (this) site.

[jwilkerson]

You will be most successful with forum searches if you can limit your search. If I just search "wide open" I never get anything, but if I restrict my search as much as possible, then I am usually successful. The Google idea might work also, I haven't tried that one.

[LeeChard]

I have to agree with cverbrug. I have tried searching for general terms that I know are in there and got the 'no results' at times. I'm referring to simple things like 'headquarters'
or 'replacements' for example. Other times it seems to work fine[&:]

[rev rico]

Same for me. No matter what I search for I get NO RESULTS.

[seille]

Yes, the forum search doesn´t work for me, too. Not long ago it worked well.
Why "recovering strength" should not give ANY results ?

[topeverest]

I must admit that I am not terribly successful in searches on the forum either.  I will use the advise from the mythical argleton conspirator

[cverbrug]

Thanks for all these replies to confirm the experience I describe.

Maybe someone from Matrix( responsible for the search engine or so) could politely reply and respond how this could be solved?

Happy Newyear 2011
Christophe

[michaelm75au]

I sometimes find it difficult to get responses back from the search.
Most of the time I need to be precise in what I am looking for, which is a bit difficult in that I am not sure exactly what I am looking for.[;)]

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: witpqs

I've switched to using google instead. Preface your search term with

site:matrixgames.com

and it will limit it's search to that (this) site.

I suggest you guys try this instead of banging your heads against the wall with the built in search function. It works. And you can use all the flexibility of Google's search engine to make complex terms and narrow down results if you like.

[d0mbo]

It seems the search funtion on the forums has been changed? A while back I got results when searching (and the right one as well). Now..... nothing?!
 

[Moss Orleni]

ORIGINAL: d0mbo

It seems the search funtion on the forums has been changed? A while back I got results when searching (and the right one as well). Now..... nothing?!

Same thing for me... the only thing that seems to work is using the dedicated search screen and indicating 'less precise match'...

Cheers,

Moss

[BigDuke66]

Is there a way to search a specific subforum?

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: BigDuke66

Is there a way to search a specific subforum?

Use Google. Preface your search with

site:matrixgames.com

and include

+"War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition"

or whatever sub-forum you want to search. Note at the top of the very page you are ready now they have:

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> searching the posts on this forum? Erroneous retrieval...

To search just the Tech Support sub-forum make sure to include this:
+"War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> Tech Support"

So if you wanted to find posts in Tech Support with the word "crash" in them, Google this:

site:matrixgames.com +"War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition >> Tech Support" crash

Don't bother with the built-in search. Using Google works better. Hope this helps.

[RangerJoe]

Nice!

[Nowi Ribak]

thx a lot witpqs for the input, search with google works much better

[PaxMondo]

Alfred is the absolute pro at using the site search engine. I'm just ok with it, but he is quite good. I also use google search as well and I am pretty familiar with that as well.

[Chris21wen]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Alfred is the absolute pro at using the site search engine. I'm just ok with it, but he is quite good. I also use google search as well and I am pretty familiar with that as well.

He sure is. How I don't know because everthing negative said here is true for use mere mortals. However this has been going on for a long time and the search routines should have been looked at years ago.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Chris21wen

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

Alfred is the absolute pro at using the site search engine. I'm just ok with it, but he is quite good. I also use google search as well and I am pretty familiar with that as well.

He sure is. How I don't know because everthing negative said here is true for use mere mortals. However this has been going on for a long time and the search routines should have been looked at years ago.

As I understand it from discussion years ago, the Forum software is not a Matrix product - it is an off-the shelf product used on many sites and its features are rarely updated. Since most Forum sites have very limited discussion of posts over six months old, the need for a search engine that goes back farther is not pressing for the Forum software designers.

Consider that most commercial sites with a large amount of data probably still use tape silos to retain old data. Robots can retrieve the tapes fairly quickly and transfer data quickly but they need really good search parameters to find it on the tape. I have no idea how the tapes are indexed for content, other than a timeline.

This Forum does not seem to be able to find posts with two separate words, each put in quotes and joined by a + sign as a search parameter. It may be that my formatting is not correct, but I can find nothing to guide me on how to format a search on the site. Probably I am not looking in the right place, just like trying to find stuff in the manual that puts info in different sections than I would have chosen. [:(]

[RangerJoe]

Bump!