Is search working?

Discussion in 'Forum Announcements and Feedback' started by wcutler, Jun 6, 2011.

  1. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    How does search work, or is it working?

    I was looking for this thread:
    Is this black oak? No, it's red oak, Quercus rubra

    1 - I searched by clicking Search on the Navigation bar, then under advanced search for wcutler (find posts by user), keyword oak, and it returned nothing.

    2 - I searched in Plants ID by clicking Search this Forum, under advanced search for wcutler (find posts by user), keyword oak, and it returned nothing.

    3 - I searched by clicking Search on the Navigation bar, just a regular search for red oak. It returned nothing. So I tried oak. Also nothing.

    Twice I ended up searching in the Links Database. But I'm not able to repeat that now. I really don't think I entered my search term in the bottom box that searches that, but I can't prove it.
     
  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,574
    Likes Received:
    615
    Location:
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Re: Is seach working?

    The search index does not include three letter or fewer words.
     
  3. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    5,987
    Likes Received:
    608
    Location:
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Re: Is seach working?

    In cases like this Google's site search function is sometimes a suitable substitute; it depends on the combination of words used in the query.
     
  4. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Thanks. I had no idea. It serves me right for not searching for Quercus.
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2011
  5. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Re: Is seach working?

    There can't be an exception list? A botanical garden site should be able to handle a search for oak and ash and elm. And yew, fig, fir, gum and tea, which I names I found in a google search for three-lettered tree names. Well, and oat, haw, and nut.

    Hmm - maybe allow three letters but exclude "and" and "the". Maybe the system just comes this way and you don't get options?
     
  6. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,574
    Likes Received:
    615
    Location:
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Should work now.
     
  7. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Yes, it's so much easier to find that thread now. Thanks, Daniel.
     
  8. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    We seem to have lost this ability now. I'm not sure exactly what you did to make it work before. I searched on ito-zakura, got all the posts with zakura, which is almost all the cherries, but there seems to be a 10-page limit, as it ended at 2016, no option to see more. I searched on oak, and on elm, got no results.
    I did figure out to search for "ito-zakura" with the quotes, which worked. And "oak tree" works , but I think oak tree returns everything with tree.
     
  9. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    This also means that a search on yae-beni-shidare returns 'beni-shidare', which is a different tree. "Yae" doesn't occur in that hit.
     
  10. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,574
    Likes Received:
    615
    Location:
    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    I can't do anything about this until I am permitted in my office again. Who knows when that will be.
     
  11. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
  12. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,791
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    I can't even do a search for Out and About, even if it's all in quotes, whether or not I search only titles.
    OK, it's on the first page in How's it Growing, but I didn't see it, since Appreciation is what's at the margin, so I tried the search.
     

Share This Page