Bug in FR search function and suggested temporary fix

[CedarDave]

This is better than just a post that "FR search is not working"

The FR search function has a serious flaw that is not readily apparent to casual users. I will detail it and suggest a fix for users until the management fixes it. In the meantime, you are free to throw cheese and find a moose for me.

When a search for a name in an article is made (examples: Bush, Clinton or sheriff), 20 titles are brought up with the search parameter. If the title sought is not seen the user can "Click to show more articles ... " and another 20 titles appear.

The problem is that the next 20 titles shown do not start with article 21 but with article 51. Try it for yourself with the word "sheriff" and observe the break in dates from January 2008 to September 2007. There are thirty missing articles.

No change in personal preferences will bring up the correct order but there is a way to fool the computer code if you are really, really interested in finding all the posted articles. Use the word "sheriff" in the article title as an example and follow along:

1. Do a quick search and notice the break in dates between January 2008 and September 2007. There are thirty articles that are missed.

2. At the bottom of the second page, "Click to search older articles ... " This will bring you into the archive search and again the most current article appears at the top of the page. For the search word "sheriff", the last article on the page is dated January 2008.

3. At the bottom of the page COPY the link location and post in the browser. Scroll to the end of the link and you will see x=50. Change that to x=20 and click go. The difference between entering x=50 and x=20 brings up the thirty missing articles.

4. For each subsequent page, repeat step 3, but add twenty, i.e. x=40, x=60 etc. and you will get all the missing articles.

[CedarDave]

Hopefully, Jim or John will find time to fix the search function some day.

Commence throwing cheese and show me the way to the shower.

[CedarDave]

PING!

For your information.

[NormsRevenge]

Your sister called, she asked if you can watch the moose this week-end.

(ducks)

[JustaDumbBlonde]

If the search function actually worked, the Self-Appointed Posting Police would be looking for something else to do and that scares me. What a quandry.

[ZGuy]

That’s the way I do it. I just wish they’d make author searches available. The author information must reside in the database since there is an author field we fill out every time we post something.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Sort of off-topic, but as for another programming suggestion, when there are duplicates (or multiples) of a thread, and the extras are deleted, is there some way to shift the comments from the deleted threads to the comment section of the surviving one?

[CedarDave]

Yeah, she's worried about what it might do to the cat.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

The search function has let me down repeatedly over the past couple of years, and as I a result, I’ve taken some pretty big public beatings from the double-posting police.

[Ramius]

Hey, I’ve got another bug report while we’re at it:

Whenever I post something after the third or fourth Bourbon, and then go back and review it the next day... it reads like it was written by a twelve-year-old. But it was brilliantly put the night before. Clearly something is wrong there. Anybody else notice this?

[GraniteStateConservative]

I always thought it was weird that FR mods didn’t have merge abilities. They also can’t edit the content of replies— they can only delete them totally.

[NormsRevenge]

I’ve taken some pretty big public beatings from the double-posting police.

—

and done it with a certain panache and gusto, I must say.. ;-)

[NormsRevenge]

Usually it’s the cat that has the hair raised ,.. lolol

[The_Victor]

Let me down!!!!!!!

[CedarDave]

There are other issues with it, such as you can’t do a keyword search using the “search” function. You have to click “Forum” to get “search site” or the first go to individual forums. Also, you are better off putting just one or two words from the title in the search box rather than the whole title. I’ve known those tricks for some time. But this morning I got PO’d at not being able to locate the missing articles, took a little time to look at how “search” functions, and came up with this method to locate the missing threads.

[NonValueAdded]

LOL

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Aw Dave, I’d rather just whine about it.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Whenever I post something after the third or fourth Bourbon, and then go back and review it the next day... it reads like it was written by a twelve-year-old. But it was brilliantly put the night before. Clearly something is wrong there. Anybody else notice this?

Lay off the Ten High and use Booker's. The problem will go away.

[CedarDave]

Wine?

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

and done it with a certain panache and gusto, I must say.. ;-)

Why thank you! I do try to take my beatings as dramatically and awe-inspiring as possible!

[CedarDave]

That’s the way I do it. I just wish they’d make author searches available. The author information must reside in the database since there is an author field we fill out every time we post something.

Agree. And glad you figured out how to access the missing articles, also.

[Dog Gone]

Why search? If you find that the article has already been posted, you'll just feel disappointed.

Besides, you can always make it a new post by adding a comic strip to it, just to be safe.

[CedarDave]

Why search? If you find that the article has already been posted, you'll just feel disappointed.

Don't use it for posting articles, but to locate a past one for reference.

[Arrowhead1952]

U R BAD. I almost peed my self and now the water is out at work. Can’t even flush.

[Dog Gone]

Oh, that makes it tougher, especially if you didn't post a comic on the thread. I see your point.

Just to be safe, though, always post a cartoon.

[CedarDave]

3. At the bottom of the page COPY the link location and post in the browser. Scroll to the end of the link and you will see x=50. Change that to x=20 and click go. The difference between entering x=50 and x=20 brings up the thirty missing articles.

4. For each subsequent page, repeat step 3, but add twenty, i.e. x=40, x=60 etc. and you will get all the missing articles.

This remedy is good for both "quick" and "archive" (or "deep") searches.

[Allegra]

You know what I really hate?

Getting a bug in a sock.

It starts squirming around your foot and you can feel its little legs and antennae...until you squish it.

Then it's all gushy....

I really hate it when that happens.

[CedarDave]

Better that than a sand spider!

[AmericaUnited]

I would think this is a very easy fix... both the "Next Batch" link code and the search find code should use the user's profile preference settings (# of articles) if available or default to the same number.

[Allegra]

Whenever I post something after the third or fourth Bourbon, and then go back and review it the next day... it reads like it was written by a twelve-year-old. But it was brilliantly put the night before. Clearly something is wrong there. Anybody else notice this?

That's really weird...I've had the exact same thing happen...except it happens with Belvedere vodka instead of Bourbon.

I always thought maybe there was something wrong with my computer.

[CedarDave]

Maybe, I'm not a programmer. I've known for a long time about missing articles and finally just decided to see if I could figure out how to access them. Changing the number x = n on the address bar for page 2 and subsequent search pages was the way to make it work. Thought others might be interested, too.

[CedarDave]

You gone fishing lately?

U.S. soldiers' new Iraq mission: Goin' fishing in Saddam's private lakes

[Zuben Elgenubi]

Thank yew, thank yew.

[martin_fierro]

I've found this specialized Google search to work pretty well.

[Allegra]

LOL - they've been fishing in those lakes since at least 2004. I remember chatting with soldiers fishing out of the lake at Al Faw Palace, Camp Victory and also in the big lake on Camp Slayer nearby.

They used to talk about some of the weird looking fish they'd catch. I used to tell them to send pictures to outdoors magazines like "Field and Stream." Don't know if any of them ever did.

[CholeraJoe]

It’s lots worse when you get a bug in your swimsuit. It feels really weird when it crawls around.

[Responsibility2nd]

I don’t know about Self-Appointed Posting Police.

But earlier I was selected as the Self Appointed Keyword Police. So please feel free to ping me if inappropriate keywords pop up.

[Dog Gone]

[DouglasKC]

thanks for the info...I’ve never noticed it before but it seems like it would be easily fixable and would certainly cut down on all the multiple postings of the same articles.

[GreenAccord]

I’m going to ask a slightly related question about FR instead of posting my own vanity, which I am loathe to do.

This morning I do not have a MESSAGE VIEW when on the BROWSE page. All I have is a THREAD VIEW, and oh, baby, I AM logged in!

In fact, there is no THREAD VIEW/MESSAGE VIEW option when on the browse page. It used to be directly under the

Home | Forum | Pings | Mail | More ...

band at the top right of the page but is not there this morning.

What gives?

[GreenAccord]

In fact, without a MESSAGE VIEW, how will anyone besides you or someone who happens upon this thread ever know I just posted my question?

[GreenAccord]

It appears there's an ongoing discussion about it already here. Of course, I did a search before the posts in this thread but only found that discussion when viewing the GENERAL CHAT forum and reading the titles of the latest threads. (Jeeze)