Search engine still not working
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Search engine still not working
I was trying to find an old thread in movie talk just now and it wouldn't work. I know there was a thread for it (Slumdog Millionaire) So i typed in Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle, and it still wouldn't show up! This has been a problem for quite some time now. I remember the old search engine worked fine. Is this search engine problem ever going to be fixed?
#2
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Re: Search engine still not working
Is this the one you were looking for? Search worked fine for me. Do you do the 'advanced search'?
Slumdog Millionaire (Boyle, 2008)
Slumdog Millionaire (Boyle, 2008)
#3
DVD Talk Legend
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Re: Search engine still not working
Is this the one you were looking for? Search worked fine for me. Do you do the 'advanced search'?
Slumdog Millionaire (Boyle, 2008)
Slumdog Millionaire (Boyle, 2008)
#4
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Re: Search engine still not working
My personal view is that there is an art to searching, regardless of the engine utilised. Although some are very forgiving and may allow an element of "fuzzy matching", I don't think the one used here is anywhere near that sophisticated. That said, I believe some people have recommended the google variant.
Regularly I hear folk say they can't find this or that - whether it be here, colleagues at work or relatives struggling with the interwebs.
I've come to realise that my puzzlement at their plight is down to my own lucky ability quickly to devise effective searching strategies e.g. I always use "advanced search" here and, in this case, I would only have searched for "Slumdog" - or maybe "Slum*" - and utilised the "title search" option. If that hadn't worked I'd've probably tried Boyle and "search entire posts". But, when I tested it, the first option did the job.
What is my point?
At times our search engine - or the database - has been less than optimal. However, there are strategies for an effective search and (some of) these have been discussed in earlier threads on the topic in this forum.
Finally, without wishing to be a total arse, I am minded of the old saw that states:
"a bad workman blames his tools"
Regularly I hear folk say they can't find this or that - whether it be here, colleagues at work or relatives struggling with the interwebs.
I've come to realise that my puzzlement at their plight is down to my own lucky ability quickly to devise effective searching strategies e.g. I always use "advanced search" here and, in this case, I would only have searched for "Slumdog" - or maybe "Slum*" - and utilised the "title search" option. If that hadn't worked I'd've probably tried Boyle and "search entire posts". But, when I tested it, the first option did the job.
What is my point?
At times our search engine - or the database - has been less than optimal. However, there are strategies for an effective search and (some of) these have been discussed in earlier threads on the topic in this forum.
Finally, without wishing to be a total arse, I am minded of the old saw that states:
"a bad workman blames his tools"
#5
Challenge Guru & Comic Nerd
Re: Search engine still not working
^ Agree.
The search tools here are a bit clunky and needlessly varied. There are just too many search buttons and different ways to search.
I also always only search in one way, by using "advanced search" and searching titles only. Rarely do I have to resort to searching inside posts, but perhaps that is because I spend so much time on the forum and can figure out the possible titles almost all the time.
The search tools here are a bit clunky and needlessly varied. There are just too many search buttons and different ways to search.
I also always only search in one way, by using "advanced search" and searching titles only. Rarely do I have to resort to searching inside posts, but perhaps that is because I spend so much time on the forum and can figure out the possible titles almost all the time.
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Re: Search engine still not working
For the next couple of hours, search is going to really stink. After then, it should be back to normal.
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Search engine still not working
Why is this search engine such a piece of shit?
I like going back and checking out old threads on episodes of TV shows that I go through as I watch them. Doing this with Prison Break (S4) is just a pain in the fuckin' ass.
Doing an advanced search for thread titles only in the TV forum yields...
Prison Break - threads from season 3 and lower.
Prison - threads from season 3 and lower.
Break - the correct threads.
I just watched The Fist Foot Way, and I can't find any fucking thread for that. I've tried "Fist", "Foot", "Fist Foot", "Fist Foot Way", "McBride"...nothing. I just gave up.
I like going back and checking out old threads on episodes of TV shows that I go through as I watch them. Doing this with Prison Break (S4) is just a pain in the fuckin' ass.
Doing an advanced search for thread titles only in the TV forum yields...
Prison Break - threads from season 3 and lower.
Prison - threads from season 3 and lower.
Break - the correct threads.
I just watched The Fist Foot Way, and I can't find any fucking thread for that. I've tried "Fist", "Foot", "Fist Foot", "Fist Foot Way", "McBride"...nothing. I just gave up.
#18
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Re: Search engine still not working
We're aware of the ongoing issues with search, and we are working on a solution. At some point, forums get so large that the built in vB search option stop working. This site was getting to that point, so a little while back we implemented a new search engine. This is something that we custom built and have been working on for a couple of months. Two things it does well: it gives more relevant results, very quickly, with little overhead. The main issue: it breaks. In a way, it works too well and the index ends up becoming corrupt because the parts are moving too fast. Making the search index more stable is a top priority for us.
We have re-indexed the search and results should be back to normal (actually finding things normal), at least for the time being.
We have re-indexed the search and results should be back to normal (actually finding things normal), at least for the time being.
#19
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Search engine still not working
#20
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Search engine still not working
My suggestion for those who can't find stuff:
Look for the most relevant word. Search title only. Add date / post modifiers if necessary.
If that doesn't work, go to google and do a search there appending site:forum.dvdtalk.com to the end.
Look for the most relevant word. Search title only. Add date / post modifiers if necessary.
If that doesn't work, go to google and do a search there appending site:forum.dvdtalk.com to the end.
#21
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Search engine still not working
Well, it's broken and useless again. No results past 2006. I wonder why that's the magic number.
Edit: Actually, it's worse, returning no results for some stuff.
That's not the problem, the problem is the index is broken.
It's not the same. First of all, you can't narrow the results by forum, and secondly, the results are ordered by "relevance", whereas for a forum, it's most useful to have them sorted by date of post.
Edit: Actually, it's worse, returning no results for some stuff.
It's not the same. First of all, you can't narrow the results by forum, and secondly, the results are ordered by "relevance", whereas for a forum, it's most useful to have them sorted by date of post.
Last edited by TheBang; 07-20-09 at 07:22 AM. Reason: worse
#22
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Re: Search engine still not working
When I search for "Pixar", I get results from as recently as twenty minutes ago. Ditto for "Watchmen" and "Coraline".
What are you searching for, exactly?
#23
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Re: Search engine still not working
Like yours, my experience, today, is that a search shows up items less than an hour old.
Methinks that asking for the item being searched for - apparently in vain - should greatly assist in determining whether it is the index this time or the manner of searching.
IIRC, in years gone by, almost every time someone had a search problem that was at odds with the experience of other DVDTalkers we found that it was the manner of the search that was skewing the results. Sometimes the searcher unwittingly had an option checked that narrowed the search to the extent that it was rendered actually or virtually useless. I'm quite happy for this to be the exception that tests the rule but I think that each and every time there is a report of a broken search tool the poster needs to state precisely how/what they've searched.
(And to bear in mind IB-Dick's recent explanation/update, of course).
Methinks that asking for the item being searched for - apparently in vain - should greatly assist in determining whether it is the index this time or the manner of searching.
IIRC, in years gone by, almost every time someone had a search problem that was at odds with the experience of other DVDTalkers we found that it was the manner of the search that was skewing the results. Sometimes the searcher unwittingly had an option checked that narrowed the search to the extent that it was rendered actually or virtually useless. I'm quite happy for this to be the exception that tests the rule but I think that each and every time there is a report of a broken search tool the poster needs to state precisely how/what they've searched.
(And to bear in mind IB-Dick's recent explanation/update, of course).
#24
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Re: Search engine still not working
Like yours, my experience, today, is that a search shows up items less than an hour old.
Methinks that asking for the item being searched for - apparently in vain - should greatly assist in determining whether it is the index this time or the manner of searching.
IIRC, in years gone by, almost every time someone had a search problem that was at odds with the experience of other DVDTalkers we found that it was the manner of the search that was skewing the results. Sometimes the searcher unwittingly had an option checked that narrowed the search to the extent that it was rendered actually or virtually useless. I'm quite happy for this to be the exception that tests the rule but I think that each and every time there is a report of a broken search tool the poster needs to state precisely how/what they've searched.
(And to bear in mind IB-Dick's recent explanation/update, of course).
Methinks that asking for the item being searched for - apparently in vain - should greatly assist in determining whether it is the index this time or the manner of searching.
IIRC, in years gone by, almost every time someone had a search problem that was at odds with the experience of other DVDTalkers we found that it was the manner of the search that was skewing the results. Sometimes the searcher unwittingly had an option checked that narrowed the search to the extent that it was rendered actually or virtually useless. I'm quite happy for this to be the exception that tests the rule but I think that each and every time there is a report of a broken search tool the poster needs to state precisely how/what they've searched.
(And to bear in mind IB-Dick's recent explanation/update, of course).
We appreciate your patience.
#25
Banned
Re: Search engine still not working
There are a lost of words that the search function is not recognizing. I searched for superman and it didn't find anything, even though there are a lot of thread titles that have the word superman. The search function is getting worse and worse.