Forums too hard to use & search

Mark Filipak · Post by **Mark Filipak** » September 25th, 2007, 3:10 pm

These forums don't work very well. For example, if I want to comment on Thunderbird Features, am I supposed to plow through 374 pages of topics with 30 unordered topics per page? That's not reasonable.

There is a search function, but it does not appear that I can limit the search to just the Thunderbird Features forum. The search takes me to a Google-style results list that leaves me lost and bewildered.

As a result of these problems, I'm tempted to post yet another new topic which further compounds the problem.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

dickvl · Post by **dickvl** » September 25th, 2007, 3:31 pm

Click the (Old) link: http://forums.mozillazine.org/search.php

If you use that page then you can limit your search.
The Search was changed to the Google site because the server load was too high after the Firefox 2 release last year October.

makaiguy · Post by **makaiguy** » September 25th, 2007, 3:54 pm

... but with the built-in (old) interface, you can only search back 3 months. If that is adequate, go for it.

dickvl · Post by **dickvl** » September 25th, 2007, 4:14 pm

Actually 3 months is send as 180 days (6 months) : the values that you see are all wrong (mis-aligned).
You can check that in the page source.

Mark Filipak · Post by **Mark Filipak** » September 25th, 2007, 4:20 pm

Thanks guys. I'm not sure what "it is 3 months is send as 180 days (6 months)" means but I guess I'll find out.

The solution would seem to be obvious: Continue to use Google but separate forums from KB and then separate forums from each other and put the forum name as the first thing in "keywords". Then instruct searchers to put the name of the forum as the first thing in their search (or even better, automatically add it via PHP) Or am I being too simplistic?

guest26sep07 · Post by **guest26sep07** » September 26th, 2007, 12:43 pm

Couldn't agree more with the OP!!! This is my first time here and I also found the searching very awkward. I just tried the old search form with the link provided above and it is much better. Please reinstate it in a more visible location for the next time I need to search.

I would also think that a third bullet choice is needed for "subject only". It would limit the hits on common words like "upgrade" or "extension foo" to something more meaningful.

dickvl · Post by **dickvl** » September 26th, 2007, 12:56 pm

"3 months is send as 180 days (6 months)": that means that you get more then you asked for (e.g. six months instead of three), isn't that generous :wink:

Mark Filipak · Post by **Mark Filipak** » September 26th, 2007, 12:56 pm

Funny...

I tried "word AND wrap OR text AND wrap" (without the quotes) in the old search and got a bizillion hits that didn't match either of them. I also tried "word wrap" OR "text wrap" (with the quotes, ala Google advanced search) and got nada.

guest26Sep07 · Post by **guest26Sep07** » September 26th, 2007, 1:20 pm

guest26sep07 wrote:...Please reinstate it in a more visible location....

Ah, that's the Old link next to "Forums". WHen I first saw that, "Old" didn't convey what that really points to. It behaves more like an "Advanced" search. Which is what I might go look for if I didn't like the Google style search results on the GO button.

dickvl · Post by **dickvl** » September 26th, 2007, 1:59 pm

You can make a bookmark with a keyword for the Advanced Search page.
That also allows you to set default search options without the need to select the ones that you want every time.
You can right click the search field after you have set the options (form data) on that web page and choose: "Add a Keyword for this Search".
That is a very powerful Firefox feature: the selected options (complete forms data) are saved in the bookmark and send as POST data if you invoke that bookmark.
The selected field is added as an extra parameter like %s in a normal keyword search.

See: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_keyword ... h_keywords

guest26sep07 · Post by **guest26sep07** » September 27th, 2007, 1:01 pm

that does sound like a great feature. I will keep it in mind for other pages.

I can't see using it for this though. I have hundreds of bookmarks in hundreds of folders and I would likely never find it. I'm not here frequently enough (I hope) for it to deserve a bookmark toolbar spot!

I can see that calling the link "Old" would discourage people from using it. Calling it "Advanced" would encourage people. And I guess it worked :-)