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A better way to search the forums — Parallax Forums

A better way to search the forums

TubularTubular Posts: 4,717
edited 2009-12-14 22:51 in Propeller 1
A few people recently have been finding it hard to find known material in the forums.

I've had great results with www.altavista.com

Just put 2 or 3 search keywords in, separated by spaces,
then put in domain:forums.parallax.com to limit just to these forums

Try it, it works a treat. It has some intelligence eg by search for 'frustrating' also found 'frustration, frustrated' etc
parallax_search.png
1024 x 1024 - 40K

Comments

  • TylerSTylerS Posts: 7
    edited 2009-12-11 03:16
    Thanks for the tip. I'm definitely one of the people who has trouble finding stuff on the forums. It causes problems for newbies such as myself.
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    edited 2009-12-11 04:17
    I am always having trouble, although there have been forum indexes done - see the utilities link in my signature.

    Lately, I have been finding that Google is not finding a lot of threads (using the link in my signature) and it limits to the forums.parallax.com

    I shall give it a try (seems like Altavista is gaining back some ground hey?)

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  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,717
    edited 2009-12-11 04:43
    I've found the same with Google. It seems to have 'blind spots'. I tried searching for some unique stuff I knew I posted (patchbox, quattro gusti etc) and it didn't find it.

    I would love to work out the equivalent URL to auto limit search to forums.parallax.com though (as you have done in your sig, Cluso).

    So far I just type domain:forums.parallax.com. hosttongue.gifarallax.com may also work. There is an AltaVista toolbar which may do it but seems only to support IE5+


    EDIT: Thats weird... just before posting I verified it DIDN'T find it... and now, it does. Someone is watching! Off to check some others...

    Post Edited (Tubular) : 12/11/2009 5:14:40 AM GMT
  • Roy ElthamRoy Eltham Posts: 3,000
    edited 2009-12-11 06:51
    I have used google with the following in the search box: site:forums.parallax.com <my search terms>
    It seems to work pretty well for me...

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  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-12-11 07:18
    Tubular said...
    EDIT: Thats weird... just before posting I verified it DIDN'T find it... and now, it does. Someone is watching! Off to check some others...
    That's one of the "features" of search.parallax.com. If at first you don't succeed, keep trying. I never quit after the first try. Just hit Enter again and, more often than not, results pop up the second time. It's the Squeaky WheelTM search engine: you really have to want results to get them!

    -Phil

    BTW, this thread ought to be moved to Support for Using this Forum. It's not a Propeller topic.
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,717
    edited 2009-12-11 09:25
    Hmmm... around these parts "ask twice" refers to a lazy middle management style where nobody does anything until it has been asked for twice. And the time between the two requests dictates the urgency...

    Seriously though how can noobies be expected to find anything? I guess our great hope lies in the new forum software.

    It does highlight how blindly I have trusted google results though.

    BTW, agreed to moving the thread, but how? Is there something I have to click twice?
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2009-12-11 12:22
    I have found that the search engine built in to the BB doesn't work and have also found the google search on Parallax's site to be rather strange, often it comes up with a few results and seems to have finished, then it comes up with more.

    Personally I can recommend this search straight in to google:

    site:forums.parallax.com inurl:"f=25"

    It limits it to the forum and to the propeller forum in particular, change the f=25 to match any other forum you may be interested in.

    For example:

    Search for gusti

    Post Edited (Graham Stabler) : 12/11/2009 12:27:29 PM GMT
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-12-11 16:14
    Graham,

    That's really good info. I should incorporate that into my toolbar/portal instead of continuing to wrestle with search.pcarallax.com. Thanks!

    -Phil
  • Graham StablerGraham Stabler Posts: 2,510
    edited 2009-12-11 19:32
    Actually it was someone else who suggested it to me originally although he did not add the quotes around the f=25 which are essential at least now they are.

    Graham
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,717
    edited 2009-12-14 01:16
    Thanks Graham, thats excellent advice and works great.
  • pacmanpacman Posts: 327
    edited 2009-12-14 22:51
    Has anyone looked into making a search engine plug in of this for Firefox?

    If they have - care to share?

    If they haven't - I'll add it to my list...

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