Forum search needs improvement

PaulStoffregen

PaulStoffregen

Well-known member
Currently the forum's search is nearly useless. We need search that doesn't suck.

I want to (eventually) look at these issues...

1: Somewhere in the upgrade to vbulletin 4.2.2 we lost 3 character indexing, and database errors started appearing. This needs to get fixed. I'm not sure how to do so, yet....

2: The vbulletin search has never been very effective. It usually returns far too many results and ranks them in a useless order. I don't know what can be done about that, if anything?

3: Apparently vbulletin supports a different search engine. Here's the setup info. Looks like some server side setup is needed. Maybe we should try this? I can't find much info about whether it works any better, or if the only real benefit it less load on the server (for forums with far more messages than we have).

4: Google search with "site:forum.pjrc.com" works pretty well. Maybe we should just abandon vbulletin search and find a way to make the forum search just use Google?

If anyone has any ideas or insight about this stuff, please comment. I want to get forum search working well. I'm mainly an electronics and software guy... so this IT stuff is a little outside of my core skill area.
 
I can probably be lots of help with this. Not sure I have ever mentioned here, I completed cert iv in IT (mostly concerned with internet) about 7 years ago now - slowly forgetting, but there is plenty left...

Just a couple of things off my plate and I can start playing this game too; we can destroy my installation of vB 4.2.2 over and over trying stuff later :)
 
Did you mean this? https://marketplace.digitalpoint.com/sphinx-search-for-vbulletin-4.870/item
Google search it's good but inside forum a search-in-database will be great! Looks like that sphinx it's a concurrent code that access vbullettin DB and create it's own index (if I understand well), for sure it doesn't simplify the site management and can be a problem in security issues and future vbullettin updates (that needs database changes), but the vbulletin has this kind of limitation so actually it's the best option.
Maybe it's possible to hack a custom module like this one https://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=309477 and give access to the new search option only to users for keep control of the site load.
 
I am now used to doing "X site:forum.pjrc.com" on Google because that gives me the X I'm looking for. I assume this is pretty simple to do instead of local search, with some PHP code on the search box? Or would some browsers complain this is some kind of unintended redirection?
 
should be scriptable in such a way as to not get flagged, iframe is undesirable in most cases but as last resort can work out if nothing else is coming out neat enough.
 
Looks like Arduino.cc's forum sends your search to Google.

Ideally, I'd like to add a big button or link at the top of the vbulletin search results page that says "try this search using Google", which then sends you to Google. Then at least you'd know to expect to end up on Google, and in the unlikely case where vbulletin's search gives something useful, you'd get to see it.

Any idea how we might modify vbulletin's search result page to do something like that?
 
I've pointed out MASTER.COM as one example {Just catching up that those comments spawned this bug} I've seen for site indexing with a good search. I'm not sure if there are other such services - or if they can integrate into Vbulletin - or if that only works with a prepared website to incorporate it - I don't know enough about vBulletin to know if this would work: http://www.master.com/texis/master/app/apps.html

Their free service only indexes monthly( or on demand up to a MB limit processed) - so that would not be ideal - but you'd want paid to remove their banners and then could get more frequent updates.
 
PaulStoffregen said:
That's really the question, isn't it?
Click to expand...

Yeah - they don't have a phone number and reading their text is seems they make their 'own' BB - not knowing vBull as noted I can't associate their features with how it might work. I know they put a directory on the server (two .html files in the cookie case) and that puts their search box in place on the 'instrumented' pages as shown on the CC site. I searched their site and they have few old notes on VBull - they can scan PHP and any files. Maybe they could be 'invited in' (their directory) and it could be specific to a 'SEARCH PAGE', rather than corrupting all VBull pages? They would index the whole site and to see the search outside vBull you'd go to forum.pjrc.com/SEARCH.html where that page was instrumented to expose the search.
 
PaulStoffregen said:
...

Any idea how we might modify vbulletin's search result page to do something like that?
Click to expand...
Yep, it starts in search.php and may finish there, there may be a template or something to touch but more likely it can be done solely in search.php - I, coincidentally, have a copy of that; will be able to look at it later.
 
Here's a really fascinating article about improving forum search.

http://blog.vanillaforums.com/news/crafting-a-better-forum-search/

So far, it seems there's no way to integrate a "like" or rating system for posts with forum search. At least I couldn't find anything like that. I did find a like/rating add-on, and some improved search add-on stuff, but each add-on seems pretty narrowly focused.

Odds of me ever having time to really dig into this stuff are pretty much zero. :-(
 
I took a peek at a copy of webroot/search.php which is probably OK, I just acquired a copy that is guaranteed to match your copy and I expect to see same; it is not the friendliest way to sink a battleship but it isn't extraordinarily outrageously obfuscated either.

Pity you didn't find an addon you liked but I will follow your links and look for others that might suit (with less effort) before I do the mile (and hopefully not several halves) of reading the PHP hiding behind the calls made in the search.php file with expectation to eventually stumble onto the correct place to either add the short script I might be able to get away with or to place the hooks I will need to do it with from back in the search.php file.

I gotta pack! Stop distracting me :p
 
PaulStoffregen said:
Currently the forum's search is nearly useless. We need search that doesn't suck.

I want to (eventually) look at these issues...

1: Somewhere in the upgrade to vbulletin 4.2.2 we lost 3 character indexing, and database errors started appearing. This needs to get fixed. I'm not sure how to do so, yet....
.
Click to expand...

I think we have the data base errors fixed. There are a few things to look at for the 3 character search issue
 
I think we should consider adding this mod to the forum. It adds Reddit style up/down vote buttons to every post.

http://www.dragonbyte-tech.com/product/22-advanced-post-thanks-like/

Sadly, it doesn't seem to offer any integration with search ranking.... but of course that's my goal. Maybe we could talk them into adding that in a future version? Their site does offer custom work at a pretty reasonable rate.

Edit: mod with similar functionality:

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=231666

Edit again: another one:

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=233296
 
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I don't LIKE FB - but I do LIKE this idea p#16.
This post of mine for example ;-) is cluttering the thread just to say +1. - like my above, I tested 3 char search to work and felt compelled to say so when a LIKE would have worked.
As noted in the one link You either post to say 'thx' - or leave appreciating that you saw a good post and can't make note of it. And if you aren't the next post it is only remotely associated without dragging in a quote or something
<edit> on FB I wish there was a Don't_Like, here I'd rather not see it
 
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I don't think a down/negative vote option is good. Arduino had it at the launch of the new forum and it got abused by a lot of users (downvotes for everyone!?). On the other hand, a "thank you" or "helpful answer" button is a good idea.
 
HWGuy said:
I don't think a down/negative vote option is good. Arduino had it at the launch of the new forum and it got abused by a lot of users (downvotes for everyone!?). On the other hand, a "thank you" or "helpful answer" button is a good idea.
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+ 1

...........
 
Question: Does popping a LIKE on something sign you up for 'thread follow' - I suppose I could start doing 'thread tool - follow' as a bookmark . . .
 
PaulStoffregen said:
I asked the question here. Looks like I need to learn more about elasticsearch.

In other news, after only a few minutes with 2 posts on 1 thread, I like XenForo... a *lot* more than vBulletin!
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+1 for like, but no "thumbs down" function, forums often head in a negative direction as it is, Facebook only has likes for a reason. Slightly off topic but I see you've bought xenforo; a responsive theme which works on mobile better would be heaven sent, I have twins and have to steal my geek time wherever and whenever I can, often on mobile.
 
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