Forum Search

[Roswenthe Blackwell]

The forum search refuses 75% of my search terms. Pretty much any single words and sometimes multiple word terms.

The following words in your search query were ignored because they are too common words: search.
You must specify at least one word to search for. Each word must consist of at least 3 characters and must not contain more than 14 characters excluding wildcards.

[Sherrie Melody]

I find it easier to use a customized google search for looking for things in the forum. In the google search box, type the words for your search, then at the end add "site:kitely.com/forums/" (without the quotes. Works very well.

[Dot Matrix]

Unfortunately phpBB's built-in search in a vanilla installation is badly flawed, as you have noticed. Other than that, it has a useful and usable set of features making it very popular for running forums.

Sherrie's method is probably one of the best ways of overcoming the limitations of phpBB search, short of installing a new plug-in with its implications of adding to Kitely's already overlong to-do list.

I'd sooner have Hypergrid than forum search

[Dot Matrix]

I've been doing a bit more research, mostly to refresh my own memory of what might be possible.

In years gone by, Nalates did a search tool for Myst/Uru phpBB-based fan forums, including one I helped to run (GoMa): http://blog.nalates.net/2009/04/02/myst-uru-search/

She commented on the OpenUru fan forum about the Search tools:

This is an ongoing problem. So far, any good solution I know of is labor intense.

Forum search tends to be weak. The database tools for searching the forum data are powerful, but SQL queries are complex. Unless someone improves the forum search page, there isn’t much to be done.

Nal's tool was broken by a phpBB update according to a later post in the GoMa forum.

Googling more widely, I came across this site, and the first of a series of articles on Search within phpBB forums: http://www.phpbbdoctor.com/blog/2007/01 ... rk-part-i/

So it is not a straightforward matter.

Best go with Sherrie's solution of using Google (or equivalent).