We call for a proper search feature in vbulletin 4.x.

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  • Markowitch
    New Member
    • Nov 2005
    • 28

    [Forum] We call for a proper search feature in vbulletin 4.x.

    Why not all results of the search will appear when users search all of their posts or threads? We have done everything by the book, but it seems that we can not view all results of the search, just a part of them. Users miss up to half of their posts and threads, where only half of the 4000 post show up in search results. Why? Where's the rest?

    Moreover, we have no possibility to jump directly to the last search page. Why has this feature been removed?

    We are not a chat. We deal with medical issues and we need a search that includes all posts and threads that are written on the forum at all times. We have just the right settings for the search feature in ACP. We have done everything correctly.

    If we do not have a proper search in the forums, we can not use vbulletin.

    We find the search feature in version 4.x is far too advanced and unnecessarily complicated. It contains too many unnecessary options, users perceive as too demanding a high degree of insight into how the search function is structured. As it works now on our board, vbulletin search function is too complicated and unreliable.

    We call for a proper search feature in vbulletin 4.x. .. as it was in versions 3.x. .. which we could adapt for our own needs. We can no longer do so.
    Server Type: Linux
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  • Steve Machol
    Former Customer Support Manager
    • Jul 2000
    • 154488

    #2
    That is limited by this setting:

    Admin CP -> vBulletin Options -> Message Searching Options -> Maximum Search Results to Return

    Note: The higher you make this, the more server resources you will use. Also vB3 worked the same way.
    Steve Machol, former vBulletin Customer Support Manager (and NOT retired!)
    Change CKEditor Colors to Match Style (for 4.1.4 and above)

    Steve Machol Photography


    Mankind is the only creature smart enough to know its own history, and dumb enough to ignore it.


    Comment

    • Mark.B
      vBulletin Support
      • Feb 2004
      • 24286
      • 6.0.X

      #3
      You could install sphinx search, vB have released an "unofficial" plugin on this site which works perfectly, also the user "DigitalPoint" on this site sells a sphinx plug in too.
      MARK.B
      vBulletin Support
      ------------
      My Unofficial vBulletin 6.0.0 Demo: https://www.talknewsuk.com
      My Unofficial vBulletin Cloud Demo: https://www.adminammo.com

      Comment

      • Alfa1
        Senior Member
        • Dec 2005
        • 4165
        • 3.8.x

        #4
        Originally posted by Mark.B
        vB have released an "unofficial" plugin on this site which works perfectly
        Is that a joke?

        Click image for larger version

Name:	Sphinx Search for vBulletin 4 2011-06-12 20-04-29.jpg
Views:	2
Size:	72.0 KB
ID:	3682493
        I buy 420 forums

        Comment

        • wcguy
          Senior Member
          • Mar 2009
          • 289
          • 3.8.x

          #5
          Sorry, I've stopped dropping by, see things haven't changed much.

          Comment

          • Markowitch
            New Member
            • Nov 2005
            • 28

            #6
            Thanks for all replies
            Originally posted by Steve Machol
            That is limited by this setting: Admin CP -> vBulletin Options -> Message Searching Options -> Maximum Search Results to Return Note: The higher you make this, the more server resources you will use. Also vB3 worked the same way.
            We have done exactly that before our question was posted. Without it solved the problem.

            We have set the Maximum Search Results to Return to 5000 and conducted a test. The result was that only under half of the posts "went back", with date on the oldest line corresponding to test-users' first post in the forum, and the latest date, corresponding to test-user's last posting in the forum. Test-users have posted about 4200 posts. Number of search results that appeared was about 1900 from the entire period the test-user has posted on the forum.

            This means that the search has "selected" among a arrivered posts, because total 2300 posts seems missing from the period covered by the search. Where are the rest of the posts and why are some of posts shown, while others do not?

            A forum without a reliable search within their own content is half useless. Not all queries can be performed by google custom search.

            Please note that this is a new problem that only emerged after we moved to the Publishing Suite, 4.1.4 now.

            Can we expect that improvement of this feature has a serious priority?

            Thanks in advance

            Comment

            • Steve Machol
              Former Customer Support Manager
              • Jul 2000
              • 154488

              #7
              As I also said "The higher you make this, the more server resources you will use." This also means the more likely you will run into server timeouts or memory issues.

              Our forums are set to 300. Anything higher would produce server issues for a forum our size.

              I do know that search is being worked on for 4.1.5. However I am not sure it will solve your 5000 search results issue. That would be an issue even with vB3.x.

              Nonetheless please feel free to make a 'New Feature' request here:



              We take all suggestions into account when determining the feature set for new versions but unfortunately we cannot confirm whether a particular feature will be included in a version.
              Steve Machol, former vBulletin Customer Support Manager (and NOT retired!)
              Change CKEditor Colors to Match Style (for 4.1.4 and above)

              Steve Machol Photography


              Mankind is the only creature smart enough to know its own history, and dumb enough to ignore it.


              Comment

              • Octavius
                Senior Member
                • Jul 2010
                • 208
                • 4.2.X

                #8
                Originally posted by Alfa1
                Is that a joke?

                [ATTACH=CONFIG]53226[/ATTACH]
                Wow that looks nice. I'd buy it for $25.

                Do you know of a better one?
                www.8thos.com

                Comment

                • Alfa1
                  Senior Member
                  • Dec 2005
                  • 4165
                  • 3.8.x

                  #9
                  Originally posted by Octavius
                  Wow that looks nice. I'd buy it for $25.

                  Do you know of a better one?

                  Cost: $1100 with branding. Branding free: $1600
                  Quite a big leap from $25
                  I buy 420 forums

                  Comment

                  • Octavius
                    Senior Member
                    • Jul 2010
                    • 208
                    • 4.2.X

                    #10
                    Hilarious.
                    www.8thos.com

                    Comment

                    • Alfa1
                      Senior Member
                      • Dec 2005
                      • 4165
                      • 3.8.x

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Octavius
                      Hilarious.
                      Do you mean the dysfunctionality of vbulletin sphinx compared to digitalpoint's version or the price difference between DP's sphinx and axivo? Or both?
                      I buy 420 forums

                      Comment

                      • Octavius
                        Senior Member
                        • Jul 2010
                        • 208
                        • 4.2.X

                        #12
                        Price difference!
                        www.8thos.com

                        Comment

                        • Markowitch
                          New Member
                          • Nov 2005
                          • 28

                          #13
                          Thanks for all replies
                          Originally posted by wcguy
                          Sorry, I've stopped dropping by, see things haven't changed much.

                          http://tracker.vbulletin.com/browse/...ream-issue-tab
                          Exactly...

                          Originally posted by Steve Machol
                          As I also said "The higher you make this, the more server resources you will use." This also means the more likely you will run into server timeouts or memory issues.
                          We are located on the same server, with the same power, settings, options etc. as we were before the change to vBulletin Publishing Suite, so server capacity is no the problem for us.

                          Let mi just round off with the following statement: users come and go, while the content of the Forum remain, and would like to be searchable as long as the forum exist. Anything less is simply not good enough.

                          If the contents of the Forum shall not exceed the forum's search capability is vBulletin not useful for anything other than short-term purposes. It is called the a Publishing Suite, so what it is worth, when we can not search the entire publishing content?

                          We have now decided to wait for 4.1.5 and if the search is still not optimal - we will remove the entire vBulletin search segment and replace it with our own search segment to search only for users' own threads and posts. For everything else, we will use google's custom search. If it appears that the search still not functioning in accordance to our needs, we will switch to another board system.

                          We intend to exist for many years yet and we can not accept that the longer we exist, the more posts and threads disappear because the search does not include the entire contents of the forum.

                          Have a nice day and thanks for all replies.
                          Last edited by Markowitch; Fri 24 Jun '11, 11:22pm.

                          Comment

                          • Andreas
                            Senior Member
                            • Feb 2004
                            • 2323

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Markowitch
                            It is called the a Publishing Suite, so what it is worth, when we can not search the entire publishing content?
                            You can search the entire content, you just will not get all results if your query is not specific enough, eg. yields too many results.

                            For everything else, we will use google's custom search.
                            .... which also limits the results to 1,000

                            Comment

                            • Mark.B
                              vBulletin Support
                              • Feb 2004
                              • 24286
                              • 6.0.X

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Markowitch
                              We have now decided to wait for 4.1.5 and if the search is still not optimal - we will remove the entire vBulletin search segment
                              You might as well do this right now. Search isn't going to change in 4.1.5.

                              The greater likelihood is, it will not be until after vB5. Now that the editor is done, what you see with vB4 is pretty much what you're going to get, bar bugfixing and the CMS improvements which are a couple of releases away. vB4 *is* what you see now, rightly or wrongly.
                              MARK.B
                              vBulletin Support
                              ------------
                              My Unofficial vBulletin 6.0.0 Demo: https://www.talknewsuk.com
                              My Unofficial vBulletin Cloud Demo: https://www.adminammo.com

                              Comment

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