Search function

fireflyscout · 07-12-2009, 01:47 PM

Whenever I try to do a search for "WPI", the search fails because there are not enough letters. Is there any way to fix this?

Thank you!

Lenitus · 07-13-2009, 09:43 AM

Dear fireflyscout...

Which search function are you referring to? I just attempted to search for WPI using the search function in the top nav and found results for WPI without a problem.

Are you getting an error screen?

Roger_Dooley · 07-13-2009, 04:50 PM

Try the Google search option:
College Confidential Site Search Results

The interal search requires words of 4 or more characters in most cases.

In general, Google search is good for finding relevant content when there have been quite a few posts containing the term(s), e.g., "Harvard" or "common app."

Our internal search is best for things like posts by a member, most recent posts (it's up to the minute, while Google takes a while to spider and index new content).

fireflyscout · 07-14-2009, 06:55 AM

This is the message I get when using the CC search:
The following errors occurred with your search:

1. Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

The following words are either very common, too long, or too short and were not included in your search : wpi

Thanks for the tip, Roger - I'll try Google search next time.

fireflyscout · 07-18-2009, 03:47 PM

OK, Google search only gives me entries where "WPI" is listed in the thread title, not just within posts. I'm still getting to error message above every time I use the search function in the navigation bar. This is irritating.

fireflyscout · 07-22-2009, 11:18 PM

OK, so here's the deal. If I'm logged in, I get the error message. If I'm not logged in, I don't. Is there some place I can change this setting?

Lenitus · 07-23-2009, 09:38 AM

Good morning. Sorry for your continued issues. Is anyone else experiencing this? I tried searching for "wpi" using every search option available and I'm getting results each time. What steps are you taking to get this error message via the navigation bar search? We'd like to try reproducing it, but we don't currently have enough information.

fireflyscout · 07-23-2009, 02:13 PM

I use "Search" in the blue bar at the top of the page (with My Control Panel, FAQ, etc). When I click on "Search", the drop down menu for Search Forums appears. I type in WPI for the search field, click on Show Post, then click on Go. I then get the error message above the advanced search menu.

This also happens when I use the advanced search menu.

As I said before, I'm successful when I'm not logged in to CC.

Lenitus · 07-23-2009, 02:33 PM

Thanks, fireflyscout...while logged in I reproduced your steps and found valid results (with my admin account). However, I ran the same test with a non-admin account and did see the same alert you've been seeing. Sorry for the problem...I'm going to look into whether this might be due to a setting that is associated with registered member accounts.

fireflyscout · 07-23-2009, 02:38 PM

You admins with your superpowers!

Thank you!

Lenitus · 07-23-2009, 04:38 PM

Apparently, there is a global setting which sets the minimum search string length to 4 characters. This is largely done to conserve server resources (since searches for shorter strings could potentially result in a large result set and tax our servers). While I'm not quite sure why your search for "wpi" was successful while you were logged out, I was able to insert an override for the minimum search string which exempts "wpi". In other words, you (and others) should now be able to successfully search for "wpi" via the forum search while logged in. I have tested this out with a non-admin account and it appears to be functioning properly.

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

violadad · 07-31-2009, 04:33 PM

Lenitus, if you would not mind, please consider doing the same for

CCM (The standard abbreviation for University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music)
NEC (New England Conservatory)
CIM (Cleveland Institute of Music)

These are high level choices for music disciplines at both the undergrad and grad levels, and the abbreviations are oft used within the music community. Searching for past posts has been a tedious and frustrating process in trying to reference past info.

Additionally, a description and parameters of the tag search function would be helpful.

Does a post have to be tagged at the time of writing? If not, how does one tag a post (or thread) afterwards. Seems the tag search misses a tremendous amount. For example, searching Juilliard reveals threads only in the Theater/Drama and Dance forums, nothing in the music or music theater forums (and there are plenty of threads I could direct you to).

Thanks.

Lenitus · 08-03-2009, 01:09 PM

@violadad...any thread can be tagged by scrolling to the bottom of any of its pages and looking for the "Edit Tags" area. You can do this for your own threads or for threads posted by other members.

Also, I went ahead and added your 3 exceptions to override list.

violadad · 08-03-2009, 01:28 PM

Lenitus, thank you.

sunnyflorida · 08-03-2009, 01:41 PM

Any chance you can add NYC?