Advanced Search doesn't work

Pistoler0 · December 14, 2020, 05:49 PM

I was trying to find the most popular threads ever on TFL,

so I selected the keyword: "the"

and then in Options: Show in descending order by number of replies.

It didn't work : (

**Aguila Blanca** · December 14, 2020, 06:28 PM

I have a vague recollection from another forum site that also uses vBulletin that the search engine requires some minimum number of characters before it will search. Try it with a longer word and see if you get some hits.

[Edit] I just did an advanced search for "the" and I got pages of hits.

Pistoler0 · December 14, 2020, 06:35 PM

Aguila,

I did get hits too by using "the", but when I tried to sort by: Most replies or by Most views, it didn't work.

I was trying to find the most popular threads.

**Mal H** · December 14, 2020, 07:54 PM

I have a feeling the search engine isn't the one supplied by vBulletin. I looked into the parameters for it and first of all, the word "the" should not even be searchable. That word and large number of others are included in the common word exclusion list (the, of, if, an, it, etc.). So the search you performed shouldn't have even worked.

I haven't used it in years in the way you wanted to, but I could swear it used to work like it is supposed to. You could choose the field to sort on, and you change it once the list of threads was presented by clicking on the column name you wanted to sort by.

tyme? Any ideas?

**tyme** · January 1, 2021, 09:46 AM

This is a known limitation of the search hack TFL uses to speed up searching.

December 14, 2020, 05:49 PM	#1
Pistoler0 Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2019 Location: Conifer, CO Posts: 632	Advanced Search doesn't work I was trying to find the most popular threads ever on TFL, so I selected the keyword: "the" and then in Options: Show in descending order by number of replies. It didn't work : ( __________________ Life is simply an inter-temporal problem of constrained optimization.

December 14, 2020, 06:28 PM	#2
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,460	I have a vague recollection from another forum site that also uses vBulletin that the search engine requires some minimum number of characters before it will search. Try it with a longer word and see if you get some hits. [Edit] I just did an advanced search for "the" and I got pages of hits. __________________ NRA Life Member / Certified Instructor NRA Chief RSO / CMP RSO 1911 Certified Armorer Jeepaholic

December 14, 2020, 06:35 PM	#3
Pistoler0 Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2019 Location: Conifer, CO Posts: 632	Aguila, I did get hits too by using "the", but when I tried to sort by: Most replies or by Most views, it didn't work. I was trying to find the most popular threads. __________________ Life is simply an inter-temporal problem of constrained optimization.

January 1, 2021, 09:46 AM	#5
tyme Staff Join Date: October 13, 2001 Posts: 3,355	This is a known limitation of the search hack TFL uses to speed up searching. __________________ “The egg hatched...” “...the egg hatched... and a hundred baby spiders came out...” (blade runner) “Who are you?” “A friend. I'm here to prevent you from making a mistake.” “You have no idea what I'm doing here, friend.” “In specific terms, no, but I swore an oath to protect the world...” (continuum) “It's a goal you won't understand until later. Your job is to make sure he doesn't achieve the goal.” (bsg)

December 14, 2020, 07:54 PM	#4
Mal H Staff Join Date: March 20, 1999 Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia Posts: 16,949	I have a feeling the search engine isn't the one supplied by vBulletin. I looked into the parameters for it and first of all, the word "the" should not even be searchable. That word and large number of others are included in the common word exclusion list (the, of, if, an, it, etc.). So the search you performed shouldn't have even worked. I haven't used it in years in the way you wanted to, but I could swear it used to work like it is supposed to. You could choose the field to sort on, and you change it once the list of threads was presented by clicking on the column name you wanted to sort by. tyme? Any ideas?