Comma search problem

This is the place for general discussion and updates about the ZXDB Database. This forum is not specific to Spectrum Computing.

Moderator: druellan

Post Reply
User avatar
PeteProdge
Bugaboo
Posts: 3518
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:03 am

Comma search problem

Post by PeteProdge »

I, Of The Mask brings up no results.

I Of The Mask does bring up the game - I, of the Mask.
Reheated Pixels - a combination of retrogaming, comedy and factual musing, is here!
New video: Nine ZX Spectrum magazine controversies - How Crash, Your Sinclair and Sinclair User managed to offend the world!
User avatar
Ast A. Moore
Rick Dangerous
Posts: 2640
Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:16 pm

Re: Comma search problem

Post by Ast A. Moore »

Confirmed.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.

Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
User avatar
Kweepa
Manic Miner
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:14 pm
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Re: Comma search problem

Post by Kweepa »

The forum search is also crap :)
"I of the Mask" returns 0 results.
"I, of the Mask" also returns 0 results.
User avatar
Einar Saukas
Bugaboo
Posts: 3070
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm

Re: Comma search problem

Post by Einar Saukas »

PeteProdge wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 10:23 am I, Of The Mask brings up no results.

I Of The Mask does bring up the game - I, of the Mask.
The SC website needs to remove commas from title, author and publisher fields in advanced search, before searching them on ZXDB. The same applies to the text field in basic search.

[mention]PeterJ[/mention] can you please take a look at this?
User avatar
Einar Saukas
Bugaboo
Posts: 3070
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm

Re: Comma search problem

Post by Einar Saukas »

Kweepa wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:03 pm The forum search is also crap :)
"I of the Mask" returns 0 results.
"I, of the Mask" also returns 0 results.
There's definitely something wrong there.

Apparently when you search for "I of the Mask", the forum considers that "I" and "the" are common words that must be excluded from search. So it tries to find an exact match for the remaining words "of Mask". Evidently it won't find anything this way.

If you select "search for any items" instead of "all items", then it works as expected.
User avatar
Kweepa
Manic Miner
Posts: 311
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:14 pm
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Re: Comma search problem

Post by Kweepa »

Yeah, if it's going to do an exact match, it shouldn't exclude common words!
User avatar
PeterJ
Site Admin
Posts: 6852
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Comma search problem

Post by PeterJ »

Kweepa wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:03 pm The forum search is also crap :)
"I of the Mask" returns 0 results.
"I, of the Mask" also returns 0 results.
I'm not sure I would says it's crap [mention]Kweepa[/mention] :-) I have looked at the admin side of phpBB and it looks like you can't change the search behaviour of the forum search. If any other phpBB user knows different please let me know.

Thanks as always for bringing these things to our attention.
User avatar
PeterJ
Site Admin
Posts: 6852
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Comma search problem

Post by PeterJ »

Hi [mention]PeteProdge[/mention]

I, Of The Mask should now bring up results.

Thanks for letting us know.
User avatar
Einar Saukas
Bugaboo
Posts: 3070
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 2:48 pm

Re: Comma search problem

Post by Einar Saukas »

PeterJ wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:32 pm
Kweepa wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:03 pm The forum search is also crap :)
"I of the Mask" returns 0 results.
"I, of the Mask" also returns 0 results.
I'm not sure I would says it's crap @Kweepa :-) I have looked at the admin side of phpBB and it looks like you can't change the search behaviour of the forum search. If any other phpBB user knows different please let me know.
If this is a forum software bug and there's no available fix yet, perhaps you can simply change it to choose "search for any items" as default?
User avatar
PeterJ
Site Admin
Posts: 6852
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Comma search problem

Post by PeterJ »

Hi [mention]Einar Saukas[/mention]

Having taken a look and checked on Google there seems to be no configuration options for search in the backend.

People will just need to change the search option if they don't first get results. I think the ignoring of common words is frequently done on search tools. The phpBB engine builds an index and looks for common words. I can rebuild the index but I don't think that would change anything.
hikoki
Manic Miner
Posts: 576
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 10:54 am

Re: Comma search problem

Post by hikoki »

Hi Peter. There seems to be a solution here : http://www.runeaudio.com/forum/forum-se ... t1077.html
User avatar
PeterJ
Site Admin
Posts: 6852
Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2017 7:19 pm
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Comma search problem

Post by PeterJ »

Thanks [mention]hikoki[/mention] I will give that a go.

I will post here when I have made the change, and if I can have some volunteers to review the impact on the quality of searches that would be appreciated.

PS. You win the Google searcher of the day award!
hikoki
Manic Miner
Posts: 576
Joined: Thu Nov 16, 2017 10:54 am

Re: Comma search problem

Post by hikoki »

PeterJ wrote: Tue Apr 17, 2018 11:53 am PS. You win the Google searcher of the day award!
Ha! Googleosis tricks. I enclosed, with quotes, some of the words that the phpbb system complains of
Post Reply