I have started this thread to help everyone get the most out of ASF's site search function. Tracking down the information you are looking for can be a challenging task, and in order to do it effectively there are some tips and tricks that people may not be aware of that can help you zero in on the information you are seeking.
SEARCHING ONLY THREAD TITLES
Sometimes, particularly in the case of particular stocks, people are searching for keywords that they specifically remember being in the thread title. Most of the searches people do on ASF relate to particular stocks. In fact, some of the most common feedback I get on the site search is that people find it difficult to find the official thread on a particular stock as searching for the name of a stock or its ASX code using the regular search pulls up every single thread it was mentioned in.
Overcoming this problem is easy.
Firstly, forget about the main search in the navigation bar. It is good for more general searches but for tracking down more specific information the 'Advanced Search (http://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/search.php)' is the way to go. To get to the advanced search, click on 'Search' in the navigation bar and then click on 'Advanced Search'.
Once at the 'Advanced Search' you will see a box titled 'Search by Key Word' at the top left. Just below the search box you will see a drop down box with two options, 'Search Entire Posts' and 'Search Titles Only'. Simply enter the name and/or ASX code of the company you are looking for, select 'Search Titles Only' from the drop down box and click 'Search Now' at the bottom of the page.
Your search results should only return thread titles containing the company's name and/or ASX code (depending on what information you entered in the search box).
Keep in mind that you need not be searching for a thread on a particular stock to make effective use of the thread title search, but any thread where you can remember keywords in the thread title.
I will close this thread until I add a few more vital tips and then I will open it for questions. If anyone would like to request that I cover a particular aspect of the site search in this thread, please PM your suggestion to me.
Joe Blow
30th-September-2007, 11:59 PM
SITE SEARCH, FORUM SEARCH, THREAD SEARCH
How many people knew that you could not only search the entire site, but also specific forums and even individual threads? Probably not many, but its true. :)
Let me walk you through it.
The site search, of course, is most easily accessed through the drop down search box in the navigation bar above or by going to 'Advanced Search (http://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/search.php)'.
But what if you want to search a particular forum for something? Simply enter the forum you wish to search and click on 'Search this Forum' at the top right of the list of threads.
This option will only search that particular forum for the keywords you specify. Very helpful in tracking down information in one particular forum.
Want to search through a particular thread for information contained within? Then use the thread search. Simply click on the thread you wish to search and then click on 'Search this Thread' at the top right of the first post to search through the entire thread to find any instances of keywords you specify.
This option is very useful for scouring threads with hundreds or even thousands of posts to find specific information that you may ordinarily have to track down by clicking through page after page. Definitely a time saver!
Joe Blow
16th-January-2008, 07:15 PM
SEARCH BY KEYWORD AND AUTHOR
As many ASF members know, you can search the forums for particular keywords or for posts by a particular ASF member, but did you know that you can search for a particular keyword in a post by a specific ASF member?
How does it work?
Simply go to 'Advanced Search (http://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/search.php)' and then enter both the keyword/s you are searching for in the 'Key Word(s)' box and the user name of the ASF member whose posts you would like to search in the 'User Name' box. Then simply set the search options you prefer in the options below this, press 'Search Now' and you are done!
This search would search for posts by Joe Blow with the keyword 'search' in them. It would search all threads of any age, show results as threads rather than individual posts and search all open forums on ASF.
steve2222
20th-July-2008, 12:59 PM
Hi Joe,
A post I was reading referred me to another thread only by it's thread number.
How do you search or go to a thread when you only have it's assigned number?
Julia
20th-July-2008, 01:37 PM
Joe, a couple of days ago I was looking for the thread "Coal - Where to Now?"
Typed this into the Search box - no matches
Used Advanced Search - still no matches.
The thread definitely exists.
???
Joe Blow
20th-July-2008, 02:29 PM
Hi Joe,
A post I was reading referred me to another thread only by it's thread number.
How do you search or go to a thread when you only have it's assigned number?
Hi Steve. The correct syntax is www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=xxx where xxx is the thread number.
Joe, a couple of days ago I was looking for the thread "Coal - Where to Now?"
Typed this into the Search box - no matches
Used Advanced Search - still no matches.
The thread definitely exists.
???
Hi Julia,
When you use the Advanced Search and are searching for a thread title ensure that you have changed the drop down box just below the 'Search by Key Word' text area from 'Search Entire Posts' to 'Search Titles Only'. Also, try and use only the key word in the title. In this case it is 'coal'. When I searched thread titles only for 'coal' the thread you mentioned came up as the first result.
Hope that helps.
Joe Blow
8th-July-2009, 12:55 AM
I have started this thread to help everyone get the most out of ASF's site search function. Tracking down the information you are looking for can be a challenging task, and in order to do it effectively there are some tips and tricks that people may not be aware of that can help you zero in on the information you are seeking.
SEARCHING ONLY THREAD TITLES
Sometimes, particularly in the case of particular stocks, people are searching for keywords that they specifically remember being in the thread title. Most of the searches people do on ASF relate to particular stocks. In fact, some of the most common feedback I get on the site search is that people find it difficult to find the official thread on a particular stock as searching for the name of a stock or its ASX code using the regular search pulls up every single thread it was mentioned in.
Overcoming this problem is easy.
Firstly, forget about the main search in the navigation bar. It is good for more general searches but for tracking down more specific information the 'Advanced Search (http://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/search.php)' is the way to go. To get to the advanced search, click on 'Search' in the navigation bar and then click on 'Advanced Search'.
Once at the 'Advanced Search' you will see a box titled 'Search by Key Word' at the top left. Just below the search box you will see a drop down box with two options, 'Search Entire Posts' and 'Search Titles Only'. Simply enter the name and/or ASX code of the company you are looking for, select 'Search Titles Only' from the drop down box and click 'Search Now' at the bottom of the page.
Your search results should only return thread titles containing the company's name and/or ASX code (depending on what information you entered in the search box).
Keep in mind that you need not be searching for a thread on a particular stock to make effective use of the thread title search, but any thread where you can remember keywords in the thread title.
I will close this thread until I add a few more vital tips and then I will open it for questions. If anyone would like to request that I cover a particular aspect of the site search in this thread, please PM your suggestion to me.
Can't get the search results you want by using the simple site search?
Use the Advanced Search and search by thread title! It's quick, easy and fun for the whole family!
Please refer to the quoted post above for further details! :D
Joe Blow
17th-July-2009, 01:18 PM
I have made a very minor but what I hope will be a very useful change to ASF's main drop down search box.
There is now a checkbox which, when checked, will allow you to only search thread titles for your particular search term(s). This will narrow down your search considerably and give you fewer but far more targetted/relevant results.
Hope many of you find this useful! :)
steve2222
14th-August-2009, 08:04 PM
Hi Joe,
How do you search for a particular phrase eg 'range bars'? So I only want posts that have these two words together. Putting the two words in "" still brings up posts where the 2 words appear anywhere in the post but not necessarily together.
Joe Blow
15th-August-2009, 10:56 AM
Hi Joe,
How do you search for a particular phrase eg 'range bars'? So I only want posts that have these two words together. Putting the two words in "" still brings up posts where the 2 words appear anywhere in the post but not necessarily together.
Hi Steve,
I have just modified the ASF search engine to recognise boolean searches and have reindexed all of the threads and posts.
Try searching for "range bars" (with the quotes) again, being sure to check the box that says "Show Posts", rather than "Show Threads".
You should now get the search results you are after. :)
Joe Blow
15th-March-2010, 04:17 PM
The search box above the Navigation Bar (see image below) has now been modified so that it only searches thread titles. This should assist those who are searching for threads on particular stocks. Just enter the three letter ASX code or the name of the company and the search results returned will only be those threads with the specific search term (e.g. RIO) in the thread title.
The drop down search box has not been modified in this way and in order to do thread title only searches the "Search Titles Only" checkbox must be checked before searching.
