Please teach me how to search these boards

[Gareth.Lewis]

Warren! Hello!

I always use advance search, never the standard one

Narrow the results using the appropriate section (Printer forum, off topic etc)

ie when I’m looking for a font or vector, I look in the file swapping forum only. When looking for versacamm issues, the roalnd printer forum….

…don’t alter any settings, type your subject in the search using keywords box, then use the ‘forums’ drop down box on the left and click on the one that you think matches your query…

…remember that ‘painting foamex’ will throw up all ‘painting’ posts and all ‘foamex’ posts as well as all ‘painting foamex’ ones, so you may want to try and do something about that by altering the phrase etc…

…..hope that helps!

Although, I am an idiot, so you never know, it may not.

[Warren Beard]

Hi Gareth

Yeah I do that but it’s more when it is something quiet common like painting Foamex, there a few categories that it could show up in so need to do a full search on it, 2 words always make it worse when in theory it should help narrow it down 😕

cheers

Warren

[Gareth.Lewis]

Just edited my above post when you posted yours.

Could you just advance search, choosing one forum from the drop down box (NOT the category box), then do another choosing another forum.?

I’m going to do one now (a search, that is) to see how it works….

[Gareth.Lewis]

I just used advance search, typed in ‘foamex’ only, and clicked on the painting forum in the forum drop down box.

It came back with (among others) this…..

https://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.p … ght=foamex

[Gareth.Lewis]

….and I searched for ‘paint’ in the sign fabrication forum and came up with this….

https://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.p … ight=paint

[Warren Beard]

Thanks Gareth, I know on other forums I have visited (non sign related) you can search for exact terms so if searching for "painting Foamex" it would only show up results with these 2 words in it, not one or the other.

I usually always find a way around searching and finding what I need but understand why sometimes the same questions always get asked as it can take longer to search sometimes then just asking the question.

Maybe some people are too afraid to ask how to search, I’m obviously not :lol1:

thanks mate

Warren

[Gareth.Lewis]

I just did another advanced search, used ‘painting foamex’, and ticked the lower of the two dots under the ‘search for keywords’ box (search for all terms).

That gave me just 19 results.

And, look what was top…..

https://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.p … ing+foamex

:lol1:

[David Rowland]

i given up with the search feature, its an old version of phpBB which doesn’t help

[Phill Fenton]

Under the advanced search option:-
you need to put "and" in the string of words you are searching.
e.g. So if you are looking for "painting foamex" you need to enter "painting and foamex"

Simples

[Robert Lambie]

dave it has nothing to do with the version of phpbb mate. 9/10 updates on these types of boards is security updates and although UKSB still shows the old template, the updates have still been applied. and that is "by choice".
you forget just how heavily modified UKSB is in the back end of this sites structure. anyway… moving on. 🙄

narrowing down your searches using the likes of "word" or "word and word" like phill mentioned, all adds to defining the search. similar to searching google. As Gareth has said, searching by forum also helps greatly…

i do not know how many times we have to correct topic titles in a single day, wording used in posts, the correct forum and more. all this adds to how easily the site can be used by others further down the line. you may think "whatever!" but this is very important for the site to be used as an information resource as opposed a general chat room. which it is not.

[Peter Normington]

quote Phill Fenton:

Under the advanced search option:-
you need to put “and” in the string of words you are searching.
e.g. So if you are looking for “painting foamex” you need to enter “painting and foamex”

Simples

I tried B and P
😕

Peter

[Robert Lambie]

:lol1: i dont think it finds/sees any single charactors or symbols peter.

[Peter Normington]

Well if I cant find them,
the rumors must be true,
😉
Peter

[Robert Lambie]

quote Peter Normington:

Well if I cant find them,
the rumors must be true,
😉
Peter

:lol1: :lol1: :lol1:

[David Rowland]

the security updates might be applied but the functionality is not improved…

The AND word sometimes gives you the results you want, but it is naff on this version of phpbb

[Peter Normington]

I did a search for" Dave Rowland"
got over 10,000 results,

no relevance to the topic, or is it?

Peter

[David Rowland]

not sure what u mean by relevance

Dave is mentioned a million times when people sign the post

[Peter Normington]

Dave
you are famous at last!
Peter

[Robert Lambie]

quote Dave Rowland:

the security updates might be applied but the functionality is not improved…

The AND word sometimes gives you the results you want, but it is naff on this version of phpbb

ill keep your advise in mind dave, i know you mean well mate but im behind on various other things due to work load. so first things first. :lol1:
i did mean what i said though, im fully aware of updates. i cannot login to admin section of this site without updates being shown within there, as and when they become available. there is very good reason for my choice, but for now as long as the site is secure, i can live without the other little add ons here and there for now.

you are famous anyway dave,
https://www.uksignboards.com/viewtopic.p … 46&start=0

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Attachments:

[Graeme Harrold]

Need to start a thread on making pics invisible (as above)……….. 😮

Anyhoo. when constraining searches I use + and – to include or exclude words

e.g. painting +foamex only brought up 28 items, most of which now relate to this thread. Just make sure the operator does not have a space between it and the word…………. :lol1: