PlaymoFriends

Getting Started => Technical Support/Testing => Topic started by: Indianna on July 01, 2011, 04:53:46

Title: a searching problem
Post by: Indianna on July 01, 2011, 04:53:46

Sylvia -  Do you know if it is a problem to include an apostrophe (or other punctuation marks) when doing a search? 

I was trying to find the earliest discussions about the concept of a collector's club here at PF, so I did a search on "collector's club" but got a reply of "no results found."  I was sure that I had used the term "collector's club" so I searched again using just the word "club" and restricting the search to my own posts - I found several posts with the term "collector's club" in them so that made me think that including punctuation might be the problem.  Any thoughts?   :)

Title: Re: a searching problem
Post by: tahra on July 02, 2011, 18:34:42

Depending on how the code is done, the apostrophe can cause mayhem.. Maybe the board software takes the easier way out, and removes it...

Title: Re: a searching problem
Post by: Sylvia on July 03, 2011, 13:34:25

I don't know, Anne, but I find that using the advanced search form (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?action=search;advanced;search=) often works better than the basic search thingie. :-\

The whole forum really needs upgrading. :-[

Title: Re: a searching problem
Post by: bonniebeth on July 03, 2011, 13:58:35

Wow, I just used that form, and easily found something I'd been looking for all morning. It works much better! Why didn't I notice that before? :-[

Title: Re: a searching problem
Post by: Wolf Knight on July 03, 2011, 18:46:40

I did not use the apostrophe and all post regarding collectors club came up!

Title: Re: a searching problem
Post by: Indianna on July 03, 2011, 19:50:24

Thanks for the reply, Sylvia, and thanks also to Tahra, Bonnie, and WK for your comments!   :)

I always use the Advanced Search anyway as I prefer to see the results as individual posts plus it makes it easier in other ways to narrow things down.  I think that Tahra may be correct about the apostrophe causing the problem - if I just use the words "collector" and "club" I think I get everything in the search results.  Wolf Knight - your search might not have included posts (like mine) which used the term "collector's" with the apostrophe - most people seem to use the term "collectors" without the apostrophe, but I guess I am just a rebel!    ;D

Title: Re: a searching problem
Post by: tahra on July 03, 2011, 20:10:30

About the apostrophe, it is so...  Strings (like words) are enclosed in apostrophes for many databases. If there's one in the middle of it, it breaks the code, if you're just building the query... In that case, it must be dealt with. One (simple) way to deal with it is simply not allow it, or remove it from the search expression.

As a programmer, I HATE THE DARN THINGS. Of course not nearly half as much as different date formats.

Title: Re: a searching problem
Post by: Indianna on July 04, 2011, 03:07:39

Thanks for the further explanation, Tahra!  :hatoff: