Searching this site

Useful places to look up facts

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DorothyCoe
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:58 pm
Location: Peebles

Searching this site

Post by DorothyCoe » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:40 pm

Is it possible to search this site for particular names? For example, I wanted to look for references to "George Porter" but even though I typed "George AND Porter" into the box, I got all the posts for just George and all the ones just mentioning railway porters etc!
Thanks
Dorothy
Dorothy Coe
Family Names: Coe, Atkinson, Kerney, Ramsay, McGregor, McCurrach, McNaughton, Mackie, Horne, Cordiner, Milne, Porter, Gibson

LesleyB
Posts: 8184
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Scotland

Post by LesleyB » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:47 pm

Hi Dorothy
As with all search facilites, there are things the one in the forum copes with well, and others it is not so good with.
You could try:
George AND porter NOT railway

Best wishes
Lesley

DorothyCoe
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:58 pm
Location: Peebles

Post by DorothyCoe » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:52 pm

Hmm I see. I will have to think more creatively! :D Thanks
Dorothy
Dorothy Coe
Family Names: Coe, Atkinson, Kerney, Ramsay, McGregor, McCurrach, McNaughton, Mackie, Horne, Cordiner, Milne, Porter, Gibson

LesleyB
Posts: 8184
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 12:18 am
Location: Scotland

Post by LesleyB » Thu Aug 09, 2007 10:55 pm

Hi Dorothy
It may not help greatly! Maybe there is no other mention of Mr. Porter. :D
Very basic tips for searching can be found in the "how to..." section here:
http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9276
but I think you may already pretty much know the content!

Best wishes
Lesley

Currie
Posts: 3924
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:20 am
Location: Australia

Post by Currie » Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:54 am

Usually, with this sort of a forum, if you go to Google Advanced search at http://www.google.com.au/advanced_search?hl=en type the phrase in the "exact phrase" box and type for example http://www.talkingscot.com in the Domain box the phrase would be found if it exists on the site.

For example, if you search for the phrase "may already be all set" (ignore the quotes) at the Domain http://www.linuxforums.org you'll find a question from someone trying to install a video driver. This usually works with any site.

However when I search for the phrase "the myth that its a doddle" (from a 2005 post by someone whose identity I will protect) on the Domain http://www.talkingscot.com I don't get a result. I may be doing something wrong or different software on the site may be the problem. Even a more recent phrase such as "anything to do with fishing nets then" doesn't work.

Someone administering the technical side of the site should be able to find out if this sort of search is unavailable or blocked in some way. It would certainly make things easier if it was available.

Alan

AndrewP
Site Admin
Posts: 6189
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2004 1:36 am
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Searching this site

Post by AndrewP » Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:40 am

DorothyCoe wrote:Is it possible to search this site for particular names? For example, I wanted to look for references to "George Porter" but even though I typed "George AND Porter" into the box, I got all the posts for just George and all the ones just mentioning railway porters etc!
Hi Dorothy,

If you use the search facility on TalkingScot (and presumably all online forums using the same software) you can search for inatances when all of two or more terms are used by slelecting the search for all terms marker. That makes the search AND instead of OR.

All the best,

AndrewP

DorothyCoe
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:58 pm
Location: Peebles

Post by DorothyCoe » Fri Aug 10, 2007 5:50 pm

Thanks Andrew but that just brings up threads that have a post where the two terms occur in the same post, but not necessarily together.
I want the equivalent of the quotation marks you'd normally use for say a Google search to enclose a phrase so as to narrow down the results to be more relevant.
It looks as if you can't do that here.
Dorothy Coe
Family Names: Coe, Atkinson, Kerney, Ramsay, McGregor, McCurrach, McNaughton, Mackie, Horne, Cordiner, Milne, Porter, Gibson

AndrewP
Site Admin
Posts: 6189
Joined: Sun Dec 12, 2004 1:36 am
Location: Edinburgh

Post by AndrewP » Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:18 pm

DorothyCoe wrote:I want the equivalent of the quotation marks you'd normally use for say a Google search to enclose a phrase so as to narrow down the results to be more relevant.
It looks as if you can't do that here.
Hi Dorothy,

That type of search seems to be more than is offered by phpBB forum software.

All the best,

AndrewP