Searches in Posts - Putting 'Search' Links for Forum Threads within Posts

[Marc]

If you do a search *using the vBulletin built in Search Engine* and post the link that comes up in your address bar, it will not work for others.

Something like this:

http://elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?searchid=448582

showing in the browser navigation box after a search can NOT be copied and posted as a link because each search *using the vBulletin built in Search Engine* is made into a cached, personalized search (that's the searchid=448582 part).

Remember, search terms must be at least 3 letters.

The 'correct' way:

Search for terms in thread titles ONLY:

Single search term:

http://Elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?do=process&titleonly=1&query=term1

or multiple search terms:

http://Elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?do=process&titleonly=1&query=term1+term2+...termx

To search all posts in all threads (not just the titles):

http://Elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?do=process&query=term1

or

http://Elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?do=process&query=term1+term2+...termx

[Al Rosen]

Marc, what do you add to limit the search to a particular forum or to two forums?

[Marc]

I don't know of any way to search 1 forum only. I'll look into it though. It's running a script so I'm relatively sure there is a query modifier, just like there is for searching titles only (&titleonly=1).

[Wes Bucey]

In Reply to Parent Post by Marc

If you do a search and post the link that comes up in your address bar, it will not work for others.....

I don't know of any way to search 1 forum only. I'll look into it though. It's running a script so I'm relatively sure there is a query modifier, just like there is for searching titles only (&titleonly=1).

OK. I read this once without coffee, then I took a cup and read it again. Then I proceeded to do an advanced search by clicking on Advanced search in the navigation bar ("whistle blower" for author Wes Bucey) The first item came up with the shortcut
http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread....wer#post149322
clicking on that brought me to
http://elsmar.com/Forums/showpost.ph...22&postcount=6
If someone else clicks on either of the above links, what happens?

1. How can I replicate the effect for other Covers?
   Do I have to sign in as someone else?
2. Can non-registered viewers do searches?
3. Is anyone else using this system? How does it square with the directions in Marc's posts?

[Marc]

I posted this because Randy posted a search link in a post, which you can do and which I do a lot. But when you do a search you get a link in the navigation box of your browser which looks something like this:

http://elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?searchid=448582

showing in the browser navigation box. Note the 'searchid'. This is only good for that user for that search (it is caching the results for a few minutes). Any other user clicking the link will get an error page. To see what I mean, click the following link: http://elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?searchid=448582

Let's say you're posting and want to make it easy for someone to find information on quality manuals. You can form a search query as a link within the post:

<url=http://Elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?do=process&titleonly=1&query=quality+manual>Quality Manuals</url>

NOTE: In this example I used < and > instead of [ and ] because even in the 'code' box' the string will appear as a clickable link like this: Quality Manuals instead of your being able to see the code - In this example I am searching for the two words 'quality' and 'manual' and I'm limiting the search to thread titles only.

"Can non-registered viewers do searches?" Yes - They have full search capabilities.

[Wes Bucey]

Point I was making is the results of my searches using the advanced search do NOT have "search ID" What happens when YOU click on the two separate links posted?

[Marc]

The key word is the RESULTS of your search. It is correct that the results page gives you a list of clickable links to threads and/or posts. What you put in your post above were from the search results, not from the url in the address bar that you see after you did the search.

I usually just embed the search query so the person clicking the link can see all the threads that they would see if the person did the search manually.

How is this different? You are choosing one or a few threads to link to that are in the Results of the search you did. If you embed the search query they will see all the relevant threads just as if they had done the search manually. Sometimes one way makes more sense than another. It's up to any one of us which makes more sense in the context of the post / thread.

I'm not asking you folks to do this. I just wanted to show you how. Now and again I see someone post a link something like

http://elsmar.com/Forums/search.php?searchid=448582

which, as I pointed out, will only give an error page.

[Wes Bucey]

"I see!" said the blind man.