Existing Feature Search term length

[DavidR8]

Can we reduce the minimum character count for searches to three characters?
I tried to search for ELS and get a minimum character error.

I can search for ELS on HM so there must be a way.
Thanks!

 

[Susquatch]

Well, there is a way to do it but it's not very elegant....

Basically, you search our forum with Google instead of the built in search tool.

Here is the search term to get what you are after:

"site:canadianhobbymetalworkers.com els"

Just put the part between quotes into the search bar of Google. It may work on other browsers too, but I can't vouch for that.

I use it regularly when I get the zenforo error message.

 

[DavidR8]

Yeah, that’s definitely the klugey way. I figure that with the preponderance of TLAs that we should allow three letter search terms.

 

[Janger]

I've asked for this before. There are a number of things TLA's you can't search for. ELS yup. CNC. .. there are more too.... Josh had other more important things to fix. @Dabbler do you know how this problem was addressed on HM? there is another one you can't search for HM.

 

[Dabbler]

W can search for "HM" on hobby-machinist. I'll look at our configuration and PM you...

 

[Dabbler]

easier to do it here...

 

[Janger]

Well that’s confusing @Dabbler . Your setting is for 4 letters minimum yet I can search for ELS on HM.

 

[whydontu]

simplest workaround is type “els” with quotation marks

 

[YYCHM]

simplest workaround is type “els” with quotation marks

 

[whydontu]

got to be an OS or browser issue. Safari on iPad running 16.3.1

 

[DavidR8]

ELS in quotes doesn't work for me on Win 11, Firefox or iOS

 

[Dabbler]

I've looked quite deeply into xenforo, and cannot figure why it will search for the letter "B" successfully on the HM forum (it finds "B & S Grinder", for instance) I'll try again fresh tomorrow.... There has to be a reason.... it is driving me bonkers!

 

[Perry]

Search 'ELS'

 

[Susquatch]

Single quotes (ie 'els' not "els") worked for me on Chrome. Oddly, it picked up both ELS and els. That surprises me.

But I love it! It's way easier than doing a Google site search.

Thank you @whydontu!

 

[Susquatch]

There has to be a reason.... it is driving me bonkers!

Dabbler going bonkers....... Now that would be a sight to see!

I found a better one with daffy and a magnifying glass investigating a problem, but it was copyrighted..... Too bad.

 

[DavidR8]

Single quotes (ie 'els' not "els") worked for me on Chrome. Oddly, it picked up both ELS and els. That surprises me.

But I love it! It's way easier than doing a Google site search.

Thank you @whydontu!

While 'els' works it shouldn't be necessary as it isn't over on HM running the same software.

 

[Susquatch]

While 'els' works it shouldn't be necessary as it isn't over on HM running the same software.

I agree at the functional level.

But we also need to be mindful of the server load. Searching the forum using its own server is a potentially onerous process task - more and more so as the search terms get smaller. Expediting searches by creating on-going indexes is also onerous. Google and the other search engines do it as an integral part of their business raison d'etre. Our server doesn't. Routinely asking the server for short phrase searches might be more than we should ask of it. I think we should let Josh decide that.

In the meantime, using the Google site search has no server overhead and the quotes method is onerous enough that it wont get used very often.

I'm not personally fussed about it. I can get what I want when I need it. It's just too bad I don't have @YYCHM 's memory..... LOL!