Here's a Handy "HOW TO" for the SEARCH function

The new and improved Search Feature in Bankers' Threads is very powerful; however if you're not familiar with how to use it properly, it may not yield the results you are looking for.

To Perform a Search:


Go to the Search Page


Select the Category, Forum or Forums that you would like to search from the left.
- Selecting a Category will search all forums in that category.
- Selecting one forum will search in just that forum.
- Selecting multiple forums will search only withing those selected forums.


On the right, to search a keyword, enter it into the box. You can click "Advanced Search Tips" for more help.
- Entering a single keyword will search for that word.

- Entering 2 or more words will search for each word, as if there were an OR operator. So entering peanut butter will search for posts containing peanut OR butter.

- Entering 2 or more words WITH PLUS SIGNS will search with an AND operator. So entering +peanut +butter will search for posts that contain peanut AND butter but they do NOT have to be together.

- Entering 2 or more words IN QUOTE MARKS will search for the phrase. So entering "peanut butter" will search for posts that contain the PHRASE peanut butter and will not return the post if it contains only one of the words.

- Entering 2 or more words with A MINUS sign will exclude words from the search. So entering +peanut -butter will search for posts which have the word peanut in them and DO NOT have the word butter.

- You can mix and match search operators. For example, entering "peanut butter" -jelly would return posts containing the PHRASE peanut butter and NOT containing the word jelly.

- Entering "peanut butter" +jelly -dance would return posts containing the PHRASE peanut butter and containing the word jelly but NOT containing the word dance.


Below that, you can choose whether you are searching the subject AND body of the posts, or just the subject.


Under the Username search section, you can enter a username. This can be done with or without keywords. So entering "peanut butter" +jelly + dance in the keywords and the username of navaho would return posts containing the PHRASE peanut butter AND the word jelly AND the word dance posted by the user navaho.


Next select a date range. There's an option to search all posts, or search for posts newer or older than a certain criteria. Narrowing down the search time will increase the speed of the results.


Next you can choose how many results per page you wish to view.


You can also choose to view a profile of the body. If selected, this will show you the first few words in the body of each post.


When you are finished, click "Submit".

Hope you find this helpful. I will make this post sticky for a few days.

Thank you for the information. I have not had any luck doing searches recently.

I, too, Thank you. It has been frustrating not being able to find things you knew were there.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! You rock!!!

Thank you, I too have been having problems with the new search features. I cut and pasted this into a word doc and saved it as BOL Search because I do get forgetful now and then.

Thanks for the idea Dan. I just set up the Word file too.

Michelle,

This is REALLY discouraging when even the gurus are having so many problems (along with the rest of us mere mortals). There are thousands of GREAT posts that we cannot gain access to!

Can't we go back to the old way???......this CLEARLY was not an enhancement, regardless of how many times you train it and how great you say it is. This is a cumbersome dog and everyone knows it. Let's face that reality and find a solution.

There are some pros and cons when there is a software upgrade. I can't speak for Michele and she has the intimate knowledge on this, but I don't think we could go back on just the search function, and there were other positives in this release that are great.

It doesn't replace the search, but be sure to bookmark as a "favorite thread" (linked at the bottom of threads) those you want to go back to, such as the search terms above. Once saved, you'll have direct access from your "My Home" link.

This was great information! But now I'm hungry for a sandwich, want to shake a leg, and head West!!

Thank you. The tips are really helpful, but I have one question. For date range, how do I get the option to search all posts and can I make that my default?
Sandra

By setting it to a few years you'll effectively be searching all posts. If this were the default, the search functions would be slow and may slow the server if a lot of folks are searching at one time.

Is there anyway to search just by thread #?? I've recaived thread #'s from people before, but it can be hard to track them down

It's not a search, but here instructions for IE browsers--

1. click here.

2. Make this a "favorite" for your browser.

3. When you want to navigate to a specific thread, click on this favorite.

4. Change "173146" in the url address bar to the post number and press enter.

yeah

I do not like the fact that I can only do one search, and then have to wait 5 minutes or more before I can do another.

The old way, I would type in my search word and months to scan, and if I didn't get any matches, I could immediately change my search words and run another search. Now, I run the search, and if no matches, and I try to run another search, I get "sorry you cannot do another search at this time. Try back in a few minutes."

That stinks.

Are you using the back button to get back the the search input page? I'm clicking the 'search' link to start a new search, and I'm not running into any problems at all.

I've had the same problem as Nanwa. It's also telling me that my search keywords are too short. What does that mean?

I also am getting the message that Nanwa and Bucko are getting. After the first search, I click on the "Search" button on the top of the page and it happens. But if I use my back button and change the search words that I typed in the first time, it will do another search. Odd . . .

Ditto with me!!

I tried doing a search on Check 21 with no problem. I then did a search on IRA distribution and got the "cannot proceed" error message. There may be an overflow protection device that will only allow one search in so many seconds. Lots of message boards have these to keep bots from running continuous searches for e-mail addresses in posts.

When I do a search, I receive a list of threads that meet my search requirements, but when I click on a thread to read the content, it is blank. Is anyone else having this problem or know what I can do to correct it? This started about two weeks ago and I don't know why.

What is the name of the poster identified with the thread?

All post that I try to pull up from a search are blank. It does not happen with just certain post, it is all post, no matter what I am searching. The entire thread that I click to view will be blank. Everyones post. The search function is useless to me, as I can not see any of the post, only the headings and the name of the poster, the post itself is missing.

What happens if you search on your own comment, can you view your posts? (I am exploring because I haven't heard this otherwise.)

OK! My threads are back. When I signed in this morning, I am able to see the threads in a search. I don't know what the problem was, but it great to be able to do searches again.