SMC Search Tips?

[Tim Armstrong]

Hi all - I'm looking for a thread on how to best search the forum. I've been an almost daily visitor for the past few months and love the info but find that my searches are less than effective. For example, to try and do a little self-service, I did a search on "Search Tips" and got all sorts of returns that had either the word "search" or the word "tips" but not the two together.

I'm looking specifically for a way to search on "all words" rather than any single match in the search string. Any good advice on efficient searching of the forum posts?

Thanks!

[John Miliunas]

Tim, try doing searches via this interface: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/google.php
The "power of Google", right here at the Creek! :) :cool:

[Tim Armstrong]

Awesome - thanks John! As usual you are incredibly helpful and I appreciate it. Does it make sense for us to request your tip become a "sticky" post in the support forum? There are so many posts I see that are sort of repeats that maybe a search tips sticky would be in order. All the posts are helpful but I for one would rather find an existing thread that answers my question than create a new one if I don't have to.

[Lee DeRaud]

Awesome - thanks John! As usual you are incredibly helpful and I appreciate it. Does it make sense for us to request your tip become a "sticky" post in the support forum?If it were my choice, that link (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/google.php) would be a menu entry under either 'Search' or 'Quick Links'. You listening, Aaron?

[Frank Chaffee]

Awesome - thanks John! As usual you are incredibly helpful and I appreciate it.
Tim,
For as long as I’ve known John, in any new situation or endeavor he has placed himself, in no time at all he has become “the knowledgeable One”, and he has always been willing to share very freely with others.
Frank

[Lars Thomas]

John, that's slick . . .I tried tacking google.php to a few other sites, but no luck. How/why does this work?

[John Miliunas]

John, that's slick . . .I tried tacking google.php to a few other sites, but no luck. How/why does this work?

Guys, I do NOT deserve the above accolades! This is something Aaron setup quite some time ago. It's just something I caught when he first posted it and have used it frequently. :) Aaron deserves all the credit for this one and, if I recall correctly, it's something not "automatic" with all sites, but rather, something which the Admin needs to setup.

I agree that some type of "Forum Tips and Tricks" sticky would be helpful to all, especially the newer members. Send Keith or Aaron a PM and one of them may be able to make it happen. I mean, I can make it happen on the Turners Forum, but nobody goes there, right?! :D :D :D :cool:

[Steve Clardy]

Guys, I do NOT deserve the above accolades! This is something Aaron setup quite some time ago. It's just something I caught when he first posted it and have used it frequently. :) Aaron deserves all the credit for this one and, if I recall correctly, it's something not "automatic" with all sites, but rather, something which the Admin needs to setup.

I agree that some type of "Forum Tips and Tricks" sticky would be helpful to all, especially the newer members. Send Keith or Aaron a PM and one of them may be able to make it happy. I mean, I can make it happen on the Turners Forum, but nobody goes there, right?! :D :cool:


Nobody goes to turning:confused: :eek: :confused:
There sure are a lot of crazy bonkers in there.:eek: :rolleyes: ;) :D

[Jim Becker]

Best advice...use the "Advanced Search" every time.

[Doug Shepard]

John, that's slick . . .I tried tacking google.php to a few other sites, but no luck. How/why does this work?

If you look at the complete URL in the address bar when you launch that php link, you CAN mess with some of the URL string to get it to work with other sites - sometimes. I'm not sure why it works for some sites and not others, but I have gotten a bit of mileage out of messing around with the URL that shows up.

[Mark Singer]

Tim, try doing searches via this interface: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/google.php
The "power of Google", right here at the Creek! :) :cool:

John, Excellent! I gave it the Shlamaca test ....10 pages on Goggle!:eek:

[John Miliunas]

John, Excellent! I gave it the Shlamaca test ....10 pages on Goggle!:eek:

Coolness! If it passes the Shlamaca test, then it's ready for prime time!!!:D :cool:

[Aaron Koehl]

Google has a special operator for limiting to a particular site..
You can go to Google.com to get the same result. For instance, if looking for router information:

"site:www.sawmillcreek.org router"

Google will provide a good degree of flexibility with phrases and operators. Also, for specific words (as Jim mentions), SawmillCreek has a word index of all posts made, so searches made using the Advanced Search will search this index.

(Google doesn't index SawmillCreek every day, so for the most up-to-date searches, use the built-in search feature).