Wildcard in the advanced search function

Like the title says this is ridiculous, after the recent shambles of Forumotion removing the ability to use the "*" character for those of us who NEED to display the most recent posts on our sites and causing me and many others great inconvenience, not to mention many days of hard work trying to find a solution and fix it...

What does Forumotion go and do now... they damn well take out the fix and mess up our sites yet again...

This is ridiculous and a disgraceful way to treat your members, for the last time please ask the techs to put back the wildcard search feature and stop removing it and causing the smooth running of our site to turn into a total shambles...

PS: And don't give me the same replies as last time that it is necessary as that excuse just does not wash with me or any of the other members sites that you have ruined yet again...

Hi,

I'm sorry for this.
The reason for the removal of your fix is because the same error was being caused on the server.

Leeloo will be by shortly to confirm, or deny this, I'm sure.

Hello,

It won't be put back again, sorry.

I already told you why the techs have made this choice.

I'm not sure at all but I believe that the French have found a way to display the most recent topics without using the wildcards in the code. I'll try to know more about this and will let you know tomorrow.

Thanks.

Can I ask exactly what this is I am slightly confused and I am wondering what this is all about....

*sigh*

Your answer is percentage symbol space percentage (% %) symbol or asterisk space asterisk (* *). In the author box.

Come on Leeloo.
Here's your new RegEx to avoid these searches:

Code:

preg_match('#^[\*%\s]+$#', $search_content);

So is there anyway to display recent topics ? My recent topics system is broken by this stupid update.

LGforum wrote:*sigh*

Your answer is percentage symbol space percentage (% %) symbol or asterisk space asterisk (* *). In the author box.

Come on Leeloo.
Here's your new RegEx to avoid these searches:

Code:

preg_match('#^[\*%\s]+$#', $search_content);

Just tried using percentage symbol space percentage & asterisk space asterisk in the various lines of code I use for displaying the latest posts (or rather I used to use until they broke it AGAIN) but sadly it doesn't work...

Example:

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_author=% %&search_time=14">Show Latest Posts</a><br />

This was the original code I used that used to work fine:

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_author=*&search_time=14">Show Latest Posts</a><br />

Then this was the code I fixed it with and used until they broke it again yesterday that also worked fine:

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_author=*%&search_time=14">Show Latest Posts</a><br />

What I fail to understand here is...

The Techs are trying to claim these "Latest Posts" play havoc with the server and yet there is still a widget there that displays the latest posts !!!

So why isn't the Widget "playing havoc with the server" ???

Why not get the Techs to allow us to use the widget code to display the latest posts on our pages instead of being limited to a widget where they are frankly unreadable and useless...

Please change the title of your topic, that is related to your question/issue, so that other users will be able to find their question/issue using the search engine.

The Techs are trying to claim these "Latest Posts" play havoc with the server and yet there is still a widget there that displays the latest posts !!!

You seem to confuse it.
The techs have only disable the wildcard function in the advanced search because it was a request too heavy for the server.

Leeloo wrote:

Please change the title of your topic, that is related to your question/issue, so that other users will be able to find their question/issue using the search engine.

Done...

The Techs are trying to claim these "Latest Posts" play havoc with the server and yet there is still a widget there that displays the latest posts !!!

You seem to confuse it.
The techs have only disable the wildcard function in the advanced search because it was a request too heavy for the server.

Thanks but I assure you I am not confused, playing havoc with the server has the same meaning as "too heavy for the server" and this is the excuse we are given for this...

Like I said if this is claimed to be "too heavy for the server" then WHY is there such a "latest post" function available in the widgets ???

Why can't the technical people allow us to use the widget latest post function on the main part of our forum if that works fine according to them and doesn't affect the server ???

There is a thread here that shows you how to sort of modify the widgets "latest posts" funtion to be used across the width of a page but unfortunately to do so means changing the entire layout of ones site and therefore is not the ideal solution to this problem...

It's also strange how most other "forum" sites have the ability to display the "latest posts" as many of us here would like to use them and yet for some strange reason Forumotion site cannot handle such a basic and for a lot of us necessary function...

For example, have a look a these two sites, both display the latest posts on their homepage to make it easier for members to find what their looking for and they have a lot more members than most folk here do and work without putting a burden on the servers as is being claimed by the tech people here...

http://www.amiga.org/

http://www.amigaworld.net/

What is so hard about giving us members who need a latest post function like we have been using for the smooth running of our sites, when it's available in a widget format that obviously doesn't affect the servers or that would have been removed too if it affected the servers, someone please answer that...

What your not realising is how differently the recent topics module works from an empty wildcard search. I'll try and explain.

The recent topics widget simply grabs the X most recent rows from the topic table in the database and displays them, no harm on the server, it's just a small SQL query returning a small limited number of rows from the database.

But using a wildcard searches the post table with an SQL wildcard match, and when it's empty like that, the search basically returns every single post, which is very heavy on the SQL server. Lots of data to look through, lots of data to temporarily hold, lots of memory usage and more issues in the php.

I know what your saying, but the recent topics widget is not created via a wildcard search.

Also, the techs are always missing some. Take a look into SQL wildcard matching and you'll find quickly what they miss.

Yes, you confuse because you're talking about widget when I'm simply talking about the wildcard search function.
And you seem to be very angry also, but that won't change anything.

The "recent topics" widget doesn't create errors or overload servers because it simply uses the latest topics of a sub forum.
Which has nothing to do with searching all the posts created by all the members, like the wildcard used to do in the advanced search.

I understand that you are disappointed about your codes and I'm sorry about this. But there's nothing I can do since the techs have made this choice for a good reason.
If you need some help with the codes, you should make your request in the good section of the Support Forum.

Thanks

LGforum wrote:*sigh*

Your answer is percentage symbol space percentage (% %) symbol or asterisk space asterisk (* *). In the author box.

Come on Leeloo.
Here's your new RegEx to avoid these searches:

Code:

preg_match('#^[\*%\s]+$#', $search_content);

It should work better with this : *%*

Leeloo! You should not be encouraging this haha

Leeloo wrote:Yes, you confuse because you're talking about widget when I'm simply talking about the wildcard search function.
And you seem to be very angry also, but that won't change anything.

For the last time I am not confused about anything here and kindly stop jumping to assumptions. To clarify as you seem very confused...

I have only been talking about the code I and others have been using to display an easy to read list of the latest posts for our members...

That was the FIRST TIME I have mentioned the widget and was only done so to point out that although there is a way provided via the widget to display latest posts, unfortunately it is not suitable or useful for most of us...

No confusion here like I say, I know it's the removal of the wildcard funtion that is the cause of this problem and nothing else...

I wouldn't say I'm "angry" about this, just very annoyed at the disruption it has caused and the amount of time I had to spend fixing it the last time, only for that to be removed also...

If you need some help with the codes, you should make your request in the good section of the Support Forum.

Thanks

That's what this thread is was put up for, in the hope that someone might supply a solution to this problem...

What & where is the "good section" and does that mean this section is "bad" !!!

LGforum wrote:*sigh*

It should work better without the space : *%*

As i showed earlier that is what I have been using (*% with no spaces) since the first time they removed the wildcard feature, here it is again...

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_author=*%/b]&search_time=14">Show Latest Posts</a><br />

This code is still in place on my site but now doesn't work since they have obviously removed that too...

So I've no idea why Leeloo keeps repeating that post as (*%) doesn't work now either...


Is there anyone here who can help out on this problem please without repeating the same answers over & over gain that either don't work or don't help to solve this problem... thank you...

This works fine. Go to the advanced search page, and put in the author field: * *

It works still. Try it on this forum.
That will give you a list of the recent topics, just copy the URL...
In fact here is the link:

/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*+*&search_where=-1&search_time=0&show_results=topics

Need it in a link in a code?

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*+*&search_where=-1&search_time=0&show_results=topics">Recent Topics</a>

I mean, seriously why would it work in THIS forum and not others, this is a Forumotion forum.

LGforum wrote:This works fine. Go to the advanced search page, and put in the author field: * *

Sorry mate but I just tried the code you gave...

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*+*&search_where=-1&search_time=0&show_results=topics">Recent Topics</a>

and the result is a page of old posts and none of them are the most recent ones...

I used the code above you just gave to replace the code I was using, which is...

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_author=*%&search_time=14">Show Latest Posts</a><br />

My code above would display the most recent posts with them in order (from newest to oldest over the past 14 days). Unfortunately trying the code you gave results in a page of old posts being displayed and not the most recent ones...

Thanks for trying to help, at least your code displays something but sadly not the latest posts. I've no idea why it may work here and not on my site but all I know is it won't work on mine..

If we add a sort_by parameter, then it should sort them by the post time, displaying most recent first, I didn't realise I missed that out. Try this:

Code:


<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*+*&search_where=-1&show_results=topics&sort_by=0&sort_dir=DESC">Recent Topics</a>

LGforum wrote:If we add a sort_by parameter, then it should sort them by the post time, displaying most recent first, I didn't realise I missed that out. Try this:

Code:


<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*+*&search_where=-1&show_results=topics&sort_by=0&sort_dir=DESC">Recent Topics</a>

Thanks once again for trying to help but the result is still the same... a list of old posts and none of the latest posts amongst them...

The "DESC" bit doesn't work, you have to put in either a "1" or a "0" for it to display in ascending or descending order...

Think I'll give up, after trying many combinations of your code and my own the results are the same, either nothing at all or a list of older posts and not the most recent ones...

Think it's time to find a site host that actually works I'm afraid..

I am with MadFranko on this one. I also used to use the "*" to display the last 24 hours of posts. Then once MadFranco discovered that "%" worked also I changed it to that. Our forum is not a huge one - just a group of 15 or so but we found it was the easiest way to display things when people only check in once a day. We used this function for almost 4 years so I don't understand why now, all of a sudden it's an issue.

The "View Posts Since Last Visit" just doesn't work for us as we are all mothers and we don't have the luxury of sitting down and replying to all threads at once. Then if we have to put the computer down to do something, when we come back we have lost all the "Posts Since Last Visit"

I have activated the "Latest Topics" widget for the mean time but I really don't like the look of it on our forum.

Please come up with a workable fix for our sites.

As I say look into SQL wildcard matching. I know how forums work, I know how search features work and how SQL queries on the database work, its just a matter of trying different SQL wildcard matching. Hence why I knew the percentage symbol is usable.

Try this

Code:


<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*_&search_where=-1&show_results=topics&sort_by=0&sort_dir=DESC">Recent Topics</a>


If you look at that on this forum, its clearly the most recent posts.

LGforum wrote:As I say look into SQL wildcard matching. I know how forums work, I know how search features work and how SQL queries on the database work, its just a matter of trying different SQL wildcard matching. Hence why I knew the percentage symbol is usable.

Try this

Code:


<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*_&search_where=-1&show_results=topics&sort_by=0&sort_dir=DESC">Recent Topics</a>


If you look at that on this forum, its clearly the most recent posts.

A very big thank you to LGforum for solving this problem...

Happily the combination of "*_%" works and now it displays the very latest posts...

I've made a slight modification to the code and added the search time function, so that you can display posts from the last 7, 14 or 31 days (just change the number after "&search_time=" to suit yourself)...

Code:

<a href="/search?search_keywords=&search_terms=any&search_author=*_%&search_time=7&search_where=-1&show_results=topics&sort_by=0&sort_dir=DESC">Show Latest Posts</a>

Once again thank you LGforum for solving this problem, just need to hope now the techs don't wipe this from the system next...

So is this solved now?

slg wrote:So is this solved now?

Well I've only tested it for less than 10 minutes but it seems to be working for me (not sure about the others though)...

Of course that's only until the technical people discover it and remove this fix too from the system, then the whole problem will start once again no doubt...

Could somebody please as the techs to leave this leave this fix alone, please... pretty please...