37 replies to this topic

[tsrwright]

In vain have I searched for 'Rosemeyer', 'Auto Union' and 'Record(s)' seeking material published some years ago on the accident leading to the death of Bernd Rosemeyer but none of these terms were found. Seems odd. Can anyone help please?

[Vitesse2]

Bugger. Looks like the Sphinx has fallen over again.

 

http://forums.autosp...g/#entry7601377

 

In the mean time try using Google site search specifying site:forums.autosport.com/forum/10-the-nostalgia-forum as the source in the search field.

[Tim Murray]

If it's the thread discussing the research on the Rosemeyer accident carried out by Dr Aldo Zana, the original article by Aldo is available on Leif Snellman's site:

http://www.kolumbus....ellman/rose.htm

[Lee Nicolle]

There is no search on this site. Time after time I have tried re info/ threads I know are on this site.

Use Google that usually works and refers back to this site.

[tsrwright]

Many thanks, that seems to solve it.

 

T

[Tim Murray]

The search facility is now working again - for the moment. The technical people know how to fix it after it crashes, but still apparently don't understand what causes the crash to happen in the first place, so we're probably stuck with these regular crashes for the foreseeable future.

[Lee Nicolle]

Since the redevelopment of this site the search has been useless. Then the have waffle about light switches and the like. Ad nauseum.

The old search was average but if you searched a name you found it and usually the thread you were looking for. As was said at the time by many, 'if it is not broke dont fix it'

As I said above use Google, the results are usually found referring back to TNF.

[Vitesse2]

While I appreciate that the limitations of the board's search can be frustrating, especially if doing a complex one involving several terms, there have been complaints about every iteration of the board software's search facility. One, as I recall, had an upper limit on the number of characters, which meant you couldn't find 'Lautenschlager'. Another would refuse to search for anything which had fewer than 3 characters, which made finding 'Lotus 20' impossible. The last iteration actually kept everything private, so it wasn't searchable using outside search engines.

 

But the main point is that the software is primarily designed to function as a bulletin board. It is not a search engine and can only provide a simple search, especially now that the database is so large. I can't break it down to individual forums, but overall, the database now contains over 7.5 million posts and increases by several thousand every week.

 

Google site search is by far the best way to carry out a complex search - on more or less every website, not just this one. I often use it on (for example) the London Gazette, where it returns much better and more accurate results than the site's own search.

[john winfield]

For what it's worth, and I'll copy it across to the website feedback thread, here is my experience, in case it helps anyone. Like Zmeej, I think, I take a fairly simple approach, don't use 'View New Content', but do carry out the odd search. I've had occasional problems but I think I can tell whether it will work or not.

I must have developed the habit of searching not in the top right corner search box, but using the magnifying glass icon in that box to give me the 'search form' page with more options. For no apparent reason, sometimes the 'Find in Forum' dropdown in the middle of the search is there, sometimes it's not. If it's not there, the search won't work. If it is there, it does, although I might need to slide the highlight bar to 'Forums' (ie all) or TNF.

This may be a red herring - perhaps it's another small glitch separate to the bigger search problem - but, if the FIF dropdown isn't there, I just change the forum page from which I'm searching, try again, and usually the FIF options reappear.  Without knowing anything about the software, it's as if, when the FIF option is not there, the search isn't being directed towards the data, or forums, in which we know relevant information exists.

Disclaimer - this could be a load of rubbish.....

[Tim Murray]

I must have developed the habit of searching not in the top right corner search box, but using the magnifying glass icon in that box to give me the 'search form' page with more options.

You can also get to the Advanced Search page by clicking on the little gearwheel thingy to the right of the magnifying glass.
 

For no apparent reason, sometimes the 'Find in Forum' dropdown in the middle of the search is there, sometimes it's not. If it's not there, the search won't work. If it is there, it does, although I might need to slide the highlight bar to 'Forums' (ie all) or TNF.

This confused me for a while when the new software first came in. When you’re on the Advanced Search page, look for the ‘Search in section’ options. There are three of these: ‘Forums’, ‘Members’ and ‘Help Files’. Make sure that the ‘Forums’ option is selected. This is the option that displays the ‘Find in forum’ selector, etc.

[Vitesse2]

'Find in forum' is only available from either the advanced search as described by Tim or the forum index page. Note also that if you use it from the main TNF index page, it will not search the sub-fora or the archive. If you use it from one of the sub-fora then it will only search that forum.

[john winfield]

Thanks Tim and Richard.

The main point seems to be that my personal experience is not related to the more serious, intermittent Search problems. I must have been lucky and have not been searching when that facility has gone AWOL!

 

Tim, the 'little gearwheel thingy'...thanks. But what's the difference between this and the magnifying glass?!

 

The 'Search in Section' tip. Yes, maybe I had left the option on 'Members' or 'Help Files'. But I don't recall doing so....!

 

Which is the 'TNF Index' page Richard? I assume that to be the page found by 'Forums', then 'Nostalgia Forum' ie the page showing the four sub-fora, the pinned threads, then the most recent standard threads. Trying, for example a search from here, with no filtering, I do see results from sub-fora and the archive.

[Tim Murray]

Tim, the 'little gearwheel thingy'...thanks. But what's the difference between this and the magnifying glass?!

Not a lot, but if you hover the cursor over the 'gearwheel' it displays 'Advanced Search', whilst I only found out by accident that clicking on the magnifying glass does the same thing.
 

The 'Search in Section' tip. Yes, maybe I had left the option on 'Members' or 'Help Files'. But I don't recall doing so....!

My experience is that it decides for you ('Nanny knows best') depending on where you're coming from. If you call up Search from something membership-related, such as the list of members or someone's profile, it assumes you want the 'Members' option and selects it for you.

[john winfield]

Thanks Tim.

 

By chance, following on from your tips, I seem to have solved one of my problems, and understood more clearly one of Richard's points.

 

When I returned to this site, I noticed your post, read it through then moved to the top of the page and tried a search. When I did so using the 'gearwheel' all was fine. If I used the 'magnifying glass', despite 'search in section' being on 'forums', there is no 'Find in Forum' dropdown box.

 

So it seems that the two icons provide identical results from the index page, but only the gearwheel generates an FIF filter if you are searching directly from a thread.

 

As I write I can hear Richard ....'that's what I said!.......

 

It's a bit odd isn't it? Would the corner box be better without the magnifying glass at all?

[Tim Murray]

Right - I've just learnt something too.
 

When I returned to this site, I noticed your post, read it through then moved to the top of the page and tried a search. When I did so using the 'gearwheel' all was fine. If I used the 'magnifying glass', despite 'search in section' being on 'forums', there is no 'Find in Forum' dropdown box.
 all?

Clicking the magnifying glass while already in a thread tells the Search facility to search only in that thread, hence the forum selector doesn't appear. What does now appear, in place of the forum selector, is a new line telling you which thread it's looking in and awaiting your choice of search terms.

In the past I used to search within a particular thread by entering a keyword in the search box and then clicking on the magnifying glass. This is much more useful - thanks John.

[john winfield]

Right - I've just learnt something too.
 

Clicking the magnifying glass while already in a thread tells the Search facility to search only in that thread, hence the forum selector doesn't appear. What does now appear, in place of the forum selector, is a new line telling you which thread it's looking in and awaiting your choice of search terms.

In the past I used to search within a particular thread by entering a keyword in the search box and then clicking on the magnifying glass. This is much more useful - thanks John.

Er........don't mention it. Glad to have 'helped'!  

[tsrwright]

Maye the search advice could be 'pinned' for ready access?

[Michael Ferner]

Maye the search advice could be 'pinned' for ready access?

I second that, what with current activity hardly worth the while, the search function is the key to the treasure. How sad is it that moderators have to advise members to not use the on-site search, but google instead!

[E1pix]

The main thing I've noticed is not being able to search by thread title when we know the name or at least part of it. Otherwise when putting in a keyword it brings up any thread using that word... leading to lots of additional searching.

But although the Search functions may have some shortcomings, I can't possibly complain when compared to the value of these forums, and the fact that they cost us nothing. We're lucky this place exists.

[Ray Bell]

By what I've read in the above posts, it seems that all the search options are there...

It's just that they're hidden behind stupid icons and lay unexplained.

You can search only words in titles, E1.

[E1pix]

What I was saying was that it would be helpful to search for title words only, rather than the engine pulling up those same words that aren't in titles but are in threads.

[Ray Bell]

Yes, that works...

Select under 'Match' 'Search only in titles'.

[john winfield]

What I was saying was that it would be helpful to search for title words only, rather than the engine pulling up those same words that aren't in titles but are in threads.

E1, as Ray says, it should do this for you.

 

For example, a 'Watson' search

Click on cog-wheel in top right-hand corner, enter Watson in Find Words field, check Search in Section is on forums, select Only search in Titles within Match. This generates 28 finds, or 21 if I specify TNF only. If I leave Match on the default Search Title and Content there are 1000 finds.

[E1pix]

Thanks Gents!

[group7]

is there a reason why some profiles are not visible, or blocked ? doesn't help if one wants to search a person's posts.  

[Tim Murray]

The only reason I can think of that might cause this to happen is that the relevant poster's name has been removed from the list of members. This can happen if someone has broken the forum rules and been banned, or very occasionally someone will voluntarily ask to be removed from the list.

If this is the case, it's normally possible to track down their posts by calling up the Advanced Search facility, entering the poster's user name in the appropriate box, selecting the forum to be searched (eg Nostalgia Forum) and asking for the results to be displayed as posts.

Then I'm afraid you'll run into one of the frustrating faults of the current search engine - it doesn't display the results in chronological order. This we currently have to live with, as it is a long, long way down on the tech team's priority list for fixing.

[Vitesse2]

As Tim says, it would mean the profile has been completely deleted. I believe this was done for a few very contentious banned accounts in the past - and also for a few people who specifically requested it. Not something we do currently though - we just lock the account.

 

If you PM me or Tim we can perhaps investigate further.

[latouse66]

yes google seems to do the trick

[Bloggsworth]

Why does the site keep forgetting my log-in, and sometimes after I'm logged in, dumping me out again?

[Tim Murray]

This is a problem which seems to be afflicting a lot of forum users at the moment. There’s an ongoing discussion about it in the Website Feedback forum:

https://forums.autos...211948-cookies/

but right now the Autosport tech team haven’t worked out how to fix it. With luck they will cone up with a solution in due course.

[Rob Ryder]

Maybe Autosport should contact Williams F1 and ask if they have any available software engineers   

[Porsche718]

Hey Tim, 

 

I was in the middle of two fairly long posts, and they disappeared on me. Probably my error. But I understand the system saves periodically, and I have been getting a box come up with "do you want to delete saved content?" whilst in the post window.

 

How do I access that saved content - the work I have done me still be there.

 

Thanks, Steve

[Vitesse2]

I'm not sure that actually works any more, Steven. There used to be a wonderful browser extension which did that called Lazarus, but - ironically - it's long gone, seemingly because coding changes in browsers stopped it working. I now use one called Form History Control, which isn't perfect, but does retain your data if it disappears. There's also one called Typio, which I may give a try.

[Porsche718]

Thanks Vitesse

 

I try posting the info again, after a hot chocolate and a good lay down.

 

Cheers

[john aston]

Every damn time I click on to a topic I am now getting  the Privacy Notice popping up which I have to tick. Again and again and again . Make it stop please ?  

[Vitesse2]

Every damn time I click on to a topic I am now getting  the Privacy Notice popping up which I have to tick. Again and again and again . Make it stop please ?  

https://forums.autos...cookies-merged/

 

I'm still not seeing this, BTW, so the I Don't Care About Cookies browser extension may be the best solution.

[Sterzo]

I don't know if this is useful or not, but for donkey's years I've been using the same set-up, with free software that's easy and trouble-free to download and use. I don't see ads, pop-ups, porn etc. (Famous last words).

 

1. Firefox Browser, which I set to Always Private Browsing. I used to set it to "clear history on closing", but I think Private Browsing does that anyway. I also set it not to allow websites to track me.

 

2. uBlock Origin, which is an ad blocker that works in cahoots with Firefox.

 

(My operating system is Windows).

 

(Edited because it doesn't stop me making spelling errorrrs).

Edited by Sterzo, 30 November 2023 - 17:47.

[john aston]

Sorted- thanks all.