To think that the mumsnet "advanced" search is shit?

[Illgetmycoat]

You select a subject and then a completely random list of posts come up. Some dating back to 1542. What the heck?

[Quackster]

ORDER BY date ASC


DESC for the lulz...

[TheDoctrineOfAllan]

Yes please to chronologically.

And it would be ace if it was easier to select topics without all the scrolling. Could you have a type in box as an alternative (so start typing Sl.. And the list goes to Sleep)

[nenevomito]

Ooooooh Bespoke.

We have a wizened old man who deals with our bespoke solutions. He's like some Gandalf-esque mystery who sits in the corner stroking the application architecture and laughing in our innocent faces when we ask about upgrades.

I go to him and breath into his ear.... out of the boooooox solutions. Hosted cloud soluuuuuutions.

He looks at me with evil eyes, his finger hovering over the delete button, but one day I will triumph!

...Of course you can't do that with MN talk as you only have to change the font and a million mumsnetters find themselves repeatedly banging their heads on their keyboards in shock and frustration.

Tru fact.

[BoulevardOfBrokenSleep]

Like Yoni, I would also like to be able to search for eg chair on runners, without being inundated with 237597 posts on running. Could we have a * wildcard thingummybob or something? I think we could handle that. Maybe.

[yamsareyammy]

Thanks for the reply HelenMumsnet

Have a nice evening to you and all the hard working Tech team.

[HelenMumsnet]

@yamsareyammy

Tech

How many are there?

Because it seems he has been busy since the year dot.
Perhaps he ought to be aided and abetted by some more techies? Even just part time ones?

Looking in topics always reminds me, rather poignantly, of looking round my own house sometimes.
-it is like looking in rooms or cupboards that really ought to have been tidied up by now.

You're right that Tech is always busy.

We have a few of them, actually - and they work damn hard.

But Mumsnet is a complicated site because it was/is custom-built (unlike many discussion forums that use dedicated forum software) and it needs constant oiling/stroking/coaxing. It's a bit like the Forth Bridge, basically: a never-ending job just keeping it half decent.

Our Tech team rightly concentrate on fixing the stuff that's broken - as a priority. Which means enhancements (like this stuff for Advanced Search would be) come a bit lower down the list.

Am sure we'll get there, though. One day.

[yamsareyammy]

2 points from me.

I agree that the advanced search is cumbersome
Well it is to me, as when I use it, not that often, I cannot often remember a key word. So a whole heap of stuff comes up, and as others say, not in any sort of date order.
Not sure if it is a complicated job to do?

Which leads me to my second point.

Tech

How many are there?

Because it seems he has been busy since the year dot.
Perhaps he ought to be aided and abetted by some more techies? Even just part time ones?

Looking in topics always reminds me, rather poignantly, of looking round my own house sometimes.
-it is like looking in rooms or cupboards that really ought to have been tidied up by now.

[Illgetmycoat]

Just saw your reply Helen - Personally I'd find it useful for the taxonomy to be category and then the posts arranged chronologically within that, but that might just be me. Yoni and Whipple raise good points too.

[piprabbit]

As well as being able to sort by date and alphabetically, it might also be nice to be able to sort by the busiest threads so I could quickly dive into the threads with the most posts to find what I as looking for.

[BIWI]

Or maybe post in Shite Stuff?

[Whipple]

I agree with YoniBottsBumgina and think this is a bigger problem than the chronological order.

You really do need to be able to specific searches using " ".

If you try and search for two words eg bunk beds then everything with them two words comes up.

So you could have dh bunked up in my bed with my the neighbour coming up in the search. Which is not at all relevant to the original search.

It gets even dafter when you search three words eg ikea bunk beds.

Being able to search "ikea bunk beds" would be a fantastic improvement.

[TunipTheVegedude]

Though 10 years earlier than that would be even better, because I'd love to see what AIBU thought of Anne Boleyn.

[TunipTheVegedude]

Helen, if you could arrange for posts dating back to 1542 to actually appear in search, as the OP says, it would be very much appreciated.

Marvellous resource for the social historian, they would be.

[YoniBottsBumgina]

I think the last time this came up it was suggested to have the default setting being most recent results appearing first, both so that outdated advice (say, weaning guidelines from 2002 or car seat advice before the law changed in 2004) is less likely to come up, and also it would help prevent "zombie" threads where a new poster searches for their issue and then decides to add to the discussion not realising the thread is several years old.

[YoniBottsBumgina]

Ordering by date would be great - I think they're already arranged alphabetically aren't they? By category and then thread title. Hence the totally random date order.

[lougle]

I think you have, Helen. Perhaps we can make some bunting to catch tech's eye?

[LilacPeony]

Chronologically please Helen.

[HelenMumsnet]

@lougle

I think 'order by date' or 'order A-Z' would be very helpful, Helen.

While I've got you here, and we're in Site Stuff , could I remind you about my request to give the Local topics a _ before them, so that they move down the list of topics? Searching on the mobile is very cumbersome because to get to, say, 'Special Needs:Children' you have to scroll past at least 40 'Local' topics.

Thank you

Yep, that is very annoying (the scrolling past Local), isn't it?

I think we've already flagged that as an issue - but I will check.

[lougle]

I think 'order by date' or 'order A-Z' would be very helpful, Helen.

While I've got you here, and we're in Site Stuff , could I remind you about my request to give the Local topics a _ before them, so that they move down the list of topics? Searching on the mobile is very cumbersome because to get to, say, 'Special Needs:Children' you have to scroll past at least 40 'Local' topics.

Thank you

[DiaryOfAWimpyMum]

Works fine for me

[LaQueef]

I only use adv search to stalk people and it works just fine and dandy for me.

[nenevomito]

Advanced Search isn't rocket science.

Set a date range. Choose a topic. Choose a key-word.

An option to show chronologically would be a nice addition, but it doesn't take that much effort to get it working now.

[Mintyy]

Op, if you don't want Mumsnet to improve advanced search in the ways you have suggested then you really are just out for a bitch-fest. What is the bloody point of that?

You also seem to have difficulty accepting that some people think yabu.

Try having a word with yourself.

[HelenMumsnet]

@Illgetmycoat

OK taken on board. Thank you Helen.

Our pleasure.

So, would a "show me results alphabetically" or "show me results chronologically" tickbox be an improvement?