Impossible to find old threads on forum

slartibartfast

Major Contributor
Joined
Apr 18, 2024
Messages
6,045
I just tried to find a thread I started in 2024 and it was impossible using a basic search or even viewing my own list of posts. I could only go back 10 pages in my posts list. This makes search potentially useless. I am pretty sure I have been able to view older posts in my list before but I couldn't see how to do it on my phone.
 
I just tried to find a thread I started in 2024 and it was impossible using a basic search or even viewing my own list of posts. I could only go back 10 pages in my posts list. This makes search potentially useless. I am pretty sure I have been able to view older posts in my list before but I couldn't see how to do it on my phone.
Looks like search only returns 10 pages at a time. You may need to use advanced search and enter an "older than" date to get another ten pages
 
I just tried to find a thread I started in 2024 and it was impossible using a basic search or even viewing my own list of posts. I could only go back 10 pages in my posts list. This makes search potentially useless. I am pretty sure I have been able to view older posts in my list before but I couldn't see how to do it on my phone.
🙂

 
You would expect that to work but it doesn't.
I tried keywords "Noise", "Subwoofer" and "Noise on Subwoofer Output" and no results.
Hmm, try your search on Google. I put in "slartibartfast forum.wiimhome.com subwoofer noise" and saw a bunch of threads from 2024 with your participation.
 
Looks like 10 pages/ 200 results is a xenforo forum default:

"Yes, XenForo imposes a limit on the number of search results which consequently limits the number of pages.

Here are the key details regarding the limits:
  • Default Limit: By default, search results are often capped at 200 results, which equates to 10 pages if the "posts per page" setting is 20.
  • Maximum Limits (Admin Configurable): In XenForo 2.0+, this limit is governed by the maximumSearchResults option, which can generally be increased up to 1,000 results in the admin control panel.
  • Performance Considerations: Setting this number too high (e.g., 200k) can lead to severe performance issues.
  • Elasticsearch (Enhanced Search): When using Elasticsearch, there may be a further, more restrictive limit (often 400 pages or 10,000 results) to prevent server strain.
How to circumvent or manage this:
  • Narrow Search Criteria: Use "newer than" or "older than" filters to break up large search results.

    Increase Limits: Administrators can increase the maximum search results in ACP > Options > Search options.
If you are looking for more than 10 pages of results, it is recommended to narrow the search terms rather than significantly increasing the maximum results, which can impact forum performance. "
 
Looks like 10 pages/ 200 results is a xenforo forum default:

"Yes, XenForo imposes a limit on the number of search results which consequently limits the number of pages.

Here are the key details regarding the limits:
  • Default Limit: By default, search results are often capped at 200 results, which equates to 10 pages if the "posts per page" setting is 20.
  • Maximum Limits (Admin Configurable): In XenForo 2.0+, this limit is governed by the maximumSearchResults option, which can generally be increased up to 1,000 results in the admin control panel.
  • Performance Considerations: Setting this number too high (e.g., 200k) can lead to severe performance issues.
  • Elasticsearch (Enhanced Search): When using Elasticsearch, there may be a further, more restrictive limit (often 400 pages or 10,000 results) to prevent server strain.
How to circumvent or manage this:
  • Narrow Search Criteria: Use "newer than" or "older than" filters to break up large search results.

    Increase Limits: Administrators can increase the maximum search results in ACP > Options > Search options.
If you are looking for more than 10 pages of results, it is recommended to narrow the search terms rather than significantly increasing the maximum results, which can impact forum performance. "
So forum search is useless then. Much the same as the Lyrion Forum search 😂
 
Hmm, try your search on Google. I put in "slartibartfast forum.wiimhome.com subwoofer noise" and saw a bunch of threads from 2024 with your participation.

Agreed. I'm a member of a another (very good) hi-fi forum that has a notoriously useless search facility, but Google always wins the day.
 
Are there any posts containing that keyword prior to that date? As far as I could tell from my search, the first post containing that keyword was in 2025.
Definitely in April 2024. You have just proved that search is useless.
 
Back
Top