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From BBSWiki

The find interface allows users to search for rooms, threads or posts based on such criteria as author, date range, full text content and tags, all where applicable.

• If the user enters Find from the short prompt, by default they will be searching for posts BBS-wide.
• If the user enters Find from the read prompt, by default they will be searching for posts within the current room.

From the short prompt (BBS-wide)

Basic searching

You are searching for posts on the entire BBS.

Find <T>hreads, <R>ooms, <E>verything, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Find

Enter search terms -> cat declawing "mortal sin"

Searching for threads searches by default by tags, full text of posts and room name. This might return results of threads containing the term "middle east" that were tagged "flamefest."

You are searching for posts on the entire BBS.

Find <T>hreads, <R>ooms, <E>verything, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Threads

You are searching for threads on the entire BBS.

Enter search terms -> "middle east" flamefest

Searching for rooms by default searches by tags, roominfo full text, and room name.

You are searching for posts on the entire BBS.

Find <T>hreads, <R>ooms, <E>verything, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Rooms

You are searching for rooms on the entire BBS.

Enter search terms -> pets

Searching for everything runs a room, thread and post search in order.

You are searching for posts on the entire BBS.

Find <T>hreads, <R>ooms, <E>verything, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Everything

You are searching for rooms, threads and posts on the entire BBS.

Enter search terms -> pets

Advanced searching

Selecting advanced from the short prompt search interface yields the following menu.

Find <T>hreads, <R>ooms, <E>verything, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Advanced

Look for:       [ ] <T>hreads    [ ] <R>ooms    [*] <P>osts
Narrow by:      [ ] <A>uthor:
                [ ] <D>ate:
<S>earch tags:
<F>ull text:

Enter your choice or <G>o ->

Threads, Rooms and Posts

Selecting <T>hreads, <R>ooms or <P>osts toggles the indicator.

Author

Selecting <A>uthor toggles the indicator. If an author was input, it clears it. If no author was input, it asks the user for an author, validates it and redisplays the menu. If only <R>ooms is toggled on, the user cannot select <A>uthor.

Enter your choice or <G>o -> Author

Enter a username to narrow your search -> War Boy

Look for:       [ ] <T>hreads    [ ] <R>ooms    [*] <P>osts
Narrow by:      [*] <A>uthor: War Boy
                [ ] <D>ate:
<S>earch tags:
<F>ull text:

Enter your choice or <G>o ->

If an invalid user is entered:

Enter a username to narrow your search -> Gumby
There is no user Gumby on this BBS.

Date

Selecting <D>ate toggles the indicator. If a date range was input, it clears it. If no date range was input, it asks the user for a date range, validates it and redisplays the menu. If only <R>ooms is toggled on, then the user cannot select <D>ate.

The following example has the user entering everything, not hitting return.

Enter your choice or <G>o -> Date

You may narrow your search to a range of dates.  If you want to search only a single
day or month, just hit return for the end date.

<J>anuary   <F>ebruary   <M>arch      Ap<R>il    M<A>y       J<U>ne
Jul<Y>      Au<G>ust     <S>eptember  <O>ctober  <N>ovember  <D>ecember

Select a starting month -> March
Enter a starting day or press enter to search the whole month -> 15
Enter a starting year (2006) -> 2006

Select an ending month or hit enter to end on Mar 15, 2006 -> May
Enter an ending day or press enter to search the whole month -> 15
Enter an ending year (2006) -> 2006

Look for:       [ ] <T>hreads    [ ] <R>ooms    [*] <P>osts
Narrow by:      [*] <A>uthor: War Boy
                [*] <D>ate:   Mar 15, 2006 - May 15, 2006
<S>earch tags:
<F>ull text:

Enter your choice or <G>o ->

This example has a user lazily selecting to search just one month by hitting return after selecting the first month.

Enter your choice or <G>o -> Date

You may narrow your search to a range of dates.  If you want to search only a single
day or month, just hit return for the end date.

<J>anuary   <F>ebruary   <M>arch      Ap<R>il    M<A>y       J<U>ne
Jul<Y>      Au<G>ust     <S>eptember  <O>ctober  <N>ovember  <D>ecember

Select a starting month -> March
Enter a starting day or press enter to search the whole month -> All March
Enter a starting year (2006) -> 2006

Select an ending month or hit enter to end on Mar 31, 2006 -> Mar 31, 2006

Look for:       [ ] <T>hreads    [ ] <R>ooms    [*] <P>osts
Narrow by:      [*] <A>uthor: War Boy
                [*] <D>ate:   Mar 1, 2006 - Mar 31, 2006
<S>earch tags:
<F>ull text:

Enter your choice or <G>o ->

If an invalid date is entered (for example, March 45, 2005 or April 1, 2009 where 2009 is in the future):

That date is invalid!  Dates cleared.

If start date is after end date:

Start date is after end date.  Dates cleared.

Searching by tag

Searching by tags searches by OR.

Enter your choice or <G>o -> Tags

Enter tags to search for, separated by commas -> cats, dogs

Look for:       [ ] <T>hreads    [ ] <R>ooms    [*] <P>osts
Narrow by:      [*] <A>uthor: War Boy
                [*] <D>ate:   Mar 1, 2006 - Mar 31, 2006
<S>earch tags: cats, dogs
<F>ull text:

Enter your choice or <G>o ->

Searching by full text

Searching by full text pays attention to quoted phrases.

Enter your choice or <G>o -> Full Text

Enter full text to search for -> declawed "totally evil"

Look for:       [ ] <T>hreads    [ ] <R>ooms    [*] <P>osts
Narrow by:      [*] <A>uthor: War Boy
                [*] <D>ate:   Mar 1, 2006 - Mar 31, 2006
<S>earch tags: cats, dogs
<F>ull text:   declawed "totally evil"

Enter your choice or <G>o ->

From the read prompt (within a room)

Basic searching

You are searching for posts in Tiresome Debate>

Find <T>hreads, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Find

Enter search terms -> cat declawing "mortal sin"

You are searching for posts in Tiresome Debate>

Find <T>hreads, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Threads

You are searching for threads in Tiresome Debate>

Enter search terms -> cats

Advanced searching

Find <T>hreads, <A>dvanced or start <F>inding? -> Advanced

Search in:      Tiresome Debate>
Look for:       [ ] <T>hreads    [*] <P>osts
Narrow by:      [ ] <A>uthor:
                [ ] <D>ate:
<S>earch tags:
<F>ull text:

Enter your choice or <G>o ->

Results display

Regardless of where or how the user arrived at a result set, the results are displayed the same way. First rooms, then threads, then posts are displayed according to the following schema.

Rooms are displayed the same way the K-list displays them. See NuDOC Requirements Specification/Known rooms list.

Threads are displayed exactly how they are displayed in the thread browser: NuDOC Requirements Specification/Message reading. The first post in the thread is displayed. However, all threads in a room are listed, and then the room name is printed just below the listing. This repeats for each room. Threads are ordered by starting message number. Note that thread match post numbers don't always correspond to that of a matching post within the thread -- it's the starting post of a matching thread whose number is displayed.

Posts are displayed in the same way as threads, also ordered by message number.

Imagine a search for 'cat declawing "mortal sin"'. The rooms Pets> and Tiresome Debate> match because of roominfo and/or tags. Several threads across the BBS match because of tags or full text, and specific posts match because of tags or full text. Duplicate information can be displayed, for example, a thread which contains matching terms will be displayed and also the specific posts within it.

Results are paginated with a MORE prompt the same way messages are paginated. See NuDOC Requirements Specification/Message reading#Pagination.

Results matching your search:

Rooms:

 15. Pets>                               24. Tiresome Debate>

Threads:

 88656 (Fleep) OMG <3 KITTIES                                          4-5-2005
102334 (Mean Guy) HAW HAW cats declawed!                             12-19-2005
112443 (Fleep) I SAID a year ago, <3 kitties.                        5-12 15:31
123456 (Nineteen Letter Guy) Thirty-eight character subjects abound 11-11 19:47
         in Pets>

 19223 (Fleep) Listen, you guys better <3 kitties or ELSE.           5-14 17:55
         in Tiresome Debate>

 54224 (Ad Astra) Kitten barbecue perp caught.                        11-4-2005
         in Current Events>

Posts:

 88679 (War Boy) OMG <3 KITTIES                                        4-6-2005
 88682 (MoonToad) OMG <3 KITTIES                                       4-6-2005
 88683 (Ad Astra) OMG <3 KITTIES                                       4-6-2005
102339 (MoonToad) HAW HAW cats declawed!                             12-19-2005
102340 (Mean Guy) HAW HAW cats declawed!                             12-19-2005
112443 (Fleep) I SAID a year ago, <3 kitties.                        5-12 15:31
123461 (Empire) Thirty-eight character subjects abound              11-11 20:51
         in Pets>

 19223 (Fleep) Listen, you guys better <3 kitties or ELSE.           5-14 17:55
 19224 (Moontoad) Listen, you guys better <3 kitties or ELSE.        5-14 17:58
 19227 (Nineteen Letter Guy) Listen, you guys better <3 kitties or   5-14 17:55
         in Tiresome Debate>

 54235 (Fleep) Kitten barbecue perp caught.                           11-5-2005
 54237 (War Boy) Kitten barbecue perp caught.                         11-5-2005
         in Current Events>

Searches which find nothing display an error message.

Nothing found.

After the search display is complete, the user is returned to the prompt from which they entered the Find subsystem.