# Search function not working **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 26, 2008, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624 "2008-10-26T11:27:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/1 "2008-10-26T11:27:27Z")
**Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 9 bytes) in /home/straightdope/boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php on line 1007** ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/2 "2008-10-26T13:26:45Z")
From time to time I see a similar response but a repeat search, following 5 minutes of profound _angst_ and thumb twiddling, generates more acceptable results. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/3 "2008-10-26T22:32:34Z")
Search at 6:31: **Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 9 bytes) in /home/straightdope/boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php on line 1007** ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/4 "2008-10-26T22:39:33Z")
134,217,728 bytes = 128 megabytes, which is, IIRC, the default max memory usage allowed by php scripts in php.ini. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/5 "2008-10-26T22:47:27Z")
Search at 6:46, with no computer use since 6:31: **Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 9 bytes) in /home/straightdope/boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php on line 1007** ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/6 "2008-10-27T00:35:10Z")
What are your search terms? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/7 "2008-10-27T01:09:49Z")
Advanced search Username: Muffin Keywords: World Health Organization Search: all open forums Find threads: with at least 0 replies Find posts: from any date and newer Sort results: by last posting date in descending order Show results: as posts ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/8 "2008-10-27T02:13:03Z")
That was happening occasionally to me not long after going to the new server, but hasn’t happened recently. There were some previous threads about this issue, but even if you could search for them I don’t think you’d find any solutions. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/9 "2008-10-29T01:59:20Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Keywords: World Health Organization This is curious. If you search on “health” you get 84 hits, “health organization” yields 13 hits and “world health organization” produces an error. You’ve probably lost interest by now, though. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/10 "2008-10-29T03:31:29Z")
I just tried the search using only World rather than World Health Organization: **Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 9 bytes) in /home/straightdope/boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php on line 1007** I’ll have to try something other than World tomorrow and see if I can search successfully. ---
**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/11 "2008-10-29T06:09:30Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > This is curious. > > If you search on “health” you get 84 hits, “health organization” yields 13 hits and “world health organization” produces an error. If true, this is very troubling, since “health” should have produced thousands of hits. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/12 "2008-10-29T09:14:40Z")
I just tried Health and was given four pages of hits going back to 2002. Yay! I’ll wait a while and try Organization later. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/13 "2008-10-29T12:06:39Z")
That went well – searching for Organization returned a couple of pages of my posts. I’ll wait a while and try World again to see if I can get a proper return on that term. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/14 "2008-10-29T12:23:35Z")
> [@MaceMan](#): > > If true, this is very troubling, since “health” should have produced thousands of hits. The search was for “health” as a keyword with the username “Muffin”. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/15 "2008-10-29T12:37:42Z")
Ah crap, I just tried World Health Organization again, and it failed: **Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 9 bytes) in /home/straightdope/boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php on line 1007** I’ll wait a while and try with just two terms rather than three. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/16 "2008-10-29T13:11:32Z")
(1) “national health organization” + “Muffin” doesn’t produce an error. It gives no matches but there’s no reason why it should. So, some three word terms work OK. (2) “world cup” + “Chez Guevara” gives an error. (3) “world” + “Chez Guevara” gives an error. What’s wrong with the world? ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/17 "2008-10-29T13:44:44Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > What’s wrong with the world? Good question. (4) “We are in a world of shit” + “Chez Guevara” gives an error. (5) “We are in a earth of shit” + “Chez Guevara” gives one match (don’t ask). Clearly, the World Health Organization needs to be rebranded as the Earth Health Organization. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/18 "2008-10-29T14:07:36Z")
Searching for Heath Organization worked. I’ll try searching for World again later. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/19 "2008-10-29T14:08:44Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > What’s wrong with the world? Probably a filter imposed by homeland Security – World implies communism. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624/20 "2008-10-29T14:24:38Z")
Thanks, **Chez Guevara** , for figuring it out. It would have been a long time before I clued into World being a blocked term. Is there a list of blocked words anywhere to be found on the SDMB? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-function-not-working/469624.md?page=2)