# Search isn't getting all results
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-isnt-getting-all-results/387509
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [January 11, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-isnt-getting-all-results/387509 "2007-01-11T04:19:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2007, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-isnt-getting-all-results/387509/1 "2007-01-11T04:19:55Z")
I was searching for recent threads about _The Office_. I did an Advanced Search and kept all of the defaults except:
```auto
* Key Word(s): "the office"
* Search titles only
* selected Cafe Society only
* find posts from within the last 6 months
```
I got 12 results. In the second result, the thread referenced another Office thread that did not show up in the results:
The Office–hour episode starts at 8 PM EST 12-14-2006, 04:19 PM
> **[The Office--hour episode starts at 8 PM EST](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=400140)**
>
> Don’t forget it starts early tonight and goes on for a whole hour! Send you Xmas e-cards here! 😉 And your Office holiday gifts here! Is it my imagination or did one of the trailers show Kevin with mistletoe stuck in the front of his pants?!
It looks like this thread fits the criteria. Is this just some anomaly with the search index? Are the hypens right after ‘Office’ messing up the match? It’s not a big deal and I’m not complaining. The search seems to miss stuff periodically and I finally felt like pinning it down.
And in case anyone cares, to save additional searching, here are the results:
```auto
The Office 1/4/07 Mahaloth 01-07-2007 03:45 PM
The Office, 12/14, "A Benihana Christmas" MidnightRadio 12-19-2006 03:49 PM
The Office: 11/30 Oslo Ostragoth 12-03-2006 01:04 PM
The Office: 11/16 (open spoilers) Diogenes the Cynic 11-19-2006 05:01 PM
The Office 11/2 gigi 11-04-2006 02:46 PM
The Office 10/12 "The Initiation" Mahaloth 10-13-2006 10:05 PM
The Office 10/5 robotic_panda 10-06-2006 09:54 PM
The Office 9/29 MaxTheVool 10-03-2006 06:06 PM
The Office (Pam & Jim) Hampshire 09-21-2006 01:14 PM
The Office - UK version What the .... ?!?! 09-08-2006 11:25 AM
The Office (UK) fans.... watch this now while you can... Push You Down 08-29-2006 08:48 PM
The Office Webisodes Gangster Octopus
```
---
### Author:  [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2007, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-isnt-getting-all-results/387509/2 "2007-01-11T06:49:43Z")
[QUOTE=CaveMike]
Are the hypens right after ‘Office’ messing up the match?
[/qUOTE]
That’d be my guess. The search engine does not recognise the word \*\*Office \*\* in the title because all it can see is the word **Office–hour**.
If you search on \*\*Office–hour \*\* the thread shows up.
---
### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-isnt-getting-all-results/387509/3 "2007-01-11T13:46:02Z")
I think it’s probably the hyphen. The search engine is very particular; symbols like parentheses and even quote marks can also screw it up, IIRC. Using an asterisk before and after your key words can help, so “the office\*” should find it.
---
### Author:  [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-isnt-getting-all-results/387509/4 "2007-01-12T04:15:33Z")
Thanks **Cunctator** and **Dex**.