# The Search opinion should be improven
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [August 23, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795 "2001-08-23T21:45:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Baltazar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baltazar)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/1 "2001-08-23T21:45:44Z")
(It’s possible that there are some options I didn’t try, but here I go)
I miss something fundamental with the search option here.
When i search:
The word I search for can be used several times in a big thread with a lot of answers.
It’s often like searching in a haystack finding this/these word(s) among all these replies.
It’s an endless search finding where in the thread it’s located.
Here is the sollution:
The word that I search for should automatic be bolder than all the other words used in a thread. (or something similat that have seperated it from the other word)
Here is an example on how it would have looked if the Administrators followd my advice:
Let’s say I search for the word “California”.
> [@](#):
>
> Most of us believe that at some time in history in the United States, legal firearm ownership of most guns will be all but banned.
> I personally believe that it will [is] happen slowly. In the begining I don’t believe that there will be some big round up involving military or police. I believe that it will happen like it happened in **California** : legal guns will be made illegal, and we’ll be told to that we have to turn them in.
> I believe that a few guns, like single shot shotguns and hunting rifles with a fixed capacity of 3 rounds or less will be permitted, but extremly regulated, registered, taxed, etc. By allowing some firearms, politcos will be avoiding the stigma of a total gun ban. Handguns and any other types of non sporting will have to be turned in.
> [@](#):
>
> Listen folks, all my OP does is expand the situation in **California** and make it a federal law instead of a state law. In California assualt weapons were banned. Law abiding people were allowed to register them and keep them. Then, all of a sudden, those that registered their weapons were told that they were now illegal too, and had to be turned in. This is a very simple version of the story, I’m sure someone will post sites as to the facts. But I know some people out there who got a letter telling them that the rifle they own was now illegal. They’re faced with turning it in, moving to another state, or keeping it and being criminals if found with it. This situation can happen on a national level.
This would have improven this option.
---
### Author:  [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/2 "2001-08-23T21:53:35Z")
What you suggest would have to be taken up with the guys who coded the software, [http://www.vbulletin.com](http://www.vbulletin.com) What you are asking is akin to requesting your company’s tech guys to change the way Window’s on-line help works. We just bought and installed a piece of commercial software, we didn’t write it.
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### Author:  [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/3 "2001-08-23T22:14:22Z")
Getting to the ‘meat’ as it were, of your issue, perhaps the solution to your problem is to refine your search behavior.
For example, if you’re looking for a thread on cross dressing penis worshiping frog dancers, I wouldn’t start my search out with simply the word ‘penis’ (or at least I wouldn’t here), but rather ‘penis’ and ‘frog dancers’ perhaps would limit the results to less than 80% of the threads here.
Does that help??
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### Author:  [@Baltazar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baltazar)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/4 "2001-08-23T22:32:29Z")
Yes, but I know of this option.
The problem is when I seach for one word.
Thanka anyway
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### Author:  [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/5 "2001-08-23T22:36:07Z")
Well, when I search for a word that could appear multiple times, I use the “find” feature(cntrl-F) to then locate the word in the thread when it opens. It makes things go much faster for me-I’m not sure if it will help in your circumstances.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/6 "2001-08-23T22:37:00Z")
There’s already a way to do exactly what you want, that’s a lot easier on the SD server. Just use the search function as you have been, and then use the “find” function in your browser to find the word in the thread. Under Netscape, this is Edit \> Find in Page, or control-f (control-g to repeat the last find). It should be similarly easy under IE or Opera.
By the way, the word is “improved”, not “improven”, but I’m sure you already knew that.
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### Author:  [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/7 "2001-08-23T22:37:51Z")
or on my IE board click on ‘edit’ then ‘find’ and type in the word - it then will locate the usage of the specific word on the page, much like your highlighted example.
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### Author:  [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/8 "2001-08-23T22:39:11Z")
Nice triple, guys!
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### Author:  [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/9 "2001-08-23T22:39:17Z")
simulpost with **Chronos** (swoon) was it good for you, too? 😃
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### Author:  [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/10 "2001-08-23T22:41:48Z")
and another one with **UncleBeer** , too!! Double swoon!
(I’ve got to stop this before my reputation gets trashed - two in the same thread wow!)
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### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2001, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/11 "2001-08-24T01:52:18Z")
vBulletin 2.0.3 has a much better Search function, however, it won’t bold individual query words in the results.
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2001, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/12 "2001-08-24T03:27:18Z")
Of course, successful searches also depend of correctly spelling the words you’re looking for. Just a thought.
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### Author:  [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2001, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/13 "2001-08-24T11:42:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Anthracite \*
> \*\*vBulletin 2.0.3 has a much better Search function, however, it won’t bold individual query words in the results. \*\*
It does, I found it in a search yesterday. It will highlight them by colouring the keyword searched on. The colour can be set in one of the options in the admin control panel, the VBulletin default colour is red.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2001, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/14 "2001-08-24T15:31:46Z")
Baltazar, it’s actually been done sort of…
Type for a URL address this without quotes:
“California [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com)”
Hit return (this is with Netscape 4.7 or higher), presto! Voila! ‘California’ appears in BOLD…& a list of column URLS are given. Spiffy.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2001, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-search-opinion-should-be-improven/77795/15 "2001-08-24T17:10:43Z")
> [@](#):
>
> (I’ve got to stop this before my reputation gets trashed - two in the same thread wow!)
That’s OK, **wring** , we don’t mind sharing.