New Search engine

[Forumadmin]

I have implemented a new search engine for JowettTalk. This is fast and efficient and more importantly allows searches with 2, 3 or more characters rather than the 4 previously required. This is a completely new way of searching rather than using the SQL database search. The Manticore code, like nearly all of jowett.net, is open source which means that it is not subject to the whims of companies such as Google, Facebook or service providers.

There is still a set of common words that are not indexed, but if this means you cannot find what you want let me know, I may be able to change it.

Should you wish to learn more about the search engine here is the documentation.
https://manual.manticoresearch.com/Introduction

Hope you like it.

Currently Manticore cannot search documents, so this is still being done in the Search Archive which is a Members only service. However, the text in documents can be transferred to a database so that it can be. Perhaps a job for next winter.

The system does not as yet implement approximate searches so it will not find occurences of 'carburetor' if you search for 'carburettor' but this can be solved by searching for 'carburet*' which will find everything that starts with 'carburet' or search for 'carb*' to include any words starting with carb.

You can search for strings or phrases using double quotes to contain the phrase. The search ' "carburet* bowl" ' will then find instances such as 'carburetor bowl', 'carburettor bowls' but will not find 'carb bowl' or 'carburettor with its bowl' If you do wish to search for the latter then either use the whole phrase or use '+carb* +bowl' which will search for any post with carb and bowl in them anywhere in the post. Without the plus signs, posts with either carb or bowl or both will be found with posts with most occurences presented first. Note that plurals are treated as if they were singular and thus bowls is found even though we searched for bowl.

Searching for 'ca*' may not work as there could be too many finds, so you need to be aware of such quirks. Other quirks include 88 finds 88 but 8* and 88* do not. So it is worth trying a few different ways . Remember you can also search the search results to cut down on the number of results.

A system such as Google search that uses intelligent algorithms to guess what you mean is not available because to do so requires giving all the site to Google or similar so then it will be public or to keep private would cost a lot. The private system can (easily) be implemented but how many would pay to do a search?

[PaulRM]

Thank you for your work on this.

[PJGD]

I second that.