Some serious time this week has gone into improving the search function of the Yesterday''s Tractors website. Our search engine, which was custom written in-house, searches more than 1.8 million files of tractor info to find matches to your request. For the last several months (especially in the evening) the search utility slows the whole site down to a crawl when just one or two people start searching. Others, who are posting messages in the forums, have to sit and wait for the server to finish performing it's search for someone else, before their message will even post. Frustrating, to say the least!
The first thing I've done is move the entire search function off of the main YTmag server, which is where the forums are hosted. It is now on it's own powerful server, located several miles away. The new address for the search utility is search.yesterdaystractors.com - don't worry you don't have to memorize all that - the main website will automatically take you there.
The first step of upgrading the search utility has been accomplished - it performs the searches faster now, and doesn't damper the surfing experience of people perusing the main antique tractor site.
From here I would like to take requests from the YT community for additional modifications to the search utility. The interface, the results, how things are displayed, etc. Chris will take care of keeping the guts of search engine on the leading edge - but we need input from the "end user" (that's you, in geek speak) to make it as useful as possible.
It would be best to enter your comments and requests for the search engine improvements here in the blog comments, rather than email me directly. Either way is fine though - the important point being I would like to hear from you.
P.S. Here are my own ideas for improvement so far: a) include matching photo's and their comments in the search result, b) include archived photo ads and classified ads (these would be marked as such and could be an option), c) put the description back in the results, instead of just links (google-like), d) allow a date range - default would be all.
P.S.S. My promise to you - any changes we make to the search utility will be done in such a way as to not make it complicated. You'll be able to just type stuff in and hit the button, or you could choose to select a bunch of parameters to narrow down or improve the results.
Okay, let's hear from you!
12 comments:
Sounds to me like you have things moving forward in the right way. Simple always works, and sometimes we can get carried away.
I echo the thoughts of thejdman01 when I also say Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for providing a site that is truly the one site I always check on a daily basis.
Tim
The one thing I would like to have changed in the search is the ability to search a single letter. With so many tractors like a JD H, IH C, it is hard to find information on a specific model. It could be set up so if I entered in "Farmall A" that it wouldn't pick up every letter "A" just A's that are alone.
Also it would be nice to have the availability of advanced search commands (like google) so if I am searching for a specific phrase I put it in " " for example.
Nice work Kim
Jay (ND)
I think that is a great idea. Just so you know - the search is not working on the 9N/2N/8N board (searching within that board).
Thanks,
Dan
ditto to trc.happy thanksgiving kim,cw.
Wow! You're hot!
Keith
Kim: You have done a great job with your website and your efforts to continue to improve it are commendable.
Wonderful site Kim. Keep up the great work.Like Keith says you are Hot!but, I bet you already knew that.
May be I've missed something, but when I print out the commentary on the Discussion Forum, I often am missing words from the discussion on the right hand side of the page. Do you have a printer friendly tab to click on?
Visit the site daily and think it's great. Had a lot of help with restoration. Good bunch!
It's great that you are working to improving the speed of the forums. I mainly use the 8N-9N-2N forum, and the search still isn't working there as of 11-26-05. I can search the entire site, but not just that forum. I keep getting an error message.
Carl S.
I think when you get hits on a search, it should just list (I still mean to search the whole thread however) the root entry, then we can expand it after we open it. Now you get all the replies as separate hits. (Or have the base entry in a special color) Not a big deal.
cdman said:
"it should just list (I still mean to search the whole thread however) the root entry, then we can expand it after we open it."
I agree. Great idea cdman.
Jay (ND)
Acquired Adams leaning wheel grader, Model 101
Want any info. on it
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