[UW] Similar Threads 1.1.0

Every forum has the same problem: the answer already exists, but a new thread gets created anyway. The discussion splits, replies scatter, and moderators spend their evenings merging duplicates.

[UW] Similar Threads solves it at the exact moment it happens — while the member is still typing the title.

Suggestions while typing. As soon as a member types a few characters of a new thread title, a quiet panel appears below the field: "Similar threads already exist — you may be looking for:" with matching discussions, their forum, reply count and last activity. One click opens the existing thread in a new tab, so nothing typed so far is lost. If the member's topic really is new, the panel simply stays out of the way — it only ever appears when there are matches.

Works on both places a thread can be started: the full "Post thread" page and the inline quick-thread editor on forum pages.


A "Similar threads" block under every discussion. Readers who finish a thread — especially visitors arriving from Google — get a native-looking list of related discussions right below it, encouraging them to keep reading and post in an existing topic instead of opening a new one. It's a standard XenForo widget: move it to any position, change the number of results, or remove it, all from the ACP. It renders for guests too, where most of that search traffic lands.

Built for real-world titles, including accents. Matching is accent-insensitive (zuvacka finds žuvačka), tolerates partial words while typing, and includes a fallback pass for very short terms that database full-text search normally can't index at all (think "EV" or "M3"). Non-English communities get the same quality of matching as English ones.

No search server required. Comparable functionality on xenforo.com is powered by XenForo Enhanced Search on an Elasticsearch back-end — a paid add-on plus a Java service to install, feed with RAM, and monitor. [UW] Similar Threads delivers the two features admins actually want from that stack using only MySQL: one indexed column, maintained automatically. It works on shared hosting, small VPSes, anywhere XenForo runs.

Respectful of your permissions and your style. Suggestions and the widget only ever show threads the viewing user is allowed to see — hidden and private forums never leak. All output uses native XenForo markup and style properties, so it matches your theme automatically, including dark mode and style variations. Every string is a phrase, ready for translation.

Installation is one upload: existing thread titles are indexed automatically in the background, the widget appears out of the box, and everything is configurable under a single option group.

Dismissable suggestion panel. The similar-threads panel can now be closed. Once you've checked the suggestions and decided to continue with your new thread, a small × in the panel's top-right corner dismisses it — and it stays out of your way while you keep typing the same title. Start writing about something different (or clear the title) and the duplicate check quietly returns.


Features

• Live similar-thread suggestions while typing a new thread title — configurable minimum characters (default 3) and typing debounce (default 250 ms)
• Works on both creation surfaces: the full Post thread page and the inline quick-thread box on forum pages (individually toggleable)
• Appears only when there are matches — never an overlay, never in the way
• "Similar threads" widget below the quick reply on every thread — a standard XenForo widget you can reposition, configure (result limit) or remove in the ACP
• Visible to guests — captures search-engine visitors and keeps them reading
• Accent-insensitive matching — diacritics are folded on both sides, ideal for non-English communities
• Smart matching tuned for duplicate detection: word-overlap relevance, prefix matching on the word being typed, and a fallback pass for very short terms (e.g. "EV", "M3")
• Permission-aware everywhere — only threads and forums the viewer can see are ever suggested
• Suggestion links open in a new tab, preserving the member's draft
• Native look: XenForo markup and style properties throughout — automatic dark mode / style variation support
• Fully phrased — translate every visible string
• No Elasticsearch, no Enhanced Search license — pure MySQL with one automatically maintained index; runs on shared hosting
• Lightweight: static cacheable JS, one indexed column, background indexing of existing titles on install
• Requires XenForo 2.3.10+