Lack of interest Search forums: Let members choose what goes in it

[M@rc]

Search forums is a new feature coming to xenforo 2.2.

The best use I can see out of it is filtering threads in a widget right now. I think it would be great if members can custom set their "search forum" so they can see a list of threads from forums that interest them instead of leaving it up to the admin to decide what they should see.

"Example of a more clear usage:

Admin creates a "search forum" with a list of forums they'd like to have.
Users who go to the "search forum" can then filter threads to their liking, so if they want to remove a specific forum they have no interest in, they can pull up a list and save settings.

It gives users more control of what they want to see instead of letting the admin dictate what to push in their faces."

 

[beerForo]

But it is node-based and you will have to choose that node type for it to work as a search forum. So I guess you'd have to create a node called "My Searches" or similar and let the users choose within that forum. Is that what you mean? Or are you looking for something different, like being able to save an advanced search?

 

[Mr Lucky]

I thought that was the point of this new function, that members would be able to use it??

 

[M@rc]

But it is node-based and you will have to choose that node type for it to work as a search forum. So I guess you'd have to create a node called "My Searches" or similar and let the users choose within that forum. Is that what you mean? Or are you looking for something different, like being able to save an advanced search?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but to my understanding, this feature lets the admin configure settings as seen in the screenshot to display threads from set areas across the board in one new section called a "search forum".

Can I, as a user, go to the node and set which sections I wish to have displayed and what not to display for future viewing?

Say, for example:

On xenForo.com, I've configured the Search Forum with these sections:

• Pre-Sales Questions
• xenForo Suggestions
• Bug Reports
• Questions & Answers
• Styling & Customization
• Server Configuration

Can I, as Regular Member A, choose to remove half of these sections since I don't want to see posts from Pre-Sales, Suggstions and Bug Reports in this one "Search Forums" forum?

My suggestion is to let it be user-configurable instead of having an admin configure it for everyone, if that makes sense.

 

[Lukas W.]

I thought that was the point of this new function, that members would be able to use it??

Nope, it's configured by admins in the Backend

 

[beerForo]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but to my understanding, this feature lets the admin configure settings as seen in the screenshot to display threads from set areas across the board in one new section called a "search forum".

Can I, as a user, go to the node and set which sections I wish to have displayed and what not to display for future viewing?

Say, for example:

On xenForo.com, I've configured the Search Forum with these sections:

• Pre-Sales Questions
• xenForo Suggestions
• Bug Reports
• Questions & Answers
• Styling & Customization
• Server Configuration

Can I, as Regular Member A, choose to remove half of these sections since I don't want to see posts from Pre-Sales, Suggstions and Bug Reports in this one "Search Forums" forum?

My suggestion is to let it be user-configurable instead of having an admin configure it for everyone, if that makes sense.

If you look at the top of that screenshot it is the step in creating a node. You would choose from those settings and save. Then on your frontend you would see the node which will look like a forum. You will also notice there is no filter bar in the node. This is to eliminate false results due to the fact it is pre-filtered.

 

[M@rc]

If you look at the top of that screenshot it is the step in creating a node. You would choose from those settings and save. Then on your frontend you would see the node which will look like a forum. You will also notice there is no filter bar in the node. This is to eliminate false results due to the fact it is pre-filtered.

The new video edited in today confirms what I'm saying to be true - https://xenforo.com/community/threads/search-forums-seo-improvements-and-dev-team-news.181244/

You're misunderstanding my suggestion.

Users are regular non-staff.
Admins are people who configure options for "search forums".

My suggestion is to give the users more freedom with what they view instead of having admins determine what they view. So as an admin, I can configure the "search forum" as seen in the video, but then the user can filter out what they do not want to see right after.

So in the video, users will be able to set the thread criteria for the "search forum" node the admin makes. That is my suggestion.

 

[beerForo]

I do understand.

What you are suggesting already exists as Advanced Search.

 

[M@rc]

I do understand.

What you are suggesting already exists as Advanced Search.

View attachment 227335

But this is a suggestion for the new "Search Forums" node-type. Otherwise, according to your message, "Advance Search" renders "Search Forums" completely useless I think.

 

[beerForo]

I see the new function as curated discovery.
For non-curated they can use search like they always do.
That's how I see it.

 

[beerForo]

However I am sure they will consider it.

 

[M@rc]

@Kirby

I remembered someone talking about this in the past (so far I've found you from a Google search) and this might be something you'd be interested in because you made a custom development request before:

Add-on - Turn Forums On / Off on forum index

WoltLab does have a nice feature that allows users to easily select which forums they would like to see: While there are Add-ons like https://xenforo.com/community/resources/th-ignore-more.7272/ https://xenforo.com/community/resources/tl-ignore-content.6538/ that do provide somewhat similar...

xenforo.com

While it may not be the exact feature that you want, I believe this suggestion helps serve a similar purpose.

It's a feature of WoltLab (didn't know it was a thing in other forum software) that I find really interesting.

 

[Hills2020]

If you are suggesting the ability to select topical headings (child forums?) within a forum, why not!