Search fails to find my content in private forums

[Graham Perrin]

In a sub-forum named testing forced embedding,
in a topic named test,
the word xylophone:



Now, follow the breadcrumb trail to the greatest parent.

Bug

Search for test fails to find the matching forum, fails to find the matching topic:



Search for xylophone fails to find the matching topic:



Now, browse to the sub-forum that contains the matching topic, and repeat the search for xylophone:



(That fourth image is borrowed from neighbouring inappropriate presentation of ;cid= in results of searches of private embedded Nabble fora.)

[Graham Perrin]

AFAICT, from the screen shots below:

• search finds content that is private and embedded

• search fails to find content that is subject to forced redirection.









Regards
Graham

[tomi]

This is how the search works, posts in private forums are found only when the search is done in the private forum itself. Whether a bug or not, it has to be this way at least for search performance reasons.

[Graham Perrin]

(Part of my previous example was complicated by a non-inherited definition of who can view and post.)

tomi wrote

posts in private forums are found only when the search is done in the private forum itself.

Privacy should not reduce the ability to find something.

When I'm logged in to Nabble, I expect search to be no less powerful than browse.

If I can't remember the private forum to which some thing was posted, then how can I find that thing?

I treat this as a blocker to my originally intended uses of private fora.

it has to be this way at least for search performance reasons.

A search that fails to find, and search results that offer no hint/explanation of the exclusivity, is not performing ;)

Regards
Graham

[Graham Perrin]

tomi wrote

posts in private forums are found only when the search is done in the private forum itself.

Please, is there any prospect of an improvement in this area?

The search failures† are my #1 reason for not using Nabble for private content.

† With respect: I have to treat the design as failing; when items are excluded, the user receives no hint of the exclusion.

[Hugo <Nabble>]

Hi Graham. We will certainly improve this in the future. At this point, Nabble has a lot of important projects going on and we can't focus on the private search. Please give us a few months and we will work on this. I agree this is an important change.

[Graham Perrin]

Hi Hugo. Thanks for your replies to this and other topics. I understand the broader priorities, no argument with those!

Re: the search issues, I have some thoughts re: hinting — probably at/around the time of posting to any forum that is private.

(Probably not, as previously suggested, hinting whenever search results are unexpectedly exclusive.)

I'll have a think about how best to present hints, then add to this topic. Aiming to not complicate or confuse the UI in any way.

(I love the power+simplicity of Nabble … off-topic, just a little concerned that forthcoming addition of features should not introduce clutter.)

Best,
Graham

[Graham Perrin]

Suggestion

A banner, with three short lines:

☒     ✓  Your post was successful.
       ⚠ Private content is normally excluded from search results.
       ⓘ Searches for private content must begin within the private area.

The icons could be tidier but it's basically:
• green tick, to confirm success
• amber or red alert, to forewarn of exclusion
• blue information sign, or golden light bulb, for future orientation.

Banner might drop down, over the head of the topic, until the user clicks the close box
— close box icon adjacent to the other icons, please
— not to the far right, that's too platform-specific.

Or, the banner might appear as a layer, with the topic dimmed in background.