Morning all.
I’m trying to work with a government website that’s using Microsoft architecture, which has the world’s shittest Search engine. Really truly woeful. Access to the site is restricted by username and password, and site-specific searches with Google produce nothing.
Anyone got any tips?
Can you get File Explorer to include the site in its search index?
That doesn’t give you a Google style “intelligent” search, but I find it works well for finding stuff on my hard disk.
It’s a very good idea, but I can’t see a way to do it.
Rule 303 said:
Morning all.I’m trying to work with a government website that’s using Microsoft architecture, which has the world’s shittest Search engine. Really truly woeful. Access to the site is restricted by username and password, and site-specific searches with Google produce nothing.
Anyone got any tips?
Search by filename or search by contents?
If you have the opportunity to install Cygwin under windows, then I find the grep command quite useful for searches.
If you’re limited to what you can install then you may be able to include what you want in the part that is automatically indexed. If so, wait a couple of days for the indexing to do its work before trying the search again.
Try Sphinx. It builds an sql database from the files it’s reading, and you can get results from complex searches in that database very quickly. You don’t need to know sql to use it. You’ll need to install it, though.
mollwollfumble said:
Search by filename or search by contents?
Either would be helpful, but I think being able to search Contents would produce better results.
mollwollfumble said:
If you have the opportunity to install Cygwin under windows, then I find the grep command quite useful for searches.If you’re limited to what you can install then you may be able to include what you want in the part that is automatically indexed. If so, wait a couple of days for the indexing to do its work before trying the search again.
Not sure I understand what you’re talking about. Does Cygwin allow you to interrogate the contents of a secure website?
btm said:
Try Sphinx. It builds an sql database from the files it’s reading, and you can get results from complex searches in that database very quickly. You don’t need to know sql to use it. You’ll need to install it, though.
Can I use it to search a secure website?
As an example of what I’m trying to do, I want to log into a secure website and search for all files that include the word ‘Ladder’ in the document name. Let’s say there’s three: A learner guide, a trainer guide, and an SOP, and I want all of them. Using the current Search function produces no results, so I need to manually chase them down through a maze of sub-directories, one at a time. Does Sphinx do that?
Rule 303 said:
btm said:
Try Sphinx. It builds an sql database from the files it’s reading, and you can get results from complex searches in that database very quickly. You don’t need to know sql to use it. You’ll need to install it, though.
Can I use it to search a secure website?
As an example of what I’m trying to do, I want to log into a secure website and search for all files that include the word ‘Ladder’ in the document name. Let’s say there’s three: A learner guide, a trainer guide, and an SOP, and I want all of them. Using the current Search function produces no results, so I need to manually chase them down through a maze of sub-directories, one at a time. Does Sphinx do that?
Yes, and yes, but you’ll need to install it on the server, not your local machine.
btm said:
Rule 303 said:
Can I use it to search a secure website?As an example of what I’m trying to do, I want to log into a secure website and search for all files that include the word ‘Ladder’ in the document name. Let’s say there’s three: A learner guide, a trainer guide, and an SOP, and I want all of them. Using the current Search function produces no results, so I need to manually chase them down through a maze of sub-directories, one at a time. Does Sphinx do that?
Yes, and yes, but you’ll need to install it on the server, not your local machine.
I’d need to install it on their server?
OK, we’re going to need a Plan B here mate….
Rule 303 said:
btm said:
Rule 303 said:
Can I use it to search a secure website?As an example of what I’m trying to do, I want to log into a secure website and search for all files that include the word ‘Ladder’ in the document name. Let’s say there’s three: A learner guide, a trainer guide, and an SOP, and I want all of them. Using the current Search function produces no results, so I need to manually chase them down through a maze of sub-directories, one at a time. Does Sphinx do that?
Yes, and yes, but you’ll need to install it on the server, not your local machine.
I’d need to install it on their server?
OK, we’re going to need a Plan B here mate….
Sorry; your original post was vague enough that I couldn’t tell whether you had installation access to their server.
You might be out of luck, but I’ll see what I can find.