436878 - Make forum search only return answered threads

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 467483

(support.mozilla.org :: Forum, task)

Description

[Jason Barnabe (np)]

http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.support.planning/browse_frm/thread/3031d0d8afbce47a

Since answered threads have answers, they're the most useful threads for users to read.

Contributors still need to be able to search non-answered threads.

Comment 1

[David Tenser [:djst]]

Nelson, can you give me an eta for this? Thanks!

Comment 2

[[:Cww]]

How would UI on this work (out of curiosity?)

Also, we may want to give users the ability to search for threads that aren't answered so they can find their own threads, just give it a separate search box or something.

Comment 3

[Majken Connor [:Kensie]]

UI wise I think a checkbox would do it. For non-logged in users I think we'd only want to offer to search again including unsolved threads on the results page. For contributors we'd want to include a checkbox to also search unanswered threads under the search.

For finding your own threads you shouldn't use search, there's a link in the sidebar for that. If that's not prominent enough maybe we should move it. Keeping in mind this is for logged out users, most of whom won't need search to refine the list of threads they're watching.

Comment 4

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

Attachment: Screenshot of demo fix - check search bar

Here is a potential UI, and results. The functionality, I've already implemented.
Should we have the checkbox show up only for logged in users? (as Lucy said)
Then, for logged out users do search only solved first, with a link to search for unsolved next?

Suggestions, please :)

Comment 5

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

Oops, given bug 451445, we should think about where to have the checkbox in the small, side search box.

Comment 6

[David Tenser [:djst]]

Hm, if this bug is about fixing the current search engine, that sounds a bit like redundant work since we're just about to switch to the new engine which has this already built in. I suggest wontfixing this and monitoring this as bug 467483.

Comment 7

[David Tenser [:djst]]

Btw in terms of the UI, it seems a bit non-future proof to squeeze the checkbox into the actual search box. Wouldn't it be better with a separate UI for this under an "advanced search" and just provide a link to that advanced search? (I thought we already had that functionality in the forum but I can't see it anywhere)

It seems like this hasn't really been specified in this bug, but I believe the original intent of this bug was to make the new search capable of including answered forum threads in the default KB search. For now, I don't see a reason to filter out results if someone actually searches from the forum start page -- at least not until we can figure out sensible UI for it, which was never really part of this bug.

Comment 8

[Majken Connor [:Kensie]]

(In reply to comment #7)
 
> It seems like this hasn't really been specified in this bug, but I believe the
> original intent of this bug was to make the new search capable of including
> answered forum threads in the default KB search.

The intent was to only show end users answered threads when they search the forum. See the linked newsgroup discussion in comment #0.

Showing users answered threads as well as kb results is a good idea, but wasn't to do with this bug specifically.

Comment 9

[David Tenser [:djst]]

The best thing would be if this change was an admin pref so we could turn this on and test it. Just showing solved threads might be a good default, but if it's not I'd like to have the ability to revert.

Paul, can you make this an admin pref for the forum?

Comment 10

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

David, Lucy: how about a combination of what the two of you are saying:

* Pref option: "Show solved threads only on first (forum) search"
* If pref ON, search by default on solved threads only. Additionally, above results, show link "Can't find your answer in the solved threads below? Try <a>including unsolved threads</a>"
* If pref OFF, keep behavior as is now.

Comment 11

[Majken Connor [:Kensie]]

The thing is we don't want users looking for solutions to go through unanswered threads, if they can't find an answer in the kb or an answered thread we want them to start their own thread.

The use case for showing unsolved threads is for contributors finding threads they've seen before, or trying to track how many users are posting about a similar issue etc.

I'd recommend text something like "for more search options try our <a>advanced search</a>" as the link to get unanswered threads as well, but we want to direct users thusly "Can't find your answer in the solved threads below? <a>Ask a new question</a>" (see the wording that's already on the forum start page).

Comment 12

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

So I'll go ahead and do this on a per-role basis (e.g. for all contributors vs all registered/anonymous users). Everyone but contributors see only solved threads, and contributors get an option to see all threads.

There will also be a preference in the admin area to set all of this on or off.

Comment 13

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

r22248 / r22249
Added a preference in forum panel to default searching only solved threads to specific roles. Also added a "try our advanced search" to the searchindex.php file.

Comment 14

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

Paul, here's how I'm trying to test:

1) Load https://support-stage.mozilla.org/tiki-admin.php?locale=en-US&page=forums while logged in as an Admin
2) Select "Contributors" under "Performance - Show all threads on search for these user groups. Those unselected will see only solved threads."
3) Click "Change Preferences"
4) Load https://support-stage.mozilla.org/tiki-view_forum.php?locale=en-US&forumId=1, pick a forum topic, such as "Testing staging." (https://support-stage.mozilla.org/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?locale=en-US&comments_parentId=233429&forumId=1)
5) Typing "Testing staging" into the orange search box above it and executing the search: https://support-stage.mozilla.org/tiki-searchindex.php?locale=en-US&words=testing+staging&sa=

I don't get the expected forum-search result; perhaps that's another bug, and will need the Sphinx integration enabled?

Comment 15

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

(Missed a step, and that is:

3a) Log out
3b) Log in as a "regular" user/contributor

Comment 16

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

Can someone test this locally to determine whether it's related to bug 479854 or not?
It works on my copy.

Comment 17

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

Verified FIXED; I ran through comment 14/comment 15 with user "stephendonner" (Contributor, Admin and more...) and it found the "Testing Staging" post result; a logged out query doesn't show yield that post in its results.

Note that I didn't test each account type; would others please help me in doing so, and we can file spinoff bugs (if they exist)?  Thanks!

Comment 18

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Does the admin option still need to be applied to prod? We got some confused contributors <https://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?comments_parentId=292577&forumId=3>.

Comment 19

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

Yes. Select all but regular users and anonymous users in the preference - if you want only contributors and admins to see all threads... Well, you get it :) I know it's a bit confusing, but I did it this way because of the hierarchical system that is in tiki (an admin is also an anonymous, registered user and a contributor).

Comment 20

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Okay, I've just set the pref on prod.

Comment 21

[David Tenser [:djst]]

Is this really active? Searching for ftp gives me 779 results -- are all of those really solved?

http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-newsearch.php?where=f&locale=en-US&q=ftp&sa=

Meanwhile, a search for "ftp" from the start page yields no forum search results at all.

Comment 22

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

Ah, yes, this had been implemented for old search. I guess it's not working for new search. Will look into it, try to make it into 1.1

Comment 23

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

(In reply to comment #6)
> Hm, if this bug is about fixing the current search engine, that sounds a bit
> like redundant work since we're just about to switch to the new engine which
> has this already built in. I suggest wontfixing this and monitoring this as bug
> 467483.

We should wontfix this or mark it as a duplicate at this point and stick with 467483. We can keep this bug to reflect fixes for old search.

Comment 24

[Paul Craciunoiu [:paulc]]

After a discussion with David I'm marking this as a dupe of bug 467483.