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I have a lot of trouble with the ability to search here. Am I missing something or are there no filers or Boolean options to narrow a search? Example +zbrush or "zbrush" and -Genesis etc. to omit unwanted results does not seem to have any effect.
An example. I searched for Zbrush and have page after page of Genesis characters appearing mixed in with some Zbrush content. It basically forced browsing page after page of results that are totally unrelated to the search.
You can, in theory use the "Custom Google Search" for that functionality, albeit that will introduce both regular posts (blog) and forum posts. The blog-search searches both the title, and the content of the post, so the Genesis hits you got are probably due to that, or perhaps even the nickname of the person uploading it.
But there are free options to help with this.
https://www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/12-wordpress-search-plugins-to-improve-your-site-search/
Why does the site admin not care to do anything about the sad state of search when a plugin that costs $0 dollars and might take 20 minutes to install is available to make the site much more useful.
I guess from the point of the site operator with customers happy to endure your right. No "tangible" benefit for them. All benefit would acre to the users of this site.
As for tags and categories that is really a serious oversight from the start by not enforcing those on new content submissions from day one. Probably only solution would be for developers to enlist volunteers to help to advance the overall quality of the site. Really the only incentive to anyone would be to act as a community.
I have not looked but there may be a script that can automate tagging by locating and identifying by use of the asset's links say to daz studio, renderocity etc.
Agree would be much harder after the fact to compensate for poor tagging in the beginning.
Not a dummy here...over 25 years web development experience.
An additional thought. Make it possible for users to add appropriate tags as they find assets in order to gradually improve the site for everyone.
I've been having issues recently which suggests that 'search' is very broken now. While testing theories, I copied random titles from posts, both recent and past, and pasted into both search windows which resulted in zero items found, much more often than normal. It doesn't happen to all queries but for example,
searching "Tomsk’s Prop Bundle 02 – Fun & Games" resulted in null results.
search=Tomsk’s Prop Bundle 02 - no results
search=Tomsk’s Prop Bundle - no
search=Tomsk’s - no...and so on...
I finally get a hit with Tomsk [no apostrophe, s] but now have to look through 118 pages! You've been busy, mate! 😉
I'm sure the site is aware of this but just in case...I felt a FYI was in order. [smiley-face]If you know how to use WP search, it's not that bad... for instance, for the prop bundle, just search for "prop bundle 02", or "prop bundle 02 fun games" and it will show up...
As for the "improved search" - the problem with most of those is that they're either meant for regular blog posts, and/or based on tags.
The only thing I would say would be smart, is to add a tag-cloud plugin, and allow users to tag posts. The problem with that is that someone WILL take that as an opportunity to mistag or make "funny" tags and put on everything...
And, as I've said before - use the Google-search, if you need boolean operators.
The only issue with using a search such as suggested, “prop bundle 02” etc. is that it assumes you already know a specific name. Often when Im looking for something I have no clue yet what name it may be listed under here.
My searches are most often for a generic type of asset where I might want say "rocks" and may get a ton responses totally unrelated and a hundred pages to wade through because there are no filters and presumably as assets are added they are not being tagged accuratly.
Unless you know exactly what you are looking for its pretty sad.
A search for Male hair will pull up feMALE. I made it a mission and started from the last page and worked my way to present. Keeping items in sections like V4 or G8 male hair or female shoes is beyond hope. Just take two days and scan the site from top to bottom. I actually found stuff Id have never looked for. Then just check in every so often to keep up to date.
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