Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

by Keith Bennett -
Number of replies: 6

I've just started with Moodle and I'm impressed by a lot of its features but one erally important thing's missing: an advanced search capability.  Right now as I understand it there is the ability to search different parts of the environment, but now way to do an advanced search.  Let's say, for example, that a student wants to search both the forums and glossaries (FAQ) and everything else on the site they have access to.  Like me, for example.  I was looking for where to post a "feature request" and I ended up doing two searches - one in "FAQ" and one in "forums".  I'd like to search the documentation, as well.  And any courses I have access to, too.

I'd say this is a very important feature that's missing from moodle.

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In reply to Keith Bennett

Re: Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

by Jon Bolton -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers
Agreed, but also see http://moodle.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=912
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In reply to Jon Bolton

Re: Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

by Keith Bennett -

Yes, but also a step further is needed.  I understand that it has to be taken one step at a time, but the wording there seems to impy a separate search function for each.  Browsers (site visitors) want one search function for everything - including by username, time, course,  teacher/student, and so on. 

I think it's considerably more difficult than "a nice little project" and would erquire an intimate understanding of all aspects of the program (I think).

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In reply to Keith Bennett

Re: Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

by Martin Dougiamas -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
Yes, there are a lot of "further steps" required in many areas of Moodle.  Global search is an obvious one that will come.
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In reply to Martin Dougiamas

Re: Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

by Runy Calmera -

I agree on the search feature. I read a lot about "usability" and there they always talk about a global search feature.

Additionally another way people "search" a site is by scanning the whole site in one page: the sitemap. In this way, new users get a picture of the whole site, and how deep it is in one view. A site map needs to be dynamic, however. Every time you trigger the sitemap page you get a request right from the database. And that's what I didn't figure out yet, because of lack of my php knowlegde. sad Every time you insert a new course or resource it needs to appear on the site map.

Finally, the trio   "search feature", the "site map" and the "bread crums" (we already have this one!), would make Moodle even more a "killing" application.  So next to one global search it would be nice to have a site map to help new people search and find things. What do you think?

See example site map for this site of moodle:

Moodle

  • Using Moodle
    • Topic X
    • Topic Y
  • Forum
    • Forum X
    • Forum Y
    • General developer forum
  • Courses
    • Course X
    • Course Y
  • Documentation
    • Technical X
    • Technical Y
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In reply to Runy Calmera

Re: Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

by Runy Calmera -

this is another example of a sitemap I suggested before.

http://www.xaraya.com/index.php/faqs/map/

I'm just wondering if somebody already tried to make these kind of maps with php and mysql. We could use it for Searching through Moodle.

greets

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In reply to Runy Calmera

Re: Feature request - Sitewide/ "advanced" search

by Ger Tielemans -
As soon as (nested) subsections are allowed this mecomes a must have...
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