Search

1. Search

Search is a fundamental function of any wiki, and MediaWiki is no exception. It allows users to quickly locate information within the wiki's content. This article provides a comprehensive guide to using the search functionality in MediaWiki 1.40, covering basic searches, advanced techniques, troubleshooting, and the underlying technology. It's geared towards beginners, assuming little to no prior knowledge of wiki search mechanisms.

== Basic Search

The most straightforward way to search MediaWiki is using the search box, typically located at the top-right corner of every page. Simply type your search term into the box and press Enter, or click the magnifying glass icon. The search results page will then display a list of pages that contain your search term.

The basic search operates on a keyword basis. MediaWiki will find pages where your search term appears anywhere within the page content, including the page title, text, and even embedded code (though the relevance of code matches may be lower).

For example, if you search for "History," MediaWiki will return pages with titles like "History of the Wiki," or pages containing the phrase "a brief history" in their content.

== Understanding Search Results

The search results page presents information in a structured manner. Each result typically includes:

• **Page Title:** A link to the matching page.
• **Snippet:** A short excerpt from the page content where the search term appears, providing context. This helps you determine if the page is relevant to your query.
• **Relevance Score (sometimes):** Some configurations of MediaWiki display a relevance score, indicating how closely the page matches your search term. Higher scores suggest a stronger match.
• **Page Type:** Indicates whether the result is a regular page, a category page, a template, or another type of wiki content.

The results are usually sorted by relevance, with the most relevant pages appearing at the top. However, the sorting algorithm can be influenced by various factors, including the frequency of the search term, its location within the page (e.g., in the title vs. in the body text), and the overall structure of the wiki.

== Advanced Search Techniques

While the basic search is useful for simple queries, MediaWiki offers several advanced techniques to refine your searches and find more specific information.

• **Phrase Searching:** To search for an exact phrase, enclose your search term in double quotes ("). For example, searching for "MediaWiki Search" will only return pages that contain that exact phrase, rather than pages that simply contain the words "MediaWiki" and "Search" separately. This is particularly useful when dealing with technical terms or specific concepts.
• **Boolean Operators:** MediaWiki supports Boolean operators to combine search terms.

   *   **AND:**  Returns pages that contain *all* specified terms.  For example, "History AND Politics" will only return pages that discuss both history and politics.  By default, MediaWiki treats multiple terms as if they are connected by AND.
   *   **OR:** Returns pages that contain *at least one* of the specified terms. For example, "Cats OR Dogs" will return pages that mention either cats, dogs, or both.
   *   **NOT:** Excludes pages that contain a specific term. For example, "History NOT Modern" will return pages about history, but exclude those that also mention "modern."  Be careful with NOT, as it can sometimes unexpectedly exclude relevant results.  Use parentheses to clarify complex Boolean expressions.

• **Wildcards:** Wildcards allow you to search for variations of a word.

   *   **`*` (Asterisk):**  Represents zero or more characters. For example, "comput*" will match "computer," "computing," "computation," and so on.
   *   **`?` (Question Mark):** Represents a single character.  For example, "colo?r" will match both "color" and "colour."

• **Prefix Search:** A prefix search finds pages whose titles begin with a specific string. Use the `intitle:` prefix. For example, `intitle:History` will find all pages with titles starting with "History."
• **In-Text Search:** To limit the search to the main text of the page, excluding the title and other metadata, use the `text:` prefix. For example, `text:MediaWiki` will search only the body of the pages.
• **Category Search:** To search within a specific Category, use the `category:` prefix. For example, `category:Help` will search only pages within the "Help" category.
• **Template Search:** To find templates, use the `template:` prefix. For example, `template:Infobox` will search for templates named "Infobox."
• **Namespace Search:** To search within a specific Namespace, use the `namespace:` prefix. For example, `namespace:Project` will search only pages within the "Project" namespace.
• **File Search:** To search for files (images, documents, etc.), use the `file:` prefix. For example, `file:logo.png` will search for a file named "logo.png".

Combining these advanced techniques allows for highly targeted searches. For example, you could search for `intitle:Trading "Technical Analysis" AND "Risk Management"` to find pages with titles starting with "Trading" that contain both the phrase "Technical Analysis" and the term "Risk Management". This is useful for finding resources related to a specific trading strategy.

== Search Syntax and Special Characters

MediaWiki's search engine handles certain special characters differently. Here's a breakdown:

• **Spaces:** Spaces are treated as implicit AND operators.
• **Parentheses:** Used to group terms and control the order of Boolean operations.
• **Hyphens:** Generally treated as part of a word.
• **Plus Signs (+):** Usually ignored.
• **Equals Signs (=):** Typically ignored.
• **Slashes (/):** Often treated as word separators.
• **Colons (:):** Used for specifying prefixes (e.g., `intitle:`, `category:`).
• **Backslashes (\):** Can be used to escape special characters, treating them literally.

If you encounter issues with search results, consider escaping special characters with a backslash to ensure they are interpreted correctly.

== The CirrusSearch Extension

MediaWiki 1.40 typically uses the CirrusSearch extension as its default search engine. CirrusSearch is a powerful, scalable search solution built on Elasticsearch. It offers several advantages over the older, built-in search engine:

• **Improved Relevance:** CirrusSearch uses sophisticated ranking algorithms to deliver more relevant search results.
• **Faster Performance:** Elasticsearch provides fast indexing and search speeds, even for large wikis.
• **Advanced Features:** CirrusSearch supports features like fuzzy matching, stemming, and phrase highlighting.
• **Scalability:** CirrusSearch can be scaled to handle large volumes of data and traffic.

However, CirrusSearch also requires more resources to run than the built-in search engine. It's crucial to ensure that your server has sufficient memory and processing power to support it.

== Troubleshooting Search Issues

If you're having trouble finding information using the search function, here are some troubleshooting steps:

• **Check Your Spelling:** Ensure that your search term is spelled correctly.
• **Try Different Keywords:** Experiment with different keywords and synonyms. Consider what terms the author might have used.
• **Use Advanced Search Techniques:** Refine your search using phrase searching, Boolean operators, and wildcards.
• **Clear Your Browser Cache:** Sometimes, cached data can interfere with the search results.
• **Check the Wiki's Index:** If the wiki has recently been updated, the search index may not be fully up-to-date. The wiki administrator may need to rebuild the index. This is especially important after large content migrations or updates.
• **Contact the Wiki Administrator:** If you've tried all of the above steps and are still unable to find what you're looking for, contact the wiki administrator for assistance. There might be a configuration issue with the search engine.
• **Consider the Namespace:** Ensure you're searching the correct namespace. Sometimes content is located in Project, Help, or other namespaces.
• **Check Category Pages:** Browse relevant Category pages to see if the information is categorized appropriately.

== Search and SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

While MediaWiki's search is primarily for internal use, understanding basic SEO principles can improve the discoverability of your wiki content by external search engines like Google.

• **Relevant Page Titles:** Use descriptive and keyword-rich page titles.
• **Clear Headings:** Use headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content and highlight important keywords.
• **Internal Linking:** Link to relevant pages within your wiki (as demonstrated throughout this article). Internal links help search engines understand the relationships between pages.
• **Alt Text for Images:** Provide descriptive alt text for images.
• **Meta Descriptions:** While MediaWiki doesn't directly support meta descriptions, the introductory text of your pages serves a similar purpose. Write concise and informative summaries.
• **Sitemaps:** Consider generating a sitemap for your wiki to help search engines crawl and index your content.

== Further Resources

• Help:Searching - The official MediaWiki help page on searching.
• Help:Advanced search - More detailed information on advanced search techniques.
• Extension:CirrusSearch - Documentation for the CirrusSearch extension.
• Elasticsearch Documentation: [1]
• Boolean Search Guide: [2]
• SEO Best Practices: [3]
• Keyword Research Tools: [4] , [5]
• Technical Analysis Basics: [6]
• Trading Strategies: [7]
• Risk Management in Trading: [8]
• Candlestick Patterns: [9]
• Moving Averages: [10]
• Fibonacci Retracements: [11]
• Support and Resistance Levels: [12]
• Trend Lines: [13]
• MACD Indicator: [14]
• RSI Indicator: [15]
• Bollinger Bands: [16]
• Stochastic Oscillator: [17]
• Chart Patterns: [18]
• Elliott Wave Theory: [19]
• Market Sentiment: [20]
• Correlation in Trading: [21]
• Volatility Measurement: [22]
• Backtesting Trading Strategies: [23]
• Trading Psychology: [24]
• Algorithmic Trading: [25]

Help

Extension:CirrusSearch

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