Why are my searches slow, and how can I improve search speed?
Answer
Slow searches can occur when dealing with large amounts of content. Here are some workarounds and solutions:
MySQL timeout setting: For MySQL 5.7+, set a query timeout to prevent searches from locking up your database. Composr automatically sets this, but you can configure it manually if needed.
Use InnoDB tables: Switching to InnoDB tables in MySQL can prevent slow queries from affecting other users on your website. Note that InnoDB is not officially supported by Composr yet.
Enable the fast custom index: As mentioned earlier, the fast custom index is optimized for handling large datasets and filtered searches, potentially leading to significant speed improvements.
How does the search engine handle different languages?
Answer
Composr's fast custom index supports multiple languages. Content is indexed based on its translated version, ensuring that you get relevant results even when searching in a different language.
Quoted phrases allow you to search for an exact sequence of words. For example, searching for "red apple" will only return results containing that exact phrase. Keep in mind that enabling quoted phrases can increase disk space usage.
Stop words are common words (like "the", "a", "is") that are ignored by the search engine because they add noise and don't contribute to the meaning of the search query. You can customize the list of stop words for the fast custom index. See the search tutorial for more information.
What is the fast custom index and why should I use it?
Answer
The fast custom index is Composr's own search engine, designed to be faster and more efficient than MySQL full-text search, especially for large websites and filtered searches.
Benefits of the fast custom index:
Faster filtered searches: Significantly improves search speed when you add filters like category or author.
Configurable stop words: Control which common words are ignored during search.
Better stemming: More accurately recognizes variations of words (e.g., "like" and "liking").
Multilingual support: Indexes content based on different language translations.
Downsides of the fast custom index:
Slight lag in indexing new content: New content takes a short time to be indexed.
Less accurate ranking: Ranking is based on the most obscure keyword, not a blend of all keywords.
Cannot perform blank searches: You must enter at least one keyword.
What is the difference between natural and boolean searching?
Answer
Natural search is a more relaxed approach where you type in your search terms and Composr tries to find the most relevant results, even if they don't contain all the words. It's like a Google search.
Boolean search requires more precision and uses operators like "+", "-", and quotation marks to define exactly what you're looking for. For example, searching for "+car -maintenance" will only return results that contain the word "car" but not "maintenance".
There are a few ways to search your Composr website:
Using the search bar in the header: This is the simplest way to search. Just type your search term in the box and click the search button.
Using the 'Search' module: This module offers more detailed search options. You can access it via the 'site:search' page-link (usually under About > Search in the default menu).
From the Forum: Click the 'Search' button on the forum or use the contextual search box on the forum member bar. This will search within your current forum or topic.
For questions with predefined answers, you can mark correct answers by adding [*] after the answer. If no answer is marked correct, the question will require manual marking. You can also use the [UNMARKED] tag after a question to exclude it from scoring.
Composr follows a rolling release model. This means:
New major/minor versions are released as they are ready.
Patch releases, primarily containing bug fixes, are only released for the latest supported major/minor version branch.
Users are responsible for staying updated to the latest release or applying necessary hotfixes.
This policy allows developers to focus resources on the latest versions and encourages users to leverage the ongoing improvements. You can find the release status on the Composr maintenance status page.
Constructive design feedback is valuable. To provide effective feedback:
Be specific and detailed. Identify particular issues and provide clear examples.
Offer solutions. Suggest improvements or provide mockups demonstrating your ideas.
Avoid vague statements. General comments like "it looks dated" are unhelpful.
Understand design constraints. Consider factors like modularity, generality, feature density, compatibility, performance, and the subjective nature of design.
Directly reporting specific design bugs to the tracker or redesigning Composr interfaces yourself are excellent ways to contribute.
Be comprehensive and self-contained. Provide all necessary information and context for the developers to understand your suggestion.
Focus on widely beneficial features. Esoteric suggestions are less likely to be implemented.
Understand developer constraints. Feature development depends on factors like developer availability, funding, and project strategy.
Consider sponsoring features. Financial contributions can prioritize the development of desired features as it affords developers the time to implement it.
How do I report an emergency problem with my Composr site?
Answer
Emergency problems are events that have significantly and suddenly affected your website's functionality due to legitimate bugs or undocumented usability issues. To report these:
Open a tracker issue explaining the problem and providing as much detail as possible (mark it as a major bug).
Help the developers help you. Provide access to your site (see the software feedback tutorial for more information), describe the exact situation, and avoid protracted back-and-forth communication.
Take backups before upgrading. This allows for easier recovery in case of problems.
Remember that bug fixing is not a free service. While developers are committed to Composr's stability, maintaining backups and practicing restoration procedures is your responsibility.
The community forum is an excellent resource for support. Users can help each other out with various problems. However, please remember that there's no guarantee of free professional support. If you need immediate or guaranteed assistance, consider hiring a professional developer.
I'm getting a lot of spam on my site. What can I do?
Answer
Composr offers various anti-spam measures. Refer to the Anti-spam settings tutorial for advice on configuring these settings. If you believe there's an issue with the anti-spam system itself, report it to the issue tracker. Do not report general spam incidents.
My website is experiencing performance issues. What should I do?
Answer
If you are experiencing performance issues, first identify the specific problem with your web host's help. Composr provides tools to manage database size, bandwidth, and disk I/O. However, high request volume or CPU usage may require server upgrades like a VPS or dedicated server.
If your web host complains about resource usage, gather detailed information from them, including specific URLs causing problems and resource usage metrics. If their limits are unreasonable, consider switching web hosts.
Security problems must be reported privately. You can do this by marking the issue as 'Private' on the issue tracker (if you use the Report Issue Wizard, it will do that automatically when you select security-hole). Publicly disclosing security holes is irresponsible and may result in penalties. The core developer team will disclose the issue after a patch is released.
Every bug, no matter how small, should be reported. You can report bugs using the Report Issue Wizard or directly through the issue tracker. There is also a link to report bugs on your Admin Zone Dashboard where the version information is located. And when clicking that link, you can view open issues specific to your version of Composr.
When reporting a bug, be sure to:
Check for duplicates: Make sure the bug hasn't already been reported.
Report bugs individually: Each issue should be reported separately for better tracking and resolution.
Verify it's a Composr bug: Issues with third-party addons and code should be reported to their respective developers.
Consult the FAQ and tutorials: Check for common problems and solutions, particularly server configuration issues.
Provide comprehensive information: Include a clear and specific title, detailed steps to reproduce the problem, your browser version, Composr version, error messages, stack traces (if available), and any other
relevant details.
Use clear and concise language: Write in proper English, use correct terminology, and avoid vagueness.
Be respectful and patient: Remember that developers are volunteers and may not respond immediately.
