How to search for phrases in forums

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To effectively search for phrases in forums, using quotation marks may not yield the desired results, as searches often return individual words instead of the exact phrase. A recommended method is to utilize Google for more precise results by restricting searches to a specific site, using the format "search term site:domain.com". For example, searching for "Laplace Transform" can be done by entering it into Google with the site command. Additionally, a JavaScript bookmarklet can streamline this process by allowing users to highlight text and search directly on Google with the site restriction. This approach enhances the accuracy of forum searches significantly.
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[SOLVED] How to search for phrases in forums

How do I search for a phrase in the 'Search forums' textbox??
For example, if I wanted to search for the phrase "Laplace Transform", how do I type it into the box?

I've tried putting a phrase in quotation marks but it doesn't seem to work! All the search results are results of the single words making up the phrase, and not the phrase itself.

Theres probably a simple solution, but I just can't seem to do it!
 
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I've found that the best way to search for anything on PF is to use Google. Just restrict the search to this site.
 
Thanks, that worked perfectly!
 
from http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/refinesearch.html#domain

Google said:
Domain search

You can use Google to search only within one specific website by entering the search terms you're looking for, followed by the word "site" and a colon followed by the domain name.

For example, here's how you'd find admission information on the Stanford University site:

admission site:stanford.edu
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Only staff, contributors, HWHs and SAs can use boolean searching. You could would then either use "Laplace Transform" or Laplace AND Transform.
 
I have a bookmarklet (based on some other similar bookmarklets on the web)
that seems to work for me [in Firefox 2.0 on WinXP]:

Code:
javascript:s='';function gS(w){for(var i=0;i<w.length;i++){gS(w.frames[i])};try{s+=w.document.getSelection()}catch(e){try{s+=w.document.selection.createRange().text}catch(e){s+=''}}}gS(top);{void(s=prompt('Physicsforums search via Google:','"'+s+'"'))}if(s){void(window.open('http://google.com/search?query='+escape(s)+'+site:physicsforums.com'));window.clipboardData.setData('Text', s)}

Make a new browser-shortcut in your favorites/bookmarks toolbar
with the above as the "URL" or "location".
Ignore any weird error messages.

Now, when you click it, a dialog box appears for you to type in.
If you highlighted some text before clicking, it appears in the dialog box with quotes surrounding it.

The search term "site:physicsforums.com" is appended to the contents of the search box and is sent off to Google.

It should be possible to make it a URL on the top bar on any webpage.
 
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