BUG REPORT: Search for G* Callaghan finds only 1 profile I manage (should be 2) [closed]

Question

Today I created 2 Gge Callaghan profiles (for two different people).  On one, I misspelled the last-name-at-birth (LNAB) as "Callahan" (no 'g').  I corrected it.  

Later I searched for G* Callaghan.  Among the 19 matches returned, there was only one profile for which I'm the manager (the one not initially misspelled).  The other one (with LNAB misspelled then corrected) was not on the list.

If the bug is in how the db system populates, changes, and/or searches fields, this could potentially be a huge error.

Comments

Hi Juli,

I'd like to try and help you solve whatever issues you have.  Clarifying what that is might help a lot.  I've notice you've had multiple "db error" postings recently. 

Are you simply looking for proofs that there are errors on WikiTree?  If so, that's not really the type of project I could get behind.  I'm sure we could hunt all day for negatives and come up with some, but that's not the spirit we wish to promote and it's no way to make yourself feel all day hunting for mistakes.

Or, are you are looking to find the profiles you created?  You can easily do this in a number of ways.  The most useful is usually your "contributions" list.  It can be accessed from more than one place, one being the drop-down lists on most pages.  You can also go to your "watchlist" and find profiles you manage or are on the trusted list for.  They can be sorted to make finding what you need easier.

I can help you learn to use WikiTree effectively and always find what you need, but I'm not excited to assist in looking for little errors and shining huge lights on them.  Focusing on the positives is much nicer and productive.

If you have other goals I am not thinking of, please describe them.

:)

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And again, I searched for exactly what you said and got both profiles you manage:

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When using the WikiTree Search feature, I've been putting the first name (with symbols or without) in the first name box, then the last name (with or without symbols) in the last name box.  I think if it's done differently you will not get good results.  Maybe experiment with how you are using the search boxes, and maybe check your computer to make sure it's not producing some funky characters :)

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Not "looking for proofs [of] errors on WikiTree" and not "[trying] to find the profiles".  Yes, being aware of (and alerting to) issues.  Chris Whitten told me that's how it's done on WT -- "post it on G2G for discussion".  So I'm doing that.  Now I'm getting chided for it?  Really??

Re-cap:I entered 2 profiles.  Then, some time (an hour?) later, I searched for them and SEARCH didn't find them.

My bug report was NOT because i couldn't reach the profiles -- they were already on my activity feed, and they were in the browser's history.

My bug report was about a failure in SEARCH.  (And I still do perceive it as a failure, even though the reason -- db-update lag -- has been explained to me.  If SEARCH returns a list that may be incomplete because of update lag, it would be kindness to alert the SEARCHer.)

Apparently, WT does not adhere to a regular, or published, build schedule.  Users have no reliable way to determine if something has been changed.  Postings show that sometimes "fixes" don't work as intended.  I sounded the alarm in case this was one of those times.  And because no one else had yet done so.  (But I can't possibly be the only one who experienced this update-lag, BTW.)

If SEARCH is not working properly, that would be a huge problem affecting every user and every profile.  Let us not be so naive as to assume that such errors cannot be made.

I do not regret making this bug report.  It was warranted.  Thanks, Keith, for giving me an oppty to explain.

 

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Juli if you should report so other people understand please include the URL and/or a Screen dump of what search that don't resulted in what you expected

Also add the WikiTreeID of the people you expected to find but didn't.... or upload a video see video I did when searching

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E.g. did a search  "Olof ZACKAR*".

Expected find Zackariasson-1

Result was xxxx

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Excellent.  Agreed.

Answer 1

In order to speed up searches we use what's called an index. This index is just updated once a day, so there is a lag between when you create a profile and when it comes up in search results.

We'll add a Search help page that explains this. Of course, most people won't see it and it will continue to be a source of confusion.