Item4125: PatternSkin: Set top bar search default to current web (was - to all webs)

TWiki:Main/ArthurClemens

Is this how it worked before?

If not then - are you sure this is the right thing to have on TWikis with quite many topics? Searches could take 20 times longer on our TWiki.

If the community wants this - please write a method how to change it back because I do not want this at Motorola.

And it needs to go into the release note. You closed this bug item so this important change would become a secret and very surprising change.

-- TWiki:Main.KennethLavrsen - 24 May 2007

They will see the change only when they upgrade and change the WebTopbar as well. For new installs this is the better behaviour. I will document how to make it search one web.

-- TWiki:Main.ArthurClemens - 24 May 2007

Per email trail on twiki-dev Peter Thoeny and Kenneth Lavrsen has requested this one reverted and raised as a feature proposal so the community debate and decide.

The reason is that for most corporate installations (TWiki's primary target group) there are many webs with many topics.

The most likely use case for TWikis with many webs is that the user will want to search only within current web.

Arthur's background is a TWiki with many topics in MAIN and only one more Web which seems to be used randomly (ie no clear logic what goes in which web). In this case the users are better off with a global search by default. But I believe this is a special case.

• It is not that bad: Main is used for user data, and "All" is used for the main contents. But people often end up in main because they are looking for person data. -- AC - 25 May 2007

The default shipped behavior should be to search in current web when you search from the top bar.

Changing this to urgent.

-- TWiki:Main.KennethLavrsen - 25 May 2007

The point I wanted to make is this:

1. Existing installs: if installs with that many webs upgrade WebTopBar as well they will be in trouble. But I suspect that most installations use a customized top bar. If I am wrong and most multi-web installs will simply update WebTopBar then I agree that "search web" should stay the default.

• New installs: they will start with search results from all webs. But they also start with about 4 webs only. When they add webs one at a time they will have time to do something about the many results they are getting.

-- TWiki:Main.ArthurClemens - 25 May 2007

This has nothing to do with upgrading.

TWiki should search current web only from the beginning. If I search in the TWiki documentation for a TWiki feature I do not want to find tags with same string in other webs - just as an example. It is a really bad idea to have the global search default.

There are also still quite many upgraders from Cairo and they will create a new top bar typically by using the 4.2.0 top bar and replacing the logo and back ground image.

Do you revert or do you want me to do it?

-- TWiki:Main.KennethLavrsen - 25 May 2007

I cannot agree with this course of action. You are evading discussion by threatening to revert singlehandedly now without the community debate and decide

Note that you requested by email to revert with the main argument "There is a good reason why it is like this today." I hope we can discuss solid arguments here.

-- TWiki:Main.ArthurClemens - 25 May 2007

You have altered the behavior of TWiki in a way that has a big impact (Peter's words) and we have both asked for this to be sent through the release process.

The only right reaction is revert for now - and raise a feature proposal on Codev.

I have given plenty of arguments. So has Peter. From here it is a matter of opinions. And I want to hear the opinions from other community members BEFORE this change is implemented again.

-- TWiki:Main.KennethLavrsen - 25 May 2007

I misunderstood the implication of "revert". Too busy week I guess. Sorry for the fuzz.

I have reverted the change for now.

-- TWiki:Main.ArthurClemens - 26 May 2007

This is not an urgent issue.

-- TWiki:Main.ArthurClemens - 06 Jun 2007