3 replies to this topic

[Crestline]

My general search habit when using the web is to run a couple of searches back-to-back to refine my results, usually because my first search term is a bit off the mark. When I do that here on the forum, my habit runs into the flood control feature:

 

 

I'm guessing this feature is to prevent the forum from being overwhelmed by spammy search bots executing a thousand searches per minute, or something like that. Can we modify flood control so that it only turns on after 10 searches, or limits users to 1 search per 1 second, or something like that?

 

If not, no big deal, I will survive! 

[Stadtplan]

Here's my preferred method of searching / finding content on the forum without flood control (from Forum Posting Tips and Tricks post #2):

 

https://www.fortwort...c=7155&p=131114

[JBB]

Yeah, using Google is a way around the flood control and is typically more successful at finding what I'm looking for than the embedded search tool.  

 

I believe 60 seconds is pretty standard across most stock message board software.  Keeps out that spammers that aren't using something automated to ply their craft.  I would say it's working since there are well over a thousand registered accounts without any posts.

[gdvanc]

I agree Google is a good workaround. I often see their little search bot when I'm browsing here.

 

I did take a quick look in the admin tools for a setting for search flood control. There is one for posting (currently set to 10s) but I didn't see one for searching. It's possible that it's using the same setting, but grepping through the php files I could not confirm that. With John's permission I could lower that to see if it makes a difference. We haven't had trouble with bots spamming recently so the risk probably isn't very high and we could always change it back.

 

There is a cached "search flood control" value but I did not see where that is being set. (A change made to the cached value wouldn't be permanent, of course.)