Global search cache descriptions
Posted By:
Bon Echo
First of all, thanks for implementing the Global Search by Member idea and also for creating the Canada local community section.
unless I'm missing something...is there any chance of having a global search function for cache description? I know we can search keywords, but that can be pretty unreliable - depends on whether keywords have been set.
For me, this global search would be one way of seeing of my ideas for locationless caches already exist, without going though each listing one by one. For example, say I want to create a LC which requires you to find local important old trees with plaques and get a picture with them. If I use 'tree' as a keyword search term, I get 35 LC's found but I miss the one that is exactly what I am looking for: LCC - Venerated Trees aka Tree Hugger. Okay, this is one example that I found, I don't know how common that is but I have little confidence in keywords and wish there was a way to search the descriptions. BTW I tried downloading all the LC listings (as a GPX file) so I could search the documents using grep, but found that I could only grab the first 100 listings.
Thanks
unless I'm missing something...is there any chance of having a global search function for cache description? I know we can search keywords, but that can be pretty unreliable - depends on whether keywords have been set.
For me, this global search would be one way of seeing of my ideas for locationless caches already exist, without going though each listing one by one. For example, say I want to create a LC which requires you to find local important old trees with plaques and get a picture with them. If I use 'tree' as a keyword search term, I get 35 LC's found but I miss the one that is exactly what I am looking for: LCC - Venerated Trees aka Tree Hugger. Okay, this is one example that I found, I don't know how common that is but I have little confidence in keywords and wish there was a way to search the descriptions. BTW I tried downloading all the LC listings (as a GPX file) so I could search the documents using grep, but found that I could only grab the first 100 listings.
Thanks
Comments [9]
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WindpumpBoy Caister-on-Sea 8/13/2015
I agree in general terms about a global search of the cache description being a possible help as as Bon Echo says searching by keywords often doesn't bring up all the relevant caches. However I suspect a global search may also bring up a lot of irrelevant caches as well where ta common search word has been used innocuously.On the difficulties of search, I am fairly sure I saw a cache about segways some months ago and after recently taking photos tried to find it again using both keyword and category searchs as well as a general trawl through. I suspect it may have been archived but if anybody does know it's whereabouts if active please let me know. I didn't put it in my adventure list as they're generally fullmost of the time.0 Points
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2oldfarts Tucson 8/13/2015
I also agree about the search features. We have a good capture of most of the TCLCs and with GSAK we have the ability to pull up caches with just a word. Here is the LC about segway. Sorry to say, but that LC has been archived.
http://www.terracaching.com/cache/LC792
I think that since you already have the picture, that you redo that LC in your own style... You are so good with words.
Shirley
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Bon Echo Hamilton 8/13/2015
Shirley, you state "We have a good capture of most of the TCLCs and with GSAK " - how did you get all the cache listing into GSAK? When I downloaded LC GPX files all I could get was the oldest 100LCs. So I don't know how I could get all the LC's into GSAK.
It really looks like there's no way to fully utilize this site without also using GSAK. I guess I need to buy the program.
As for using a global search and getting too many hit - I don't think it will be all that bad, depending on what you're searching for. If you are looking for the word "tree", well, maybe. But personally I rather start with two much and work my way through it, than to start with too little and not know what you are missing. Anyway, careful use of search terms can help with that sometimes too.
As I mention, I used the UNIX program grep to do a search through a directory of GPX files (the 100 oldest LC's) for the word "glass" (grep -E -color " glass " GPX*) which returned 10 LC's with the word glass in the listing or logs. I can handle 10. I can stick with grep if I could also get all the LCs downloaded. And I'm learning python so I will probably be able to write a script to do target just the descriptions.
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2oldfarts Tucson 8/13/2015
With TC1 you could get a GPx of all the LCs at one time, but with TC3 you need to be more inventive to get almost all the LCs downloaded.
The process is simple by nature, but time consuming in the number of GPX files that you will get and then load into GSAK.
Go to the cache hunt page, select Locationless caches, Then select "cache category" and start with the first one in the list. Get the GPX file for that category and then select the next category in the list and get the GPX file for it. Do this for all categories in the list. If a category has more than 100 caches you must do a reverse listing for the date posted and get the GPX file for the new listing of that category. Once you have downloaded the GPX files for all the categories, just load them all into a single database in GSAK.
Not user friendly, but it will get all LCs that have a category tag, some older caches might be missed and would need to have the GPX file individually downloaded.
Jack - Shirley's old man.
10 Points 1
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Bon Echo Hamilton 8/13/2015
thanks Jack, that work-around makes sense. Hopefully eventually such work-arounds won't be required, but that will take time and I appreciate the time that is already being put into developing sites like this.
Okay, now I feel like I can really get into LCs without having to click through each and every one by one by one on the website.
Happy caching
Jason
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WindpumpBoy Caister-on-Sea 9/10/2015
I have just discovered I can use my segway photos after all on LCNU One more chance :)0 Points 0
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Bon Echo Hamilton 9/10/2015
As a follow up, I used the advice given above and was able to obtain all but 4 of the locationless caches (I guess there are 4 without a category, somehow). These were downloaded as GPX files. Only one category exceeds 100 LCs (Signage).
Next, i wrote a python program to extract from the GPX files the following details: LC code, name, cache owner, LTPS value, number of times found, and full description. The results are written to a text file, which I can then search. The program executes in about 1 second, for all 952 LCs (this excludes the few LCs that I previously found and the one I own).
If any TCer is interested in the python program to do this, i can send it to you. It is built under Python 2.7. I just learned how to write basic python programs, and removing the html tags and extra spaces took me a bit to figure out. There's still some odd characters in the final document but it works for the most part for what I want it to do. I now can (quite easily) be sure that the LCs I plan to submit do not already exist (one is under review, another I will write up soon). I'm also using it to plan my "Terracaching Streak" which I can start soon, now that the OpenCaching North America 5th anniversary contest is out of the way.
And all of this because I'm too cheap to buy a copy of GSAK :)
Still, a global search will help other TCers to know if a submitted LC is duplicating one which already exists, particularly if they are reviewing a submission.
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Bon Echo Hamilton 11/1/2015
Going to give this one another nudge, following a 30-minute search for a locationless cache that I was sure existed but just could not located. I was pretty sure there was a locationless cache for Carnegie libraries and while out today gathered the info and pictured needed to log it. That turned out to be the easy part. After a bunch of failed keyword searches, I started search page by page within certain categoories...which is just a bit better than a completely random search seeing how most LCs could be "properly" classified under any number of categories.
So, when I could stand it no more, I went to another computer which had the files I created (text documents containing the name and description of every LC cache) within a minute located the LC in question: http://play.terracaching.com/Cache/LC2Y
Title: "Attention All Book Worms". Category: History. Keywords: none. No wonder I couldn't find it.
All I'm saying is a simple global search of the description field would go a long way in a situation like this. Even better if we also had the option to search archived listings as well.
Thanks.
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