[New-bugs-announce] [issue6023] Search does not intelligently handle module.function queries on docs.python.org

[Jonathan Hayward]

New submission from Jonathan Hayward <jonathan.hayward at pobox.com>:

The search function on docs.python.org does not intelligently search the
library for a query in the form "module.function". For instance, in
searching for information on (say) socket.bind(), neither a search query
of "socket.bind()" nor "socket.bind" finds any results. I need to search
for "socket bind" / "bind socket" to get results (or possibly "socket"
or "bind" alone to get a larger number of less focused results.) This is
particularly interesting as the page I am interested in contains the
string "socket.bind" and in fact the snippet that appears on the search
result page for the #1 match is: "...onnection, and *address* is the
address bound to the socket on the other end of the connection. ..
method:: socket.bind(address) Bind the socket to *address*. The socket
must not already be bound. (The format of *address* depen..."

It would be nice if searches for module.function, module.CONSTANT,
module.object, module.object.function, etc. would work for search terms
as objects are named in the API.

(A much easier, if imperfect approximation, would be to treat \W as
breaking words as spaces are treated now, so that e.g. periods in
queries would be internally treated as spaces and a search for
"socket.bind" would be treated as "socket bind" and possibly get
surprisingly good results; see
http://docs.python.org/search.html?q=socket+bind .)

Jonathan
http://JonathansCorner.com/

----------
assignee: georg.brandl
components: Documentation
messages: 87755
nosy: JonathansCorner.com, georg.brandl
severity: normal
status: open
title: Search does not intelligently handle module.function queries on docs.python.org

_______________________________________
Python tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<http://bugs.python.org/issue6023>
_______________________________________