Metin Seven 🎨Jan 22, 2024

Did you know you can easily search through your own Mastodon posts?

Just include from:me in the search field.

Instead of this, you can include in:library to show posts you have interacted with or written yourself.

If you want to search through posts of a specific user, include from:username (the full username, including the instance)

If it doesn't work, have a look at this:
https://graphics.social/@metin/111821440228692015

#mastodon #MastoTips #FediTips #tip #tips #information #knowledge #fediverse

Metin Seven 🎨 (@[email protected])

A follow-up post regarding the Mastodon search tips: If the search options don't work, the reason might be that your Mastodon instance maintainer hasn't implemented Elasticsearch. Also important: do not use capitals anywhere in the search conditions. E.g.: "From:me" doesn't work. Further reading: https://mstdn.social/@DeltaWye/111280982761530295 and https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-search-for-stuff-on-mastodon/ #mastodon #MastoTips #FediTips #tip #tips #information #knowledge #fediverse

Graphics.social
Show threadKay   

@metin This doesn't seem to work on my instance but maybe I have spaces in the wrong place?

And when you say from:me is that literally the phrasing or should I replace the me with my Mastodon name?

Jan 22, 2024 at 10:50amWeb
Show threadMetin Seven 🎨Jan 22, 2024

@Kay It's simply from:me , and there shouldn't be a space in the mentioned operators or usernames.

Here's a page where you can read more info:

https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-search-for-stuff-on-mastodon/

How do I search for stuff on Mastodon? | Fedi.Tips – An Unofficial Guide to Mastodon and the Fediverse

An unofficial guide to using Mastodon and the Fediverse

Show threadAdam HartzellJan 22, 2024
@metin Yeah @Kay this doesn't work for all of us in all instances. It all fails for me in mine too & my instance's admins said they're looking into why it doesn't work for me in mine
Show threadvalJan 22, 2024
@ModernDayBartleby @metin @Kay They need to configure full-text search: https://docs.joinmastodon.org/admin/elasticsearch/
Configuring full-text search - Mastodon documentation

Setting up Elasticsearch to search for statuses (authored, favourited, or mentioned), public indexable status, and accounts

Show threadKay   Jan 22, 2024

@val Who do you mean by "They"? The volunteer admins who run each individual instance?

I'm happy not to have too many fancy extras on Mastodon even if I'd like to be better able to search my own posts. I don't want Mastodon to turn into Twitter.

Show threadvalJan 23, 2024

@Kay Yes, the volunteer admins. The toot I replied to said the sender's admins were looking into why it doesn't work. So I linked to the documentation of what they need to do if they want to make it work, to save them time in case they didn't know.

It wasn't an injunction for these admins to do it, let alone every admin. I myself didn't enable full-text search on my instance.

Show threadNikJul 25, 2024
@val @ModernDayBartleby @metin @Kay it's about to get easier (depending on your choice of client): https://mastodon.social/@pachli/112841729532862981
Show threadKay   Jul 26, 2024
@nikclayton @val @ModernDayBartleby @metin Lack of searchability could be a feature not a bug. So far I'm in two minds about which I prefer.
Show threadNikJul 26, 2024
@Kay @val @ModernDayBartleby @metin Fortunately, Mastodon provides settings you can adjust that control whether your account or your posts appear in search results.
Show threadKay   Jan 22, 2024

@metin Thanks for the page link.

It says no spaces so would that mean
from:meSearchTerm? It seems more intuitive to put
from:me SearchTerm but that may be wrong.

Actual examples on layout help.

FWIW I'm old enough to have learnt coding by punching holes in cards. One space wrong and a programme wouldn't run.

Show threadMetin Seven 🎨Jan 23, 2024

@Kay A space is needed between an operator, such as from:me, and the search keyword(s).

For example:

from:me love

Show threadKay   Jan 23, 2024

@metin Thanks.

On further checking I see, Search Options Not Available (on this instance).

I'm fine with that. I shouldn't use shortcuts when I don't really need them 🤷

Show threadKay   Jan 23, 2024
@metin Thanks for clarifying too. I'm always relieved if the answer to something not working is because Computer Says No, rather than me being unable to follow simple instructions (which sometimes happens).
Show threadMetin Seven 🎨Jan 23, 2024
@Kay No problem, I know how uninstructive some tips can be. 🙂 And I grew up with 8-bits computers, copying pages of BASIC listings from paper magazines, only to discover that there was an error somewhere, and the program wouldn't run. 😅