Why can I not access threads from a Search?

[knucklehead42]

Happens often... I am logged in, perform a search to find help with a topic, and attempt to access threads that appear to have answers or interesting information, and all I get is a blank screen!
*IF* the search function can find it, and I have completed a login, should I not be able to read the thread?
What is happening? (And far more to the point, WHY?)

 

[Jailer]

Don't use the search box at the top right of the page. Hit the More button and use the advanced search. The quick search box at the top of the page is severely broken.

 

[knucklehead42]

Are we looking at the same forum system? You say:
Don't use the search box at the top right of the page. Hit the More button and use the advanced search.
And yet I see no "More" button, just the Search box in the Upper Right, which you say to avoid, and I believe you...
and at the top, when "Forums" is selected, a series of actions that might get what one wants, including:
"Mark Forums Read"; "Search Forums"; "Watched Forums"; etc...
Is the "Search Forums" tab the one I want? It allows for some advanced searching...

 

[Ericloewe]

and all I get is a blank screen!

Works fine for me on Firefox 58.0.2 as a mod and Edge 41.16299.248.0 as regular user. Also, I just noticed we have a new search system. Can't be worse than the last one.

And yet I see no "More" button

It appears after clicking the search bar, but it's unlikely to solve your problem.

 

[nightshade00013]

I generally just use google to search. But if you have to use the forum search and can't find what is being described here is a link.

https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?search/

 

[knucklehead42]

Works fine for me on Firefox 58.0.2 as a mod and Edge 41.16299.248.0 as regular user. Also, I just noticed we have a new search system. Can't be worse than the last one.
...
It appears after clicking the search bar, but it's unlikely to solve your problem.

I am using Google Chrome Version 65.0.3325.146 (Official Build) (64-bit) from Debian Linux 9.3...
The Win boxen in my sig are my wife's - I don't often have full access to them for working software issues or my normal browsing/solution hunting

 

[Ericloewe]

It would help narrow it down if you could try Firefox.

 

[Redcoat]

@Ericloewe, this thread https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/search-results-broken.60610/#post-438677 posts 10 onward describe my experience - it's not consistent - happened maybe 3-4 times this morning - in one case first time click had wrongly formed url, went back to results list and clicked again, correct link the second time. It's "always" the same error in the url when it occurs.

 

[Ericloewe]

@Ericloewe, this thread https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/search-results-broken.60610/#post-438677 posts 10 onward describe my experience - it's not consistent - happened maybe 3-4 times this morning - in one case first time click had wrongly formed url, went back to results list and clicked again, correct link the second time. It's "always" the same error in the url when it occurs.

But you get a real 404 page, right?

 

[Redcoat]

No, a completely blank page with the bad url on the line - I just made a test, here's an example (but I can't fix this one with the edit I mentioned that worked in some cases).

https://forums.freenas.org/posts/240426

 

[Ericloewe]

Huh... I could swear this used to cause 404s, not blank pages.

I hate intermittent issues.

 

[knucklehead42]

It would help narrow it down if you could try Firefox.

Not to be the KnuckleHead of my log-name, but why would FireFox potentially "solve" getting blank pages when clicking on a link from a search?
What does FireFox do that Chrome does not?
And, this behavior is something that happens with my machine, a Debian 9.4 Linux machine with 32GB RAM and current software - I never loaded FireFox on this machine... Must I?

 

[Ericloewe]

why would FireFox potentially "solve" getting blank pages when clicking on a link from a search?

It could be something client-side that the search functionality needs (or in this case, something that is somewhat broken). Doesn't seem to the case here, but don't be fooled into thinking of browsers as simple layout renderers. Especially Chrome, which is well on its way to becoming the successor of IE6.