The Asana Forum contains a treasure trove of solutions and information about all things Asana, including much that you will not find anywhere else. This post aims to give you the keys to kingdom.
Our Fearless Forum Foreperson @Marie suggested it would be great to have a Forum Leaders tips post on how to effectively use search in the Asana Forum, so here we go!
Basic Search
Just click the magnifying glass (or shortcut key / to open the search bar to type in your keyword(s) to search for (in double quotes for an exact search), then Enter, as shown here:
Click a link (or, better yet, Cntrl/Cmd + Click to open a new tab) in the search results to see the full post in context within its thread.
If you open the search bar while you’re viewing a thread, you can search “in this topic” to limit your search solely to the posts in the current thread.
This is better than the browser’s own Find (Cmd/Ctrl+F) because it handles posts that may not currently be in the browser’s viewable cache.
Often, Basic Search is all you need, but if you’re striking out or if you want to use filters for more powerful and precise types of searches for better results, consider …
Advanced Search
For the most powerful and still easy-to-use search, click this icon:
which leads to:
and then expand the Advanced filters:
Set your desired filters as described below–all must be met–then click the Search button to see the results; repeat to tweak the filters as needed.
Looking for post/s in the last few months? Use:
Looking for post/s by a specific person? Use:
In one or more specific Categories? Use:
Want to limit your search to the thread’s initial post only (I often find this very valuable):
and note those various checkboxes for key filters such as only searching the thread title, and/or only finding posts you’ve previously liked. Also, click the down arrow for another dozen unique options.
A shorthand for each filter is automatically added to search box, so for example a search to find any of my Forum Leader Tips since the start of 2021 will automatically show:
If you prefer, you can type these in yourself as a shorthand, if you can remember the language/syntax to use.
Remember that you can choose how to sort by setting Sort by (to Latest Post, for example, as shown above).
The browser’s address bar URL can be bookmarked for reuse, and even includes your chosen sort:
https://forum.asana.com/search?q=after%3A2024-01-01%20%40lpb%20%23tips%3Atips-forumleaders%20in%3Afirst%20order%3Alatest
These tips should be all you need for general use. But since the Asana Forum is implemented with the Discourse forum software, you can learn more with generic Discourse tutorials as well.
Thanks,
Larry
As you rightly said, this Forum is a goldmine of information, and the Advanced Search can often lead you to the right solution, saving you tons of time!