Search Phrases, Authors, and Dates in QCLF
QCLF Search supports quoted phrases, normal search terms, author matching, and inclusive From/To calendar dates. Date input is interpreted in the current user’s Joomla timezone and converted to UTC for database comparison.
These controls work together with the rest of the advanced filters and remain permission-aware.
Use Quoted Phrases and Terms
Wrap words in quotation marks to keep them together as one search term—for example "scheduled task". Unquoted whitespace separates terms. QCLF accepts up to eight parsed terms, trims each to 80 characters, and limits the overall query to 200 characters.
Multiple parsed terms are ANDed at the result level: each term must match at least one searchable field for that Topic/Message result.
Search by Author
The Author filter performs a substring match against the Joomla user display name, Joomla username, or stored guest name for the Topic/Message author. It is limited to 100 input characters.
Author filtering applies independently to Topic results and Message results using the author of that specific content row.
Use From and To Dates
From/To accept YYYY-MM-DD. QCLF interprets the From date at 00:00:00 and the To date at 23:59:59 in the current Joomla/user timezone, then converts those boundaries to UTC.
For Topic results, dates compare against Topic creation time. For Message results, archived live Messages use original_live_at when present; otherwise QCLF uses reply creation time.
Understand Text Ranking
| Match | Relative rank contribution |
|---|---|
| Topic title match | Weight 8 |
| Topic/Message body match | Weight 5 |
| Author match | Weight 3 |
| Category title match | Weight 2 |
| Section title match | Weight 1 |
Apply and Clear Predictably
Search results are ordered by total match rank, then result time descending, then result ID descending. Apply Search keeps the current fields; Clear returns to the clean Search route with no current query/filter parameters.
Community Discussion
Want to compare forum workflows, share practical QCLF tips, or discuss how other Joomla site owners use this feature? Visit the QC Live Forum Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific entitlement problems, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.