PQs based on area with >500 results

[+ceeG]

I just tried creating a PQ based on country "New Zealand" with the criteria "updated within the last 7 days". That gave me, surprise surprise, 500 results. So I narrowed it down a bit by searching within the region "North Island", and again got 500 hits.

 

The results for the first search were evenly spread over the whole country, so presumably there are a couple of hundred North Island results that didn't get included in the first search because it hit the 500 limit.

 

What's the logic that decides what gets included when an area-based search returns more than 500 hits ?

 

(and what are the chances of getting the "updated within the last 7 days" option supplemented with a "... 3 days ..." option, or even GASP! a dropdown to choose how many days ?)

 

Thanks

Gary

[+Cache O'Plenty]

I was told once that the search spirals out from GZ until it hits 500. I don't know if that's clockwise or not. Nor where it starts (ie. North). I always wondered if you'd get the same result with two subsequent queries or would a few different ones show up near the 500 point.

 

The 3-day update would get you a wider circle of coverage. Good luck with that. But, if you don't ask, you don't get!

[+ceeG]

The three day update would only give a wider circle of coverage if it hit the 500 limit before it ran out of places to spiral out to (remember I'm searching within an area).

 

Somewhere along the timeline there has to be a point at which searching within a region will return less than 500 queries - even if it's just "updated in the last day, hence the request for a dropdown )

 

Cheers

Gary

[+Lil Devil]

The problem, IMO, is that "updated" means a log was made on the cache

 

It used to work properly, only returning caches where the description or coords were updated, but somewhere along the lines, TPTB decided to add logs to the update criteria. It's been useless ever since.

[+pppingme]

The problem, IMO, is that "updated" means a log was made on the cache

 

It used to work properly, only returning caches where the description or coords were updated, but somewhere along the lines, TPTB decided to add logs to the update criteria. It's been useless ever since.

Oh no, I prefer the current behavior and would not want a change to it.

 

Any change could very well mean a DNF logged against it (and thus the possibility of it missing). If it only pulled changes to the page itself, then I would miss DNF (and other) logs.

[+ceeG]

Totally agree with you Potato Finder. Updates that tell you whether people have been able to find a cache or not are A Good Thing.

 

Gary

[+Markwell]

AFAIK, it's not a spiral, but a true distance.

 

If it's a center point PQ, it starts at the center and moves outward, stopping when it hits 500 caches.

 

If it's a geographical or political boundary (state, province, country) it will start with the oldest caches and stop when it hits 500.

 

Routes - it's anybody's guess.

[+Raine]

Routes - it's anybody's guess.

 

Muahahahaha

[+ceeG]

If it's a geographical or political boundary (state, province, country) it will start with the oldest caches and stop when it hits 500.

 

So a search within a region that has returned 500 hits will probably not have any newer caches in it ?

 

That's handy to know !

 

Thanks

Gary

[+Markwell]

Easily shown:

 

Criteria for a pocket query of all of the caches in Illinois. The results show 500 caches, and the first on the list is Beverly, placed 13 May 2000. Go to the last page, and the last caches are placed 26 Sep 2003. No caches placed later than Sep 27 2003 would show up in this search.