# 高级搜索在“仅返回主题/帖子”和“在我的消息中”出现意外结果 **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature\ **Created:** [2019年三月31日 09:58 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-results-in-advanced-search-on-only-return-topics-posts-and-in-my-messages/113046 "2019-03-31T09:58:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/97f17d/32.png) [@filz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/filz)\ **Post date:** [2019年三月31日 09:58 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-results-in-advanced-search-on-only-return-topics-posts-and-in-my-messages/113046/1 "2019-03-31T09:58:49Z")
As a new user of discourse I expect the search results of “In my messages” to be a subset of the default search. Instead, messages are not found when “In my messages” is not activated. I think we should change the presentation or the behaviour to match the expectations. I guess the main problem is the mix between the definition of the searched set (topics/messages) and the applied search filters. An alternative behaviour is already mentioned in [Searching public topics and PMs simultaneously and set this option as the default](https://meta.discourse.org/t/search-both-public-topics-and-pms-by-default/71017). An alternative presentation could be to split “In my messages” from “Only return topics/posts…” to a separate drop-down list: - Where messages are \*\* excluded \*\* included \*\* searched exclusively ---
**Author:** ![sam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sam/32/102149_2.png) [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)\ **Post date:** [2019年四月1日 01:42 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-results-in-advanced-search-on-only-return-topics-posts-and-in-my-messages/113046/2 "2019-04-01T01:42:52Z")
I am not sure about this, mixing up private and public info can cause incredible amount of confusion and fear. ---
**Author:** ![Stephen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/stephen/32/95011_2.png) [@Stephen](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Stephen)\ **Post date:** [2019年四月1日 02:14 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-results-in-advanced-search-on-only-return-topics-posts-and-in-my-messages/113046/3 "2019-04-01T02:14:10Z")
Especially when it’s a change. I’m occasionally sent screenshots of searches as part of queries. Including PMs in results by default there would be fairly problematic. ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/codinghorror/32/110067_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [2019年四月1日 04:43 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-results-in-advanced-search-on-only-return-topics-posts-and-in-my-messages/113046/4 "2019-04-01T04:43:19Z")
This is… not a good idea. Searching PMs should always be explicit. ---
**Author:** ![filz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/97f17d/32.png) [@filz](https://meta.discourse.org/u/filz)\ **Post date:** [2019年四月1日 15:51 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-results-in-advanced-search-on-only-return-topics-posts-and-in-my-messages/113046/5 "2019-04-01T15:51:22Z")
Thanks for your feedback 🙂 > [@codinghorror](#): > > Searching PMs should always be explicit. Yes, and not searching them is a good default, but the current presentation of the search options suggests something else to me (and maybe to other new users as well) . I’m proposing that not searching the PMs should be visible explicitly. When the option “Only return topics/posts… In my messages” is activated, everything is fine. But does not activating mean the opposite? What is the opposite of “Only return topics/posts… In my messages”? Obviously it is “Not only return topics/posts… In my messages”. But does that mean “return topics/posts including my messages”? That is what I expected. Maybe I just get it wrong 😊 ![search_private_messages](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/4/c/4c9911e363d421360b2227de2b756722aba2a441.png) ---
**Author:** ![sam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sam/32/102149_2.png) [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)\ **Post date:** [2019年四月2日 00:37 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/unexpected-results-in-advanced-search-on-only-return-topics-posts-and-in-my-messages/113046/6 "2019-04-02T00:37:08Z")
I understand the request here and agree that the sentence is far from ideal English: > Only return topics/posts in my messages That said I worry that the sledgehammer combo box splitting between PM search on vs PM search off will cause confusion. “Where private messages are included” is not on the table. Only 2 options we support are: 1. Search my private messages 2. Search things that are not private messages.