Introduction
This guide will provide information about the Forum Search Tool. The Search Tool can assist with finding topics, users, categories, or tags.
The Search Bar
Select the 
icon at the top right of the forum. This will bring up the search box, as well as anything you have recently searched for.
As you are typing, various options (such as categories and tags) to filter your search will appear.
Once you are finished, press the Enter key on your keyboard. This will bring up the closet 5 topics related to your query. Clicking More… will bring up more options, and the opportunity to further filter your search.
Advanced Search
There are options to further restrict what types of topics are being searched for. You can search by categories, tags, status of a topic, whom it was posted by, and when it was posted.
To bring up this menu click on the “Advanced Filters” dropdown.
Searching by category
To search for topics in a certain category, select “Categorized” and enter the category. The categories in the forum can be found here: Navigating Our Categories
Searching by tags
Tags help organize topics based on what it’s about, such as aircraft, airports, UI, etc.
A full list of tags can be found here: https://forums.flightsimulator.com/tags and a guide on how to use them here: Forum Tags: The Hows and Whys to Tagging Wishlists and Bug Reports
Searching by a topic status
“Topic Status” refers to how the topic is set. This includes whether it’s closed, private, archived, solved, etc. Below are the options that can be filtered regarding the status.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Closed/Opened | If a topic is open for replies or not |
| Public/Private | Topics that are viewable to the public |
| Archived/Unarchived | If a topic is archived |
| Have no Replies | A topic where no one has contributed to it |
| Contain a single user | A topic where only one person has contributed to it |
| Solved/Unsolved | Topics that have a solution to them |
Searching by Posters
If you want to search if a certain user has contributed to a thread, type the username in “Posted By”.
Searching by Posted Date
You can search for posts made within a certain timeframe. Enter in the date and whether or not the forum should search for posts before or after that date.
View Image
Returning Specific Posts
The forum can give specific posts based on your type or how you have then set.
| Item | Descrption |
|---|---|
| Matching in title only | Search topics that have your query in the title. |
| I liked | Search posts/topics you liked |
| In my messages | Searches topics in your PMs |
| I read | Searches posts/topics you have read |
| I’ve not read | Topics/Posts you have not read. |
| I created | Topics/Posts you created |
| I’m Watching | Topics you have set as “Watching” |
| I’m Tracking | Topics you have set as “Tracking” |
| I bookmarked | Posts you have bookmarked |
| are the very first post | Search posts that are the first in a topic. |
| are pinned | Topics that are either pinned by category, globally, or bannered topics. |
| are wikis | Posts that are a wiki |
| Include Images | Posts that have images in them |
Post count and topic views
You can search by how many views and/ord the amount of posts in topics.
Typing Filters manually
Instead of using the buttons/options above, you can type the filters manually for more flexibility.
Categories
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
#category |
ham #discussion-hub:msfs-2024 |
Tags
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
tags:<tag> |
ham tags:hamman2118 |
Where Topics
| Item | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
status:open |
Search open topics | ham status:open |
status:closed |
Search closed topics | ham status:closed |
status:public |
Search public topics | ham :status:public |
status:archived |
Search archived topics | ham status:archived |
status:noreplies |
Search topics with no replies | ham status:noreplies |
status:single_user |
Search topics where a single user contributed to it | ham status:single_user |
status:unsolved |
Search topics with no solution. | ham status:unsolved |
status:solved |
Search topis with a solution. | ham status:solved |
Posted by
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
@gamertag |
ham @HamMan2118 |
When Posted
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
before:yyyy-mm-dd |
ham before:2022-10-03 |
Returning Specific Posts
| Item | Desription | Example |
|---|---|---|
in:title |
Search for content in a title. | ham in:title |
in:likes |
Search for posts you liked. | ham in:likes |
in:messages |
Search for content in your PMs | ham in:messages: |
in:seen |
Search for posts that you have read. | ham in:seen |
in:unseen |
Search for posts you have not read. | ham :in:unseen |
in:created |
Search for posts you made. | ham in:created |
in:watching |
Search for posts you have set as “Watching” | ham in:watching |
in:tracking |
Seacrh for posts that you have set as “Tracking” | ham in:tracking |
in:bookmarks |
Search for posts you have bookmarked | ham in:bookmarks |
in:first |
Search for posts that are the very first in a topic. | ham in:first |
in:pinned |
Search for topics that are pinned. | ham in:pinned |
in:wiki |
Search for wiki posts/topics | ham in:wiki |
with:images |
Search for posts with images in them. | ham with:images |
In closing
The search tool is very beneficial for searching for posts on the forum. It’s recommended to be used at all times before making posts.