What is / is not indexed by confluence search engine?

Question

I noticed that if I add code into a box on a page using the {code} syntax, that the text within the box is not found by the search engine. Is this the intended behavior? I only wanted to use the {code} box to format the text using a fixed-width font. I did not intend for it to be hidden from the search engine.

What macros do / do not hide the text within from the search engine?

pewterhacker · Answer

Thanks for your input. I'd like to keep this question open in hopes that someone will still provide a clear answer to my question.

In the meantime, I'm going to define some reasonable expectations...

1) If Confluence search ignores all symbols, including hyphens and underscores, when the search string is enclosed in quotes, then Confluence should be treating this as a high priority bug. Search behavior needs to be well defined and documented. The search engine must fully comply with the defined behavior.

2) If a search result is negative, then that result must be proof-positive that the search string does not exist anywhere. For example, a search for "#%&@Embarrassing_Photo" that produces no results must be concrete proof that "#%&@Embarrassing_Photo" does not exist on the file system (and will not be found by someone else).

Jonathan Smith · Answer

Hi @pewterhacker ,

Based on this article https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/confluence-search-syntax-158720.html special characters don't play nice with Confluence search.

Phrases with special characters

Confluence ignores all symbols, such as hyphens or underscores, even if they are included within double quotes.

Avoid using special characters, such as hyphens, in page or attachment names as they may not be found by Confluence search.

- Jonathan