Hello everyone,
Over the past few weeks, we have thoroughly overhauled how Grottocenter powers its search engine. While most of these changes happen behind the scenes, they will have a tangible impact on your daily experience as a contributor or user. Here is what’s changing for you:
Your edits appear in search results within a minute
Previously, some changes would only appear in search results after the full weekly update on Mondays—meaning a wait of up to a week. Now, every edit is processed and reflected in about a minute.
This also applies to the indirect effects of an edit—changes that were often overlooked in the past:
- If you rename a cave, its entries will display the new name.
- If you modify the boundary of a massif (mountain range/area), the entries located within or outside that area are updated accordingly.
- If you change your username, it is updated everywhere you are listed as an author.
- If you add a rated comment, the entry’s average rating is updated.
- If you link a document to an entry, cave, or massif, that link will appear in search results.
- Regions and municipalities that are automatically populated when an entry is created will also appear.
Only the data quality indicator continues to be updated once a day, overnight.
More accurate search results
- The correct name: An entry, cave, or massif will always appear under its primary name, rather than the first name ever recorded.
- No more "ghosts": Deleted caves, massifs, and names no longer appear in search results. If one record has been merged into another, only the surviving (retained) record will be displayed.
- Complete document records: Document entries now correctly display their linked records, publication dates, and languages. - A document awaiting validation remains visible. If a document is modified, its last validated version stays in the search results until the new version is validated.
Monthly verification, with no downtime
The full weekly update (previously held on Mondays) has been replaced by a monthly verification process. Once a month, Grottocenter ensures that the search index is perfectly synchronized with the database. This catches rare cases that aren't triggered by individual edits—such as updates to reference lists (e.g., countries or topics). This verification takes place without any interruption to the search function and carries no risk of overwriting changes made at the same time.
If anything seems unusual in your search results, please let us know—every piece of feedback helps.
Thank you to everyone who contributes to keeping Grottocenter alive and thriving every single day.
The Grottocenter Team
