Troubleshooting

There's a problem with the results:

• They won't load.
• They say, "Error accessing Google."
• They load slowly.
• Ads are missing.
• Deleted ads are still listed.
• Price and/or image settings are disabled.
• The cities are in the wrong order.
• I'm getting results from the whole country, not just within X miles.
• I have a problem that isn't listed here.

• The results won't load.

  When the results won't load at all, there are a few things to try that will usually solve the problem:

  • Make sure your browser is up to date

    First off, make sure you have the latest version of your web browser. You can download the latest versions here: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer.

    If you're not sure what version you have, there is no harm in installing the latest version. If you're already up to date it won't do anything. If you don't know which browser to pick, we suggest trying Firefox.

  • Clear your browser's cache

    Occasionally old or corrupt files can get stuck in your browser. To clear them out, just follow the instructions here for clearing your cache.

  • Clear cookies

    This one's easy - to clear all cookies from SearchTempest, just click here. However, you will lose any saved search information.

    You can test whether this will help without losing info by switching to "Private Browsing" or "Incognito" mode in your browser. If that fixes your problem, you likely need to clear cache and/or cookies.

  • Try TEMPORARILY disabling any browser extensions or add-ons.

    While modern web browsers themselves are usually pretty well built, add-ons can often contain bugs. If you use add-ons (AKA extensions), even if they seem completely unrelated to SearchTempest, try temporarily disabling them and restarting your browser. If that solves the problem, you can then enable them one by one to see which one is the culprit.

  • If you are running a third-party Firewall or other security software, check that it isn't mistakenly blocking SearchTempest.

    Many of these programs have script blockers that prevent some websites from working. The option might be called something like "javascript filter", "script filter", "script blocker", "safe script", "web filter", "web protection", etc. Try temporarily disabling this feature, restarting your browser, and running another search. If it works, you can add an exception for SearchTempest.com.

  If you've tried all those steps and things still aren't working, see here for what to do next. We're sorry for the inconvenience and will do everything we can to get it working for you ASAP!

• I get the message, "Error accessing Google."

  The Combined Results mode of SearchTempest is powered by Google. (Why?) Occasionally, there are problems on Google's end, or internet connection problems between your computer and Google's servers, which prevent our code from accessing the search results. This can happen even though the rest of the SearchTempest page loads properly.

  Usually, these problems are resolved very quickly - normally within a few minutes, occasionally around an hour. Very occasionally it may take longer for them to fix the problem. If this happens to you, we suggest temporarily switching to the Direct Results mode. Since it lets you pull up results straight from craigslist, it isn't affected by problems on Google's end.

• The results load slowly.

  Depending on the sort order you choose, the Combined Results mode of SearchTempest may require more of your browser than most websites, because it needs to open a completely separate Google Custom Search for every city searched. That can cause it to slow down, especially if you're on a slower internet connection, have an older computer, or are using a less capable browser such as Internet Explorer. You may want to try changing the sort order to "Most Recent" or "Best Match" to show all results in a single list instead. Or you could try the lightweight Direct Results mode instead, which will show you results for each city, straight from the source.

  If you want to stick with Combined Results mode sorted by city, the same steps we suggest above may be helpful, especially updating your browser and testing your add-ons and/or security software.

  It may also be that you're running low on memory. Try restarting your computer and keeping other programs and websites closed while you run a search. If that speeds it up, memory is likely the issue.

• Ads are missing from the results.

  The most likely explanation is that you've set an option such as max price or titles only, which is filtering out the result you're interested in. Or perhaps you accidentally searched in the wrong category, or chose "ALL" keywords instead of "ANY". Basically, if an ad shows up on craigslist but not through SearchTempest, you'll want to double-check that your search settings are exactly the same on both sites.

  Another possibility is your choice of sort order. See the "Sort by:" boxes on the right hand side of the results page, just above the first results. By default, the first box is set to "Distance" and the second to "Most Recent". That separates your results by city, with the nearest first, and within each city it gives you the newest results first. If you're not seeing any new results, it's possible you have a different sort order set, so the new results are buried farther down.

  The next likely culprit is your choice of results mode. The Combined Results mode is powered by Google (why?), which is great for doing a quick check over a large area, but will occasionally miss results. Google's index is very accurate, but it isn't perfect, especially for brand new ads. Also, for some reason very general searches can sometimes miss results. (For example, a search for "1966 Ford Mustang" will probably catch everything, but a search for "Ford" will probably miss some.) So it's a good idea to be specific when possible.

  On the other hand, the Direct Results mode gives you results straight from craigslist, so it will have every single craigslist result, exactly as if you'd searched craigslist directly.

  Basically, the Combined Results mode should be good most of the time, but to be 100% sure you get every single ad, you will want to use the Direct Results mode instead. (Or, if you run the same search a lot, try our RSS Feeds tool.) If you still believe you've found a problem, feel free to send us an email with a link to your SearchTempest results page and the exact title and category of the ad that should show up but doesn't.

• Deleted ads are still listed.

  Our Combined Results mode is powered by Google. (Why?) Google's index finds new pages very quickly, but it has no way of knowing immediately when a page it's found in the past is no longer there. So if a craigslist ad gets deleted, for a while Google will still think it's there with its original contents, and so it will still show up in our listings.

  For some searches these deleted ads rarely show up. For others, they're everywhere. If they are a problem for your search, you have a few options:

  • You could use our Direct Results mode. With Direct Results, you can access the results straight from craigslist, in a separate window. That way you see exactly what you would by searching directly, with no deleted or flagged postings.

  • If you run the same search often, you could use our RSS Feeds tool, which will give you the new results for your search, without having to go through ones you've already seen (or ones that have been deleted!)

  • You could try filtering out older results, by using the "Within last # days" option, just above the first city's results, on the right. By removing the older posts, you should get rid of most of the deleted ones as well.

• Price and/or image settings are disabled.

  Our Combined Results mode is now powered by Google (why?), which unfortunately does not support price or image filters. For the same reason, we can't show prices in the search results. To use these options, you have two choices:

  • Use the Direct Results mode by clicking the Direct Results link on the results page. That will let you access your results straight from craigslist (instead of via Google), in a separate window. Price limits and the "has pictures" option work there, and you can even turn on preview images (aka thumbnails). It just takes a bit longer to go through the cities.

  • If you run the same search often, you could use our RSS Feeds tool. The RSS feeds come straight from craigslist, so they support all the craigslist options. They also give you a convenient feed of new results, without having to go through ones you've already seen.

• The cities are in the wrong order.

  First off, check the sort order you've chosen. In the Combined Results mode the sort dropdown controls should be just above the first results. In the Direct Results mode, it will be in the index window on the left.

  If your sort setting is right but the order still seems wrong, there might be a problem with our database for your zip/postal code. Please send us your address with zip code and the exact name of the craigslist city or cities that appear out of place. We'll try to get it fixed ASAP. If you could paste the URL of your results page (ie. "http://www.searchtempest.com/results.php?...") into the email, that would help too.

• I'm getting results from the whole country, not just within X miles.

  This can happen in the Combined Results mode, when the sort order is set to "Most Recent" or "Best Match" (so that all the results show up in one list, instead of separated by city). If an entire category (like "all sale/wanted") is being searched, as opposed to a specific subcategory (like "cars and trucks" or "electronics"), and the search radius is large, the total number of sites to search can be too many for Google to handle.

  If you don't want results from the entire country, you can either pick a specific subcategory to search, or reduce your search radius. Any radius that returns less than about 200 cities should work.

  Alternatively, you could change the sort order to distance, state, or city size, which will show the results sorted by city instead of all in one list.

Direct Results mode:

• The "Open Results Windows" button doesn't work on my phone/tablet.
• The Direct Results windows won't open.
• I can't move to the next page inside a city.
• I have a problem that isn't listed here.

• The "Open Results Windows" button doesn't work on my phone/tablet.

  The Direct Results mode needs to open two new windows on the same screen. Most phones and tablets will only show one browser window at a time, so this doesn't work.

  In most cases, the best option is probably to use one of the other results modes when browsing on your phone/tablet. However, we do provide a fallback option. Just below the "Open Results Windows" button in the Direct Results mode, there is a list of links to your search results for each city. Just click each city to view its results for your search. It takes a bit longer, but the results are the same.

• The Direct Results windows won't open

  To open the Direct Results windows, you may have to configure your browser to allow popups from SearchTempest. You should be prompted to allow them automatically, but if not, you can click here for instructions on how to do it.

  Also, make sure the windows aren't just hidden behind other windows you have open. Especially if you've used the Direct Results mode before, one of the windows might have been left open and hidden behind your main browser window.

• I can't move to the next page inside a city in the Direct Results mode.

  craigslist can only handle a URL of up to about 220 characters. (That includes the city name, keywords, and any other parameters, such as price.) In useful terms, that means you have a maximum of between 12-20 keywords, depending on how long they are and how many other options you add. If you have more than that, parts of the search will be cut off. Since page number is added at the end, it is the first thing to be ignored by craigslist if the URL is too long. Try reducing the number and/or length of keywords in your search.

  This limitation is on craigslist's end, so unfortunately there's nothing we can do here, or you can change on your end, to get around it. You could try one of the other results modes, which are powered by Google, but Google also limits the number of keywords you can use so you'll probably still have to remove some of your search terms.

Other problems:

• SearchTempest always forgets my search parameters, so I have to enter them again.
• I have a problem that isn't listed here.

• SearchTempest always forgets my search parameters, so I have to enter them again.

  SearchTempest should remember all your settings. To do this, it uses files called "cookies" to remember who you are. If this isn't happening, you may have disabled cookies. Learn how to turn them back on. Or, you may also be browsing in "private" or "incognito" mode, which prevent websites from storing your info.

• I have a problem that isn't listed here.

  First, please make sure that none of the points above applies to your problem. Be sure to try these general troubleshooting steps.

  If none of that works, take a look at our help forum. There's lots of useful info there already, and more being added every day. If you don't find your answer there, you can post your question or send us an email. (A forum post will generally get the fastest response, but we tend to reply to both pretty quickly.) Before you do that though, this post lists the info we need to solve your problem. The more of it you can include in your message, the faster and more easily we will be able to help you!

Other Questions

• What happened to the results page?!
• How are you related to craigslist?
• Can you remove cities with no results from the Direct Results list?
• Can you email me when there are new results for my search?
• How can I get more results for my searches?
• Why can I only have 32 keywords?
• How do I turn the preview images in Direct Results mode on and off?
• Can I choose which cities or states (or countries) to search, instead of searching around a zip code?
• Where did the "Include eBay/Amazon" options from the search form go?
• I have a different question.

• What happened to the results page?!

  May 2012:

  • craigslist recently made a change that broke how we were showing the Combined Results mode (previously the Separate Cities and All Cities Together modes.) Specifically, they prevented their pages from being opened in "frames", which are basically smaller windows shown within a larger page.
  • We've switched to showing results powered by a Google Custom Search.
  • Basically we take your zip code and the distance and category you choose to search, and use that info to tell Google what web pages it should look at. Then we send it your search keywords, and it passes back results, which we display for you. You could get similar results by searching Google directly, but of course you couldn't narrow it down to the region or category you're interested in, or set how the results should be sorted.
  • This does have a couple downsides: price limits and the "has pictures" option are no longer supported, and there is a slight delay (usually a few minutes) before new ads are found or deleted/flagged ones are removed.
  • To avoid these issues, you could try the Direct Results mode by clicking the Direct Results link on the results page. It will give you results straight from craigslist, just a bit differently than before. Or, if you run the same search often, you could try our RSS Feeds tool.

  For more details, please see these two blog posts:
  http://www.tempestblog.com/2012/05/19/recent-changes/
  http://www.tempestblog.com/2012/08/27/searchtempest-update/

• How are you related to craigslist?

  We're not! We are an independent site with absolutely NO affiliation with or endorsement by craigslist (which is a registered trademark of craigslist, Inc.) Basically we just act as a search engine, helping you find their pages (and others) more easily.

• Can you remove cities with no results from the Direct Results list?

  The thing about the Direct Results mode is that the results go straight from craigslist to you. They are loaded in a new window where our code can't see them at all.

  This means that you get exactly what you would find by searching each craigslist city individually. However, it also means we have no way to tell whether a given city has results or not, so we can't remove the ones that don't.

  We will keep this request in mind though, in case circumstances change!

• Can you email me when there are new results for my search?

  Not exactly. However, you can set up RSS feeds, which will give you the same benefit and actually work much better than email for that kind of thing. We've written detailed instructions, so it should be a piece of cake to set up, even if you've never used RSS feeds before. Learn more about our RSS Feeds tool.

• How can I get more results for my searches?

  In some cases, how many results you get for your search will depend on which results mode and sort order you choose, even if all your search parameters are the same. The Combined Results mode supports a maximum of 100 results for each city. However, if you set your main sort order to "Most Recent" or "Best Match", all results will be shown in a single list instead of separated by city. In that case, a maximum of 100 results total will be returned.

  Also, the Combined Results mode is powered by Google, which does best with specific searches and multiple keywords. For example, a search for "Singer 9960 Quantum sewing machine" will probably catch all the results, but a search for "sewing machine" might miss some. So when using this mode, it's best to be as specific as possible. Another excellent way to make your searches more specific is to choose a subcategory. If you're searching for a guitar, for example, it's always better to search in the "musical instruments" subcategory than in "all sale/wanted".

  If you want to be 100% sure you're getting every result from craigslist, you could use the Direct Results mode instead. (Click the Direct Results link on the results page.) Or, if you run the same searches often, you could try our RSS Feeds tool. Click here to learn more.

  If the results aren't working at all, please see the troubleshooting section here.

• Why can I only have 32 keywords?

  The Combined Results mode at SearchTempest is powered by Google, which supports a maximum of 32 keywords per search. (A couple of these may be used for extra settings like "dogs allowed" or "telecommuting", so you may hit the limit with a few less than 32.)

  The Direct Results mode gives you results straight from craigslist, so doesn't have this restriction. However, craigslist only supports search URLs of up to 220 characters or so, which has the same effect.

  Short answer: unfortunately you will need to cut down the number of keywords you're using, perhaps by splitting your search into separate chunks.

• How do I turn the preview images in Direct Results mode on and off?

  These image previews are actually a new feature from craigslist, not SearchTempest, so you need to toggle them inside the craigslist window. Do so by clicking the [Show Images] (or [Hide Images]) link at the very top of the craigslist city that appears after you click the "Open Results Windows" button.

• Can I choose which cities or states (or countries) to search, instead of searching around a zip code?

  Of course! To choose individual states or cities instead of searching by zip code, click the "Search by US state or region" link near the bottom-left of the homepage. Or to search other countries, click "Search worldwide".

  Once you're in that mode, you can choose states or cities by clicking on them and pressing the add arrow, or by double-clicking their names. You can also choose preset groups of states or countries from a dropdown box.

• Where did the "Include eBay/Amazon" options from the search form go?

  We moved the "Include eBay/Amazon" options to the "Preferences" panel, which can be accessed from the results page: just above the results, on the right. We moved them there because we realized that those were preferences that people would probably only change once or twice, not for every search.

  Plus, we wanted to add cool new features like being able to control the amount of results you get from eBay!

• I have a different question.

  For less-frequently asked questions, please check out our forums. If you don't find your answer there, you can post your question or send us an email. If you have a specific problem rather than a general question though, please see the troubleshooting section above first.

Info & Tips

• SearchTempest Results Modes
• RSS Feeds
• Keywords
• Other tips

• SearchTempest Results Modes

  SearchTempest gives you two main ways to view your results. You can switch between these results modes using the links near the top of the results page, below the search bar. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you may want to try both to see which is best for your searches.

  Here's some more info about the modes:

  • Combined Results

    This is the default search mode. If you have changed to the Direct Results mode, you can change back to Combined Results by clicking the Combined Results link on the results page, below the search bar and above the first results.

    Due to a recent change by craigslist, the Combined Results mode is now powered by Google. Depending on the sort order you choose, it may have to pull up a separate Google Custom Search for each city, which can sometimes take a while, especially on slower internet connections or with older browsers. See here for tips on speeding it up, or here for other help.

    With Combined Results, you have several options for sorting or filtering your results. By default, the results are sorted by city, with the cities closest to you showing up first. Cities that don't have results for your search are hidden. If you want, you can change the sort order to group cities by state, or to sort them by size. You can also choose to return all the results in one list, sorted by Most Recent or Best Match, instead of by city.

    See here for tips on getting the best results with this mode.

  • Direct Results

    Switch to the Direct Results mode by clicking the Direct Results link on the results page, below the search bar and above the first results.

    The Direct Results mode lets you view results directly at craigslist. This has several advantages:

    • New results appear immediately as they are posted to craigslist. There are never delays or missing results.
    • Deleted or flagged ads are also removed immediately.
    • All craigslist options are supported, including price limits and "has pictures".
    • You can show preview images in the results list.

    Since craigslist no longer allows their pages to be framed, the Direct Results mode works by opening two new windows. A small window from SearchTempest gives you controls to switch between cities and to set options like sort order. A larger window holds the results from craigslist for the city you select in the first window. There are Previous/Next buttons to go through the cities fairly quickly, but it still obviously takes a bit longer than the other results modes.

    Note that the contents of the craigslist results window go directly from craigslist to your browser. We have no affiliation with craigslist, so we have no way to control the contents of that window besides sending it the search query you've entered. That includes removing cities with no results.

    Having difficulties with the Direct Results mode? Click here.

• RSS Feeds

  If you find yourself running the same search repeatedly, you might want to automate the process with our RSS Feeds tool. After a couple minutes' setup, all you have to do is open Google Reader and you'll get the new results for your search. You can view them city by city, or all in one big list. And because the feeds come straight from craigslist to the RSS reader, they support all the advanced options like price limits and 'has pictures'.

  We've written detailed instructions, so even if you've never used RSS before, it should be straightforward to set up. Just run your search on SearchTempest as usual, then click the orange "Feeds For This Search" button at the top-right of the results page. If you have any problems, you can post in the help forum, or even send us an email.

• Advanced Keywords

  You can search for ads with ALL or ANY of your keywords, or a complete phrase, using the buttons provided below the keywords box.

  To NOT show ads with certain words, put dashes before them, like this:

  BMW Z4 -automatic

  You can also write more advanced searches, as shown below. (Make sure the "All/Advanced" option is checked.)

  • Search for single words and phrases together:

    "fire engine" red toy

  • Search for any one of several words ("OR" searches). Put pipes|between|terms in OR searches. AND terms are separated by spaces. Ex. to search for a beige refrigerator:

    refridgerator|refrigerator|fridge cream|beige

    Note: The pipe character "|" can be typed by pressing Shift + backslash ("\").
  • Of course, you can still include negative keywords or key-phrases:

    refridgerator|refrigerator|fridge white|cream|beige -broken -"not working"

  • Even fancier searches:

    It's possible to make even more creative searches, but exactly how to do so depends on which Results Mode you're using.

    The Combined Results mode is powered by Google, so supports all of Google's advanced search operators, including wildcards, range, and phrases in OR searches. For example:

    "Aston Martin"|Maserati 1995..2000

    if you're looking for a late '90s supercar.

    The Direct Results mode and the RSS Feeds are powered by craigslist. Craigslist doesn't support quoted phrases in OR searches, nor numeric ranges. However, it does allow grouping of search terms with parentheses, which Google doesn't. So if you were doing the above search in Direct Results mode, it would look like this:

    (Aston Martin)|Maserati 1995|1996|1997|1998|1999|2000

• Other Tips:

  • Try out the results options

    SearchTempest has two different results modes, as well as several options for sorting results, each with advantages and disadvantages. You may want to try them all to see which works best for you.

  • Save searches or ads for later

    Your most recent choices will always be remembered for next time. To save multiple searches, you have a couple options.

    As long as you stay on the same computer and don't clear your browser files, you can pull up your recent searches using the Your Searches button at the top-right of SearchTempest. That button also allows you to set favorite searches, which will be available even if you haven't looked at them in a while.

    To make sure a search is kept forever though, just bookmark the results pages in your browser. When you open the bookmark, the latest results for that search will be shown.

    If you want to save a particular ad you've clicked on, make sure you get the link for the ad itself, not the link to the whole SearchTempest results page. The easiest way to do that is to middle-click (Cmd+Click on Macs) on the ad link to open it in a new browser tab.

  • Use the forums

    If there's anything you're still wondering, or something you'd like to see improved, please visit our forums. There's a lot of good info there, and we read and respond to new posts regularly.

    If you're really interested in what goes on here, you might want to check out our development blog and Facebook page too!