Literal string search is destroyed by filtered short words

Question

Example:

• c# +reflection +"create array" yields 0 results.
• c# +reflection +"create an array" yields 24 results.
• c# +reflection +"create and array" yields the same 24 results.
• c# +reflection +"create or array" yields the same 24 results as well.

Such ignored words cleary break the phrase search (also visible in the highlighting).

Also can someone explain how adding title: results in no results?

• c# +reflection +title:"create an array" should at least turn up How to create an array of enums.

Answer 1

Update: as part of the latest search changes, phrase searches are now exact matches, and you no longer need the + sign as we're an AND search by default now. Here are the updated searches from your question:

• c# reflection "create array" yields 4 results.
• c# reflection "create an array" yields 22 results.
• c# reflection "create and array" yields 0 results.
• c# reflection "create or array" yields 0 results.

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title: searches only questions (we say this in the help here: https://stackoverflow.com/search), that's why your last example doesn't return that result..."reflection" isn't in the question. If you think it should behave differently, throw up a feature-request, we'll be taking a hard look at search very soon.

As for the others, we can take a look, stop words are a very difficult problem. I can't make any promises there but we'll see what we can do.