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Search Engine Options

Since v.1.1

When configuring String type fields, in the "Other" section of the configuration modal it is possible set how these fields will be treated for search purposes. This configuration is done via the "Search Engine" option. The possible options are:

  • Global Search Only: it will not be possible to search directly on this field, but its content will only be searchable via global full-text search.
  • Global and Field Search: it will be possible to search for this field both via global full-text search and with targeted searches on this field.
  • Not indexed: this field will not feed the search engine, and therefore will not influence searches.

When you select "Global and Field Search" you can choose between two further options:

  • Exact Search: for example, in the case of product codes or other types of codes, you want to search for a value with an exact match. Suitable for short strings that you want to treat as identifiers.
  • Full-text: the field will be considered as a series of words, and it will be possible to search for all the words present. Suitable for texts.

Impacts on Research​

Using the Connector's filters option, here's how to search for content:

  • if the field is configured as "Global Search Only", the only way to search for it will be via the text virtual field (or text_lang in the case of multilingual fields):
{
filters: {
text: 'nevertheless'
}
}
  • if the field is configured with "Global and Field Search", it is possible to use, in addition to text, also the field name for targeted searches:
{
filters: {
name: 'word'
}
}
  • in the last case ("Not Indexed"), there is no way to search for words that appear in that field.

Which Option Should I Choose?​

Below is a series of useful considerations when making this type of choice.

If a text field contains information that is not useful for search purposes, the "Not Indexed" option is recommended, in order to reduce the size of the Solr index and reduce "noise" in searches, i.e. unuseful results. If you expect that the contents of the text field will be searched by users with a global search, without explicitly searching in this field, then "Global Search Only" is the option to choose. Finally, there are cases in which the application must present an exact search. A typical case is that of codes (e.g. Product code, Order code, etc.). In this case, a field for the exact search typically appears in the frontend. In this case, it is best to choose "Global and Field Search" with the "Exact Search" option. In this way it is possible to pass, via direct calls to the API or via Javascript connector, an exact search fieldname = value. Finally, there remains the case in which you want a full-text search on the specific field. Imagine, for example, that the field corresponds to the plot of the films. If your application wants to allow users to search only in the plot (excluding other fields, such as movie titles), then the combination to choose is "Global and Field Search" with the "Full-text" option.

The final advice is to use the "Global and Field Search" option only when strictly necessary, as it increases the size of the Solr index which is limited to a total of 1000 fields by adding all the fields of the application.

Please remember that if these options change, it is necessary to re-index all content of the type in question. Contact Reply for assistance with this type of operation, especially if the system is already in production.