Difference between revisions of "Searching With ActionApps"
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== Setting up a Search Form == | == Setting up a Search Form == | ||
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== Designing Search Results == | == Designing Search Results == | ||
<aafaq id=2052> ~ToDo: 2052 Designing nice search results </aafaq> | <aafaq id=2052> ~ToDo: 2052 Designing nice search results </aafaq> | ||
Revision as of 23:35, 14 March 2006
Contents
How does ActionApps search work
~ToDo: write a general intro into ActionApps search approach
Setting up a Search Form
Origin: ~ToDo: 1769 How to setup searchform?
Designing Search Results
Designing nice search results
On you index view...
Include _#ID_COUNT (number of found items) in the Top HTML and _#ITEMINDX (index of item within view) in front of each result item.
Also make sure the HTML code for "No item found" message says something that makes sense for the search type. Use the notshowall=1 [exact code] so blank searches show all items. Include multiple useful sorting options.
Advanced Search Form Topics
Searchform extensions
How to search in multiple slices
The searchform may be extended to seach for items in several slices at once. This is done by adding the slices[] parameter, e.g.<input type=hidden name="slices[0]" value="517d65d9936c98a1537a5fecbddc7d42"> <!-- news -->
<input type=hidden name="slices[1]" value="849d65d9936c98a1537a5fecbddc7d52"> <!-- events -->
The comments <!-- news --> are useful because you perhaps don't remember, which slice has which id (value="slice_id").
All other settings remain the same as in the usual searchform. The only difficulty is that sometimes the field ids do exist in some slice and do not exist in another one. Than you must rename the fields (menu Slice Admin --- Change field IDs).
To view the items found, you must set the same aliases (Searchform extensions etc.) in all the slices searched through. Each item will be shown using the aliases of the slice to which it belongs.
Tip: If you want to show checkboxes to choose in which slices to search, use something like
<input type=checkbox name="slices[0]" value="517d65d9936c98a1537a5fecbddc7d42" checked> News
<input type=checkbox name="slices[1]" value="849d65d9936c98a1537a5fecbddc7d52" checked> Events
How to search in discussion items
The discussions are not stored in the same database tables as other item content. You may use the conds[discussion][] parameters, e.g.
<input type=hidden name="conds[0][discussion][subject]" value="1">
<input type=hidden name="conds[0][discussion][body]" value="1">
Specify the discussion fields in which to search: you may use this fields --- date, subject, author, e_mail, body, state, flag, url_address,
url_description, remote_addr, free1 or free2. The other fields (conds[0][operator], conds[0][value] etc.) remain the same as usual.
To view the discussion items found include aa/discussion.php3 by SSI. You must pass a view ID of some discussion view to the script, e.g. when the view ID is 22:
<!--#include virtual="/aa/discussion.php3?vid=22"-->
The top HTML code, index view code and bottom HTML code are used to create a listing of the items found, nothing other.
How to use hierarchical constants in searchform
To show hierarchical constants like in the AA control panel Edit item, use the aa/hiercons.php3 script. You must send the following to the script:
- param --- consists of the constant group name and the parameters like in the Input type "Hierarchical constants" to it --- see the Wizard with Help for more parameter details
- varname --- the name of the select box, e.g. conds[1][value]. Note: the real select box in the page will have [] added to the name, i.e. conds[1][value][]
- optionally lang_file --- the language file to be used, defaults to en_news_lang.php3
The SSI include for a hierarchical constant group "Keywords" may look like
<!--#include virtual="/aa/hiercons.php3?varname=conds[1][value]¶m=Keywords:3:60:5:0:1&lang_file=cz_news_lang.php3"-->
Warning: constants in the multiple select box must be selected, otherwise they are not send to the server. Do this by JavaScript.
One benefit: fillform.php3 knows how to refill multiple select boxes as well.
The keywords selected by the user will be joined by OR or AND, that means any keyword or all keywords must be present in an item. You must specify the operator by conds[1][valuejoin], e.g.
<input type=hidden name="conds[1][valuejoin]" value="OR">
Tip: If you want to show a select box to choose whether the keywords should be joined by OR or AND, use something like
<select name="conds[1][valuejoin]">
<option value="OR">Find items with ANY keyword
<option value="AND">Find items with ALL keywords
</select>
How to use a multiple select box
If you want the user chooses keywords from a multiple select box, use the similar settings as in hierarchical constants: set the name of the select box to [value][], e.g.
<select name="conds[1][value][]" multiple>
and add the [valuejoin] field (see above).
Refilling the Search Form
How to refill conditions on searchform?
The script fillform.php3 allows to easily refill condition variables as well.
If you have some search form using the conds[] array, you may call fillform.php3?fillConds= 1 to create JavaScript, which will automaticallyrefill the condition input fields. You may use it by SSI, e.g.
<!--#include virtual="/aaa/fillform.php3?form=formname&fillConds=1"-->
Place it after the HTML code for the search form, otherwise it will only make a JavaScript error. Replace "formname " with the name of the form containing input fields.
The script can refill multiple select boxes like
<select name="conds[0][value][]" multiple>
as well. Don't forget the [] after [value].
Don't use quotes around field IDs, otherwise some values will not refill (e.g. checkbox <INPUT TYPE="checkbox" NAME="conds[1][highlighted.....]"> must not be 'highlighted.....').
There are special dateConds[] parameters which I use to refill AA-like dates (three selectboxes for day, month and year), but this is a bit difficult. If you are interested, write me and I will explain.
