"Quick Search" query!

[DaveSMR]

Can anyone tell me how the "quick search" works? Does it only index certain sections? Is there anyway to get it to include a variable in its function? I appreciate the advanced search is available but am only interested in improving the quick search for now.

[NormanRouxel]

The Simple Search is just a stripped down version of the Advanced Search. It works on exactly the same set of sections as a full Advanced Search does.

Some of the Advanced search options are present but are pre-set to default values via hidden fields. E.g. the TB="A" option to AND search terms is pre-set.

Compare the simple and advanced code (See Search Page Bulk Area) to see what's available and you could always add some advanced features to the simple search.

Or have several simple search forms that do different things.

[DaveSMR]

Thanks Norman,

My goal is to make the mpn variable a searchable "word".

Customers know well advertised products by the mpn, where manufacturers brochures might include their code against the product, people then search for this code. Not a problem to optimise for Google but once they have found our site and want use the quick search to locate other products we have a problem. Our product ref is a slight variant of the mpn, like so - "CW-AL110DNC", where "CW-" is our prefix and "AL110DNC" is the mpn. I can use the quick search to locate the product using "CW-AL110DNC" but this is not practical for customers as they will no doubt look for "AL110DNC" which yields no results.

Does anyone know if this type of change is feasible to the way the search works?

[leehack]

It's possible but your thinking may be a little off IMO. If your customer knows the code they want, shouldn't you be giving them a quick order form instead, where they input the code and click add to cart. Norman has a plugin for this, no point dragging out the process for them, try and think what will save them time.

[NormanRouxel]

This is the standard Quick Search:

			<form name="simplesearch" method="get" action="<actinic:variable name="OnlineScriptURL" value="Search Script URL" />">
			<input class="silver-search-field" name="SS" type="text" value="Search the Site" onfocus="this.value='';"/><input class="silver-search-button" type="image" name="ACTION" src="silver-search-button.gif" />
			<actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22IsHostMode%22%20%2f%3e">
			<!-- Hidden field when in trial mode -->
			<input type="hidden" name="SHOP" value="<Actinic:Variable Name="HiddenFields"/>" />
			</actinic:block>
			<input type="hidden" name="page" value="search" />
         <input type="hidden" name="PR" value="-1" />
         <input type="hidden" name="TB" value="A" />
			</form>

Here's a customised copy that prefixes "CW-" onto the customers entry before submitting the form:

			<form name="simplesearch" method="get" action="<actinic:variable name="OnlineScriptURL" value="Search Script URL" />"
			    onsubmit="this.SS.value = 'CW-' + this.SS.value; return true;">
				<input class="silver-search-field" name="SS" type="text" value="Search the Site" onfocus="this.value='';"/><input class="silver-search-button" type="image" name="ACTION" src="silver-search-button.gif" />
				<actinic:block if="%3cactinic%3avariable%20name%3d%22IsHostMode%22%20%2f%3e">
				<!-- Hidden field when in trial mode -->
				<input type="hidden" name="SHOP" value="<Actinic:Variable Name="HiddenFields"/>" />
				</actinic:block>
				<input type="hidden" name="page" value="search" />
				<input type="hidden" name="PR" value="-1" />
				<input type="hidden" name="TB" value="A" />
			</form>

You'll probably want to change the icon "silver-search-button.gif" into one that says something like "Search by Part #".