Smart Search

Overview

Search technology has improved considerably over the years since Joomla was first launched and yet the standard, basic search component has not changed much over that time. It is still very crude and lacks the kind of search features that web users have come to expect, especially given the prevalence of advanced search engines such as Google. Smart Search allows you to incorporate some of those more advanced search features into your website.

To start using the Smart Search feature, click Components > Smart Search.

Ensure that instead of standard search module you use Smart Search Module pre-installed with Joomla.

Indexing pages using Smart Search component

For all the pages created on the site to be part of the search results or be indexed, indexing needs to be done consistently. The following image shows the Indexing screen.

Screen 1: Indexing tab

Provide the values or options based on the information given in the following table.

Index	Click to index all the newly created pages on the site.
Publish	Publish the indexed content
Unpublish	Unpublish the indexed content
Delete	Delete the indexed content
Purge	Permanently erase the indexed content
Statistics	Click to view the linking statistics of the indexed items.

Ensure that JomDirectory Smart Search plugin is present and enabled under Plugins. Otherwise component content won't be found.

You can create search filters that customized to your search requirements. The following screen shows the Search Filters screen.

Screen 2: Search Filters tab

To create a new search filter, click New.

Editing a Search Filter

For editing a search filter, information on multiple tabs needs to be provided.

Edit Filter tab

The following image shows the Edit Filter tab.

Screen 3: Edit Filter tab

Provide the value as described in the following table.

Title	Provide a name for the search filter.
Alias	Provide an alias for the filter.
Map Count	Auto populated field
Search criteria	Select the search criteria as per your requirement. Search All Search by Author Search by Category Search by Language Search by Type
Status	Select the required status Published Unpublished

Publishing tab

The following image shows the Publishing tab.

Screen 4: Publishing tab

Provide the options as described in the following table.

Created Date	Select the creation date.
Created By	Select the user who created the search filter.
Alias	Provide an alias for the filter.
Modified Date	Select the modification date.
Modified By	Select the user who modified the search filter.

Filter Timeline tab

The following image shows the Filter Timeline screen.

Screen 5: Filter Timeline tab

Provide the options as described in the following table.

When (Start Date)	Select the time period from the following options. None Before Exactly After
Start Date	Select a start date.
When (End Date)	Select the time period from the following options. None Before Exactly After
End Date	Select an end date.