Smart Search Component
The Joomla! CMS includes an excellent search component called SMART SEARCH.
The Smart Search Component enables you to publish one or more Smart Search Modules (search filters) in your website's Front End.
These filters can be used to provide website visitors with a specific set of results in response to a search query.
Getting Started
To review and configure Smart Search Component settings to meet your needs, select Smart Search under Components in the sidebar of your website's Dashboard.
Then select Index.
Select the Options button at the top right of the Smart Search screen in your website's Dashboard to review and maybe change settings.
These Smart Search Options settings are the initial settings in a WYNCHCO Website Design.
Smart Search Tab
Under the Smart Search tab, the first setting is called Word Match.
The Word Match setting can be:
- Match exactly,
- Match words beginning with the search term, or
- Match words containing the search term anywhere.
In a WYNCHCO Website Design the third option on the above list is the default setting.
To build an index of website pages, select the Index button at the top left of the Smart Search Index screen.
Note: Smart Search Filters in your website's Front End will not work correctly until you perform this task.
When you click the Index button you will see the following pop-up window confirming that your website content is being indexed.
We are constantly updating our website's content.
This often involves creating new articles and menu links.
And so we periodically re-build the Smart Search Index.
Under the Index tab there is a setting called Search for Phrases.
The Search for Phrases setting is enabled by default in a WYNCHCO Website Design.
If you prefer you can change the setting - see image below.
Note the warning at the top of the Index tab if and when you change the Search for Phrases setting.
You will need to re-build the Smart Search Index.
Useful Link
The November 2023 issue of Joomla! Community magazine included a useful article introducing Smart Search.
Read more; Joomla! Community Magazine article about Smart Search