Configure Global Search Settings

This section describes, how you can customize and greatly improve the relevance of your search results by configuring Search Settings.

The most important part is Global Search Configuration. It is located at System -> Search Management -> Settings -> Mirasvit Extensions -> Search, and divided into the following sections:

Search Engine Configuration

Our extension allows you to power up search either with default Magento search engine, or with external engine. Option Search Engine selects, which engine should be in charge, and has three possible values:

  • MySQL - native Magento engine, used for Magento default search functionality.
  • Built-in search engine - will use an internal search algorithm of our extension.

    Note

    Built-in search engine mode does not require installation of Sphinx Engine on your server, but you will still receive the same features as with the Sphinx Engine. However, you can experience a slower search speed than with the Sphinx Engine (only for more then 20K products).

Third possible value depends from precise extension, that you're using. Mirasvit provides two search applications, that share this option, but support different search engines.

  • Sphinx Search Ultimate

    Sphinx Search Ultimate, as it derives from its name, allows you to use Sphinx Engine on the dedicated server, or on the same server of your store.

    Sphinx is an open source full text search server, which features high performance, relevance (aka search quality), and integration simplicity. It's written in C++ and runs on Linux (RedHat, Ubuntu, etc), Windows, MacOS, Solaris, FreeBSD, and a few other systems. It is better used for stores with products quantity below 50k and without need of layered navigation or aggregated search requests. Read more about this engine key features.

    Sphinx Search Ultimate adds to the option Global Search Configuration -> Search Engine Configuration -> Search Engine possible value External Sphinx Engine.

    Note

    To start with, please, make sure that you have installed Sphinx Search Engine.

    External Sphinx Engine also triggers additional options for configuring and managing Sphinx Daemon:

    • Sphinx Host - sphinx daemon host (localhost by default).
    • Sphinx Port - sphinx daemon port (any free port, like 9811, 9812).
    • Sphinx installed on same server - triggers appearance of additional features of Sphinx Daemon. Can have two different modes:

    For Sphinx installed on the same server with your Magento store :

    • Yes - defines, that Sphinx works on the same server, as store and database. Triggers the following additional options and additional buttons, which allows to manage daemon:
      • Sphinx Bin Path - defines name and location of sphinx daemon. By default it's searchd.
      • Allow auto-start Sphinx Daemon - sets auto-starting daemon with Magento's store. Useful, when you can have unexpected server power-off (for example, for maintenance purpose).
      • Check Status - button, that allows to view current daemon status
      • Restart Sphinx Daemon - button, that allows to restart daemon directly from Magento Configuration pane.
      • Reset - button, that allows reset daemon current search task.

    For Sphinx installed on the dedicated (remote) server :

    • No - defines, that Sphinx works on separate or dedicated server.
      • Generate configuration file - button, that allows to generate Sphinx config file to copy to your remote (dedicated) server.

    Search Engine Configuration section contains Additional Configuration subsection, visible for External Sphinx engine only. It allows you to tune up Sphinx configuration file, and contains the following settings:

    • Custom Base Path - defines custom path to Sphinx, if it was installed not to the default [magento_root_directory]/var/sphinx/ location.
    • Additional searchd configuration - defines additional parameters to searchd Search Daemon. Read more about it here.
    • Additional index configuration - allows to add settings to the Sphinx index configuration. Read more about it here.
    • Custom Charset Table - allows to add character sets to the Sphinx configuration file. Read more about it here.

  • Elastic Search Ultimate

    Magento 2 Elasticsearch Extension, as it derives from its name, allows you to use Elastic Engine on the dedicated server, or on the same server of your store.

    Elasticsearch is a distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine capable of solving a growing number of use cases, written on Java so it can be run virtually anywhere. It is best used for stores with more 50k of products and/or support of Layered Navigation. Read more about its key features.

    Elastic Search Ultimate adds to the option Global Search Configuration -> Search Engine Configuration -> Search Engine possible value Elasticsearch Engine.

    Note

    To start with, please, make sure that you have installed Elastic Search Engine.

    Elasticsearch Engine also triggers additional options for configuring and managing Sphinx Daemon:

    • Elasticsearch Host - elastic host (127.0.0.1 by default).
    • Elasticsearch Port - elastic port (any free port, but typically 9200).
    • Elasticsearch Index Prefix - specifies index name for current Magento store.

    It also features two buttons, that allows you to check Elastic Search connection:

    • Check Status - button, that allows to view current Elastic status
    • Reset - button, that resets Elastic current search tasks.

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Search Settings

  • Wildcard search - allows customer to search the product by part of the word, marking unknown part with asterisk (*). There's four different wildcard modes available:
    • Enabled (*word*) - fully enables wildcards.
    • Enabled at end (word*) - partially enables wildcards, allowing to search by first part of keyword.
    • Enabled at start (*word) - partially enables wildcards, allowing to search by last part of keyword.
    • Disabled - totally disables wildcards.

      Note

      Wildcards enabling slightly reduces the relevance of search and increases the number of search results.
  • Enable redirecting from 404 to search results - if option is enabled, customer will be redirected to the store search results of the broken URL text instead of the "404 Not Found" page.
  • Redirect if there is a Single Result - if the search query results only have one match, the customer will be immediately taken to to corrresponding product page.
  • Enable Google Sitelinks Search - if option is enabled, the extension shows the Sitelink Search Box on the Google search results page. After enabling the option, the search box will be shown only after Google reindexing.
  • Enable search terms highlighting - if option is enabled, search query word(s) will be highlighted in the search results.
  • Display Related Search Terms - if option is enabled, related search terms will be displayed on the search result page.
  • Max number of items in the result - sets the maximum number of items in the search result. Set 0 to disable limitation.
  • Wildcard Exceptions - the list of keywords (characters) for which wildcard search can not apply.
  • Replace words in search query - two-column list of auto-replace. When evaluating search extension will seek keywords from Find word columns, and automatically replace with the one from Replace With column. Column Find word can contain more than one keyword, separated by comma.
  • Not' words - words from this list invert search. E. q. appearance of these words in search automatically treated as "exclude results with this word".
  • Long Tail Expressions - allows you to receive the correct search results for words that contain dashes or any other non-alphabetic symbols. Read more in Long Tail Configuration section. Or read our article in Mirasvit Blog about the feature
  • Minimum number of characters - to search-specifies the minimum amount of characters, which triggers autocomplete drop-down list. It works only when mirasvit/module-search-autocomplete is installed and enabled.
  • Match mode - overrides default Magento mode of search with one of the following options:
    • AND - this mode is default. Elements (e. q. products, pages) matched only when all requested keywords are found in respective attributes.
    • OR - defines, that elements matched only when at least one of requested keywords is found.

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Multi-store Search Result

This option is useful when you have store-dependant elements in your store. For example, you have products which are visible only in specific storeviews and you wish to allow customers to search simultaneously in all your stores.

  • Enable Multi-Store Search Results - if you enable this option, search results will be displayed in tabs. Each tab has a number of results for a storeview and corresponds to one of your storeviews. This option triggers an additional sub-option:

    • Stores - allows you to select, which storeviews should be included in a multi-store search.

      Note

      Multi-store search results work only on the search results page (when visitors click on the tab it redirects them to the selected storeview.).

      Autocomplete always returns results from the current store only. It can not display search results from another storeviews.

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