Configure Search Results

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 Sphinx External Engine. Option Search Engine selects, which one should work now:

  • MySQL - the native magento engine.
  • 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).
  • External Sphinx engine - allows to use Sphinx Engine on the dedicated server, or on the same server of your store. It 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:
      • No - defines, that Sphinx works on separate or dedicated server. It triggers appearance of Generate configuration file. It is extremely
      • 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.

          Note

          Warning: Before selecting option External Sphinx engine you need to install manually Sphinx Search Engine.

This subsection also сontains Additional Configuration section, visible only when you had opted to use External Sphinx engine. 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.

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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 redirect 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.
  • Minimum number of characters - to search-specifies the minimum amount of characters, which triggers autocomplete drop-down list. It works only when 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

You need multi-store search, when you have store-dependant elements - for example, products, that are visible only at specific storeviews - but wish to allows customers to search simultaneously on all your stores.

  • Enable Multi-Store Search Results - enables multi-store search. Search results will be displayes in tabs, each of which corresponds with one of your storeviews. This option triggers one additional option:
    • Stores - allows you to select, which storeviews should be included to multi-store search.

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