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Search Interface

Version 50.1 by Ecaterina Valica on 2009/03/03 14:23
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Search Interface Improvements

Look of the current implementation

XWiki-Main-LuceneSearch1235994036615.png

Aims

The aim of the new design is to provide a more fast way for the user to find the page he is looking for.
The search page is for every user (starting with readers through admins), so the page should not be perceived different than a standard website (the concept of space and wiki should be transparent).

Standardization

- Search Results: I need to know how many types of Search XWiki has in their product (XWatch has a different type of search because there are feed entries) so the searches can have a common UI (same ).
- Pagination: for all the places pagination appears, we can use the same format. Examples of pagination. More patterns.
  See also:
        - http://code.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Macros/PagedViewLinksMacro
        - http://code.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Snippets/PaginateSearchSnippet

Types of results

  1. "Google-like search results" => Instead of tables show the results as a list of items.
    2. Table search results

Problems

In the current version of the interface we have the following:

- we don't have the word we are looking highlighted (in bold for example) so that the user can faster visually scan;
- the Filter function is in gray - looking liked a disabled feature;
- it's a bit too cluttered. I have to many information showed and I don't know where to look first.
- the most relevant piece of information is where? the title? why it exist pages that don't have a page title?
- the searching is done within what? (page titles, content, tags, authors, etc)
- why the page title is "Lucene Search" - who is Lucene? Why do I care?
- integrate Silk icons, if needed, in seacrh results

Solutions

1. Options for search (also advanced search)

Lucene has a very nice set of operators that can be used in advanced search to instruct user about search capabilities http://code.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Applications/SearchApplicationLuceneSearchQueryHelp

2. Results list

2.1 What is the relevance of displaying the "Page Name" and "Page Title"?

- page name is used internally for xwiki to name pages, do I need to know the "Page Name"?
- wiki and space are used for orgazitional purpose, this might be helpfull.

Example

A) So, for the query:
XWiki-Main-LuceneSearch1236000549609.png

B) I want the result:

XWiki-Main-LuceneSearch1236000756135.png

C) The URL for my page is: http://watch.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Design/NewUIProposal

D) The desired page has a breadcrumb like this:
XWiki-Design-NewUIProposal1236000618643.png

E) so the correct full breadcrumb for my desired page is: Watch > Design > XWatch User Interface Proposal for http://watch.xwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Design/NewUIProposal

So we should display primary the "Page Title" and "Page Name" should be obly in the URL.
We can have breadcrumbs for the wiki and the space.

Because of the way URL is constructed the wiki should be first in the query and then the space (you could put this also as preoptions for the search).

I would like to have results in this way (list style):
- relevance (score) - invisible - is the order the items appear in the list;
- Page Title [link] (most important)
- Location: Wiki [link] > Space [link] > Page Name [link] [? - necesary?]
- More info: Author [link] - Date

2.2 Author and date are used for a more advanced search - when you know more details about the page you're looking for.