Miva web site search mode

[jsritter]

Lets try this the new way!

Hi all!
I have miva 4.23 w/opui.
I am trying to alter the search feature on my site but cannot seem to find where to do it. I would like to desensitize the search mode to give more results. If someone searches for "Tie Tacks" no results are found. But a search for "Tie Tack" lists all the items.
any help is welcome,
Thanks,
Jeff

[DesignExtend-MSI]

While there's not a module to strip the "s" in the search, there is a module that will help you set keywords (like tacks) and also run filtered searching. The Search Manager will filter on product name, code, description, price, etc. It will search headers/footers and descriptions, and contains a keywords field (which many find useful to also include other terms people may be entering).

http://www.designextend.com/page/miva/PROD/BROK_SEARCH

It will also let you customize the entire layout, and will search with and/or and exact phrase operators, as well as additional product fields (when using the VC add field module).

[jsritter]

Thanks Pamela,
I will consider that mod.
Jeff

[jason - jmh web services]

Lets try this the new way!

Hi all!
I have miva 4.23 w/opui.
I am trying to alter the search feature on my site but cannot seem to find where to do it. I would like to desensitize the search mode to give more results. If someone searches for "Tie Tacks" no results are found. But a search for "Tie Tack" lists all the items.
any help is welcome,
Thanks,
Jeff

There are several modules to help. Search Manager from Viking Coders (http://www.jmhonline.net/miva-modules/search+manager), Power Search from Weiland (http://www.jmhonline.net/miva-modules/power+search), and Better Product Search from Latu (http://store.latu.net/LATU-BTRPRODSRCH.html?a_aid=jmhonline)

[apanda]

I use the above mentioned Search Manager by Viking - It's a great search tool since it has so many customization options. Also, as Pamela mentioned, when you see search terms that people are using with no results, you just go into the product and add the keyword to the keywords field. Easy.

[DesignExtend-MSI]

I use the above mentioned Search Manager by Viking - It's a great search tool since it has so many customization options. Also, as Pamela mentioned, when you see search terms that people are using with no results, you just go into the product and add the keyword to the keywords field. Easy.

Another feature of the module is to log the searches, so you can see what terms people are entering to locate products.

Quite a few folks also use the ELM module to see what terms are being used outside the store (from Google, etc.) and use that info to also set keywords for their products.

[jsritter]

Thanks Apanda,
I did try to add keywords in the product but it did not seem to change anything. The only place to add a keyword was under the mete-tag option, Is this the wrong place?

[DesignExtend-MSI]

I did try to add keywords in the product but it did not seem to change anything. The only place to add a keyword was under the mete-tag option, Is this the wrong place?

If you're running Search Manager, then it provides a keywords field for each product. The field is accessed when you go to edit a product, and click on Search Manager for that product.

[jsritter]

I am running ELM2, its a great product! Are you saying I can't add the keywords without "Search Manager"? or am I just not entering the keywords in the right place?

[DesignExtend-MSI]

Correct. MIVA Merchant's built-in search feature only searches product fields. You were asking about altering search on the site and I recommended Search Manager, which does include a keywords feature.

The Meta Tags are OpenUI specific and are used for SEO purposes, but not your store's search function.

[jsritter]

Thanks! Its all clear now. I will add Search Manager.

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Aside from search manage type modules, which I am not sure even address this, the only options are:

1) Post a message to the users telling them not to enter plurals.

2) use javascript to trim the Search variable of traling "s'"

Of course, a custom solution is always available but pretty dire for such a small request. (ping me and I can try to piece together a js example.).

[rcmedia]

I had the same problem recently and here's how I solved it without paying for a module:

Export all of your products to a flat file (*make a back up copy of the flat file before going any further)
Download the newly created flat file from the appropriate Miva folder on your server via FTP
Open the flat file with a text editor such as Text Pad Pro
Do a find/replace on all of your singular keywords... adding an 's' to the end of them.
Do the same but for the product titles (*I use case sensitive/different titles/descriptions so it was easy to do this).
Save the edited flat file.
Upload/overwrite the newly edited flat file to Miva
Problem solvedCheers