HTML5 Search Field Auto Complete

[Ken Fredric]

I would like to hear from anybody who has implemented auto complete/predictive text/typeahead search functionality in HTML5 output.
With this enabled, when the user starts typing a word suggestions are displayed in a dropdown list based on the entered text.
I thought this would be a standard feature available in Flare.
There was a reference to this in an earlier thread here: http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... ete#p95898.
I had a quick look through the customer samples and the only website I could find that has this functionality is Coveo (http://onlinehelp.coveo.com/en/CES/6.5/ ... r_Help.htm).
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken

[Ineffable]

I would like to hear from anybody who has implemented auto complete/predictive text/typeahead search functionality in HTML5 output.
With this enabled, when the user starts typing a word suggestions are displayed in a dropdown list based on the entered text.
I thought this would be a standard feature available in Flare.
There was a reference to this in an earlier thread here: http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... ete#p95898.
I had a quick look through the customer samples and the only website I could find that has this functionality is Coveo (http://onlinehelp.coveo.com/en/CES/6.5/ ... r_Help.htm).
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ken

Based on the crickets, I am guessing that this feature will cost $499 (i.e., anchor feature in Flare v12).

[sanjsrik]

I asked about this. I also asked Madcap Support. This is "not supported" which baffles me because this aren't even live pages. These are static pages. When I found out that this wasn't possible, I was just simply floored at how unintuitive this non-functionality is. Anywhere a user goes on the web they can use typeahead searching except in the help provided with my company's web-based application.

I'll take a look at your solution, but I don't see any company shelling out an additional $500 for a feature that should be out-of-the-box as typeahead in search.

Quick question, what do you mean the anchor feature in Flare 12?

LOL, I think I found the same thread when I asked and looked this up on the forums. It's from 2009, and still no update after 6 years from Madcap. That has to be embarrassing. You can't tell your author-base that you've got the latest features that customers want when you can't do the following:

• Move skin elements on the screen (top-nav skin has fixed search bar across the top, you can't move it into the topic frame)
• No typeahead in search (come on, since 2009?)
• No usable integration with git/hub (I've given up on this, I haven't gotten it to work once since I have been using Flare)

I find it even more funny that the search feature on the Madcap site has typeahead when you do a search but not the help output. Excellent marketing for a non-working feature.

searchworks.png

[Nita Beck]

You can't tell your author-base that you've got the latest features that customers want when you can't do the following:

• Move skin elements on the screen (top-nav skin has fixed search bar across the top, you can't move it into the topic frame)

Flare 11 supports including a search bar in the topic "frame" (Top Nav only) and, through CSS, one can hide the search bar from the top-nav area.

First, in the masterpage associated with the pages in your Top Nav target, insert a Search Bar Proxy where desired. This is a new proxy introduced in Flare 11. (For benefit of anyone wanting more info, see here: http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... _Proxy.htm.)

Then, in the stylesheet associated with the pages, include this bit of code (or something like it) to effectively hide the search bar from the top-nav area*:

Code: Select all

.nav-search
{
	display:none !important;
}

*I got the idea for this from another forum post, here (kudos to jsandora): viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21642

I just tested this in a Top Nav project I'm migrating, and it works.

HTH at least for this issue.

p.s. I agree that Flare's implementation could be better. One shouldn't have to monkey with the CSS to effectively hide something.

p.p.s. Sanjay, does this forum post offer a hint of a solution to your type-head search issue: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22046? Maybe Dave Lee can shed more light.

[sanjsrik]

I love your approach. Only downside to this is my UXD guys opted for left nav. I wanted top-nav, showed them top-nav and they liked left nav. So, I am stuck with left nav but can't move the top-nav search box.

[Nita Beck]

Hopefully, though, we can get your creative juices going to eventually find a solution.

Also, I just came across this salient post: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=21775

Also, did you see my p.p.s. above about Dave Lee's comment in another post about using Google Custom Search?

[NorthEast]

I love your approach. Only downside to this is my UXD guys opted for left nav. I wanted top-nav, showed them top-nav and they liked left nav. So, I am stuck with left nav but can't move the top-nav search box.

Where do you want to move it to?

You could move it around inside the header area of a Tripane skin.
I've discussed customising the skin in this blog post: http://ukauthor.wordpress.com/2014/08/0 ... tml5-skin/

If you want a search box in your topic, and you know basic javascript, then you could create your own search control:
1. Create a form with an input box.
2. The action for the form would be to refresh the parent/top page using a CSH call. The URL would include the text from the input box as the search term; i.e. #search-<input term>. For example, this will open Flare's help and search for "madcap"
webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare11/Default.htm#search-madcap