Alternatives to the built-in search methods?

This forum is for all Flare issues related to the HTML5, WebHelp, WebHelp Plus, and Adobe Air Targets
Post Reply
DLL
Propeller Head
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2017 11:58 am

Alternatives to the built-in search methods?

Post by DLL »

I am working on a very very heavy HTML5 project. Between the available search engines for HTML5 outputs. I often get complains that the search engine does not work, and I suspect it's because this JavaScript search engine requires the web browser to process 8 megabytes of search data chunks and that it sometimes crashes.

I'm thinking I should try to get a server-based search solution to fix the problem. But as far as I know, those are the only alternatives supported by Flare:
[*] Google Search, which is out of the question because of ads.
[*] ElasticSearch, which is not possible because Flare has it all set up for Windows servers, and our servers, like the great majority of web servers, are Linux based.
[*] Server-side help engine, which uses ASP.NET, the Windows internet server suite and the Windows search indexer, so a no-go for the reason above.

Has there been any other alternative search engine for Flare HTML5 outputs, whether made by MadCap or others, whether via a plug-in or even a low-level script?

I think MadCap is really missing the mark by developing all these fancy features for Windows servers. I bet a PHP-based solution would be a big relief for a lot of users.
doc_guy
Propellus Maximus
Posts: 1979
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2006 11:18 am
Location: Crossroads of the West
Contact:

Re: Alternatives to the built-in search methods?

Post by doc_guy »

I don't have an answer. Just a +1. We need a Linux-friendly solution. Elasticsearch as a general concept, works on Linux. Flare did something to make it so it doesn't work with Flare projects on Linux. So that is a bummer. Make sure you submit a feature request. The more of us who request a feature, the more likely we are to be heard!
Paul Pehrson
My Blog

Image
g_gray
Jr. Propeller Head
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:08 am

Re: Alternatives to the built-in search methods?

Post by g_gray »

We've had success in using ZoomSearch (https://www.zoomsearchengine.com/) for indexing our documentation. You have to hack a bit at the master page to override the default Flare search box to have searches redirected to the search page that ZoomSearch's indexer sets up for you. It supports a number of different backends, including a PHP-based one that runs fine on a Linux web server. We've integrated the call to the ZoomSearch indexer in our post build script, so the output is sent to Flare's build directory and gets published by Flare.
Post Reply