Tag-based search

[Ineffable]

Does (Will?) Flare support a tag-based search feature. Currently, search filters provide similar functionality, but it assumes the user has at least some cursory knowledge of what they're seeking.. Let's use the example used in Flare's help system:

Let's say you have a group of topics that have one thing in common—they all discuss the subject of hot dogs. So you create and insert a concept called "HotDogs" into each of those topics. If you then create a search filter based on this "HotDogs" concept, users will be able to perform a search in your Help system that looks only at those specific topics that discuss hot dogs.

What I envision is that instead of entering your search term and then selecting "HotDogs," why not just select "HotDogs" and the search results dynamically update? Better yet, why not provide checkboxes so that multiple tags can be selected? If you have one topic (Food) that has three tags (HotDogs, Beans, Mustard), if those same three tags are selected in the search panel the only result would be the Food topic.

You find this functionality often in HTML5 (Web 2.0) sites; I wonder if Flare 8 supports such functionality.

Thoughts?

[doc_guy]

I'm almost certain that Flare 8 doesn't support this functionality. I think it would be very useful. My colleague, Tom Johnson, has done some extensive work here on trying to get what he calls "faceted" searching, which I think is what you are asking about.

You see this on sites where people are buying clothes, for example. You want to see men's T-shirts that are XL-Tall and under $20.00. (In this example each color represents one facet, or tag.)

In search results you might have facets like:

• Product
• Version
• Job Role
• Business Unit
• language

When you do a search, you could click on different tags in each of these groups that would show you certain tagged content. For example, that would let you find help topics that relate to the ACME project beta version with tasks for a product manager written in English. I think that could be very useful.

[Ineffable]

YES, what you said!

Seems like an organic progression of the current topic tagging feature.

When you say your colleague has done "extensive work," what do you mean? Has he implemented a post-compile hack that offers similar functionality? I've implemented quite a few features (albeit, small ones) in my compiled Flare output.

I'm almost certain that Flare 8 doesn't support this functionality. I think it would be very useful. My colleague, Tom Johnson, has done some extensive work here on trying to get what he calls "faceted" searching, which I think is what you are asking about.

You see this on sites where people are buying clothes, for example. You want to see men's T-shirts that are XL-Tall and under $20.00. (In this example each color represents one facet, or tag.)

In search results you might have facets like:

• Product
• Version
• Job Role
• Business Unit
• language

When you do a search, you could click on different tags in each of these groups that would show you certain tagged content. For example, that would let you find help topics that relate to the ACME project beta version with tasks for a product manager written in English. I think that could be very useful.

[doc_guy]

When you say your colleague has done "extensive work," what do you mean? Has he implemented a post-compile hack that offers similar functionality? I've implemented quite a few features (albeit, small ones) in my compiled Flare output.

He wasn't working in Flare, he was working in a home grown tool for another project, the output he created was essentially the same structure of what we're talking about. He just didn't use an HAT tool to get there.