How to Set Up the Smart Search Module in Joomla 2.5 & up

Written by Scott Greenwald Posted in Joomla Tutorials

Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Scott Greenwald from JoomlaDirect.com. And in this video, I'm going to show you how to set up the new Smart Search feature in Joomla 2.5.

So, What is Smart Search? Smart Search is something similar to this: I'm sure you've seen it on Google.com. When you start typing in something, the search box will start suggesting terms for you. That's all it is. And Joomla 2.5 has this built right into the core. Let's take a look at how to set it up, because by default it is disabled.

So, let's go ahead and enable the Smart Search. We'll log in to the backend.

The first thing we need to do is enable the Smart Search plugin. So, under Extensions, Plugin Manager, just do a search for "search."

And right here. Content Smart Search. Just press this button to enable it, and there we go.

The second thing we need to do is go over to Components, Smart Search, and we need to index all of our content. Now, your site is probably going to have nothing here. I've already run an index once. So just go ahead and press Index right here. And that's going to build a cache file to run the Smart Search against.

And, it's complete. It may take while, depending on the size of your site and your internet connection. So, close that out. This is basically just a list of words that Joomla is going to run the smart search against.

And, the last step is to enable the Smart Search module. So, we'll go to Extensions, Module Manager. The first thing we're going to do here is check the module position that my current search box is published to. An easy way to do that is to filter the module list by type. I think this is it, position-0.

Let's go ahead and disable that module, and add the new Smart Search module. Just press New. And, Smart Search Module is right here. Give it a fancy title. And, I'm, going to add it to position-0. You can search for position-0 in the module positions popup, or just type it in. And, I want it to appear on all pages. I'm going to leave everything to the default settings. And then press Save & Close.

And, here's our Smart Search module that we just created. Ok, let's take a look at the front-end, and check out the smart search module.

Did it work? Let's see.

And look at that! There is our list of Smart Search auto suggestions. I think it's strange that when you click on it, you still have to press Enter. That's kind of weird. But, here's your search results. Your search term is highlighted here. And, Smart Search also works right here, in the search results search box.

And there we have it! That was the new Smart Search feature of Joomla 2.5

How are you using Smart Search? Leave a comment below. And, remember to subscribe to Joomla Direct for more beginner tutorials straight to your inbox. Thanks for watching!

Tags: auto suggest, Joomla 2_5, search module, smart search
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About the Author

Scott Greenwald

Scott Greenwald is a web development professional, with roots in front-end UI design. He's been a Joomla addict since 2007, and a contributing author to the Joomla! Community Magazine. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Joomla tutorials! Scott on Google+

Comments (32)

bubiny

30 March 2012 at 17:57 | #

Hello,
Do you know how to setup the smart search results to list up instead of down? I have the search module at the bottom of the page and listing down does not make sense.

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  30 March 2012 at 18:23 | #
  
  Nope, that's not an option. Perhaps an experienced Joomla developer could build a custom solution for you.
  
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afroz

24 April 2012 at 20:19 | #

wow thats really great.. thanks alot it helped me..

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Gyanesh Sharma

16 June 2012 at 14:56 | #

This module works fine. However, on the front page, the search result comes way in the bottom after all the modules. There is no way to assign an item id (aka menu) for the search results similar to the core joomla search.

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  16 June 2012 at 16:28 | #
  
  This is a known Joomla bug that also depends on the design of your template. Have you tried creating a Smart Search menu item, from where you can set the module assignment?
  
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DaveVSGolliath

22 June 2012 at 14:29 | #

I'm having a serious issue with being able to get the indexing to go beyond 4%. Please email me with a solution, cause I've not got much hair left, thanks.

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  25 June 2012 at 13:49 | #
  
  @DaveVSGolliath If you're having problems indexing your content, the first thing I would check is your PHP memory limit and timeout settings, located in your hosting account's php.ini file. This is not part of Joomla, rather it is related your server configuration. If you are on a shared hosting plan, then you may need to contact your hosting provider to change your php configuration. Hope I was able to help.
  
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M.Kn3dl

19 July 2012 at 16:09 | #

Hi Mr. Greenwald.
I tried to set up smart search as you wrote, but still didn't work. Running on joomla 2.5 with OutsourcingJT template and with two test articles. Index was run and made something but no suggestions. Tried in Opera 12 and IE9 (in compatibility mode too). Can you advise me something please?

Many thanks for answer.

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  19 July 2012 at 16:44 | #
  
  If you're sure you've set up the smart search component and module correctly, then it's possible your template overriding the smart search core files. Check if there are any folders named search, or similar, within your template's folders.
  
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  - M.Kn3dl
    
    22 July 2012 at 21:00 | #
    
    Yep, there are some modules in management, named same. I will try to remove them, but i thought, that smart search is "plugin" based on common search. Can i remove all search modules except the new Smart search I created as written?
    
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Dolly

11 August 2012 at 00:32 | #

I have configured successfully smart search, I can see smart search result options, but when you press one result it opens to a blank page. What's wrong? Please help

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  11 August 2012 at 08:51 | #
  
  I've never run into that problem myself. Depending on your setup, you may need to create a Search menu item. Other than that, its hard to offer help without looking at the site and backend first-hand.
  
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  - Dolly
    
    11 August 2012 at 21:25 | #
    
    Thank you Scott! I will try it...
    
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paulo

21 August 2012 at 16:36 | #

Liked the tut, however when I tried to find smart search I couldnt find it ( I did a search in comp, and ext any suggestions (using 2.5.6)

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  21 August 2012 at 17:28 | #
  
  Thanks paulo. Smart Search is under the Components menu. Check your plugin manager to see if the Smart Search plugins are enabled.
  
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Janis

21 September 2012 at 17:14 | #

Super cool, and easy to follow. I also really appreciate that you have the transcript.

I will be following your tutorials, thanks a lot.

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  21 September 2012 at 19:59 | #
  
  Thanks for subscribing Janis! More tutorials are on the way soon.
  
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gAV

22 October 2012 at 07:13 | #

I have setup the smart search in Joomla 2.5, but i was wondering how do i hide the search results containing div and styles until a search is called upon..??

I know how to hide modules with conditional if statements, but because the small-search area is located on every page, Joomla activates the div and styles, so i end up with an empty gradient filled box, with padding included on every page, instead of the just the search-results page, when the search results are actually called upon..??

Thanks in advance !! ;)

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  22 October 2012 at 08:40 | #
  
  If I understand correctly, you are getting blank modules on your search results page? If so, you may need to create a menu item link to the search results page, so that you can better control the module assignments.
  
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Jason J

24 October 2012 at 23:08 | #

I created a menu item for the search results, but I can find no way to force smart search to use it. I still get the homepage modules displayed when I use the smart search

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dan dekker

10 November 2012 at 02:54 | #

I Installed joomla smart seo plugin v0.8 for joomla 1.7 and its bringing up this error code " you must install the smartseo component in order for the plugin to work properly!!" I have no idea what to do. Can you please help? Email me please.. thanks in advance.. Dan Dekker

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  10 November 2012 at 17:19 | #
  
  Hi Dan. I'm not familiar with the smart seo component. This tutorial as about the "smart search" feature, built into Joomla 2.5
  
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Govind Rao

04 December 2012 at 15:15 | #

Hi Scott Greenwald .. i am govind rao from india .. i have 3 year exp in c++ , but i am very interst work on .. joomla ... please tell me how can i start the ... work.. on joomla and php and java script .
give me some suggestion for this . i am watching u r videos ... trying to under stand ... but i am not able get perfect result ... so i need some help from u r side ...

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Dave H

14 December 2012 at 08:35 | #

Scott, your dedication to answering comments is admirable so I'm pinning my hopes on you being able to help me too!

I have set up filters and content map settings to exclude certain categories but want to apply these settings to a SmartSearch module and not a Menu item. I cannot find any way to make it work with a module and not a menu item? Am I just being daft?

Thanks in advance for anything you can offer!

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  14 December 2012 at 10:08 | #
  
  I’m so sorry, but I can’t offer much help on this one. Have you checked the Joomla forums? http://forum.joomla.org/
  
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Debra

31 December 2012 at 09:10 | #

How do I get the smart search module to show the default text?

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ray

04 January 2013 at 08:51 | #

Thanks a lot, Scot. I also wonder how you created this video and generated the transcript.

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  04 January 2013 at 08:52 | #
  
  Hi Ray. I created the video with Screenflow for Mac. The transcript was typed by hand :) Thanks for watching!
  
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Peter-Jon

08 April 2013 at 18:01 | #

Hi Scott,

thanks for the smart search tutorial. Very useful.

Have you done a tutorial video that shows how to set up a search like the one on this Joomla based website's home page: www.upgradeyourbody.com

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  11 April 2013 at 02:36 | #
  
  Thanks Peter. If you're talking about the the selection menus to choose a category, then no I have not done a tutorial. You can probably find an extension like that on the Joomla Extensions Directory http://extensions.joomla.org/
  
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Fernando

16 April 2013 at 11:19 | #

Hi Scott
I'm looking for a search mod for using with projectfork
I've tried the smartsearch bu only gets the joomla items index. Do you know how could I include projectfork items in the search engine?

Thanks and kind regards

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- Scott Greenwald
  
  16 April 2013 at 12:35 | #
  
  Hey Fernando. Sorry, I've never used Project Fork. I would suggest contacting the developers for a solution, or commenting on the listing in the JED.
  
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