One keyword search for multiple tables?

Hello,

I'm having a bit of a time getting the Data Assist Search to function as desired with multiple tables, and would appreciate any help getting this resolved:

I have a mysql database with multiple tables of different content which drive a site: individual page text, event information, documents available for download, posted images & videos, etc.

I am trying to create a single, sitewide keyword search that will search through each of the chosen tables and return accurate results from only the relevant table(s) in a coherent & linkable manner.

This works great with one table, but fails every way I've tried it with more than one table (one recordset pulling from all tables, one recordset for each table, etc.). My most logical approach is to make separate recordsets for each table on the search & results pages and then somehow get the search to look through each recordset in turn for results, and use a 'show if table not empty' on the results page for each of the tables.

Please help.

Thanks,
Gary.

You can definitely use DA Search to search multiple tables at once. Here is how you should craft your results page.

First you should have one recordset per table. Start by crafting your recordset, then put the bindings for this recordset on the page where you would like to see them. Finally you will add a repeat region around the display bindings from the recordset, you can have it repeat for all entries.

Next you are ready to apply the first DataAssist Search server behavior to the page. Select your trigger, then the appropriate db, than add your search criteria. Just select the column to search, set the type to keyword then use the lightning bolt to select the value from your form. If your form is not on this page you may need to add to the bindings first by going to bindings > Form Data and selecting your search page.

Once you have completed this process for the first recordset test it to confirm that it is working correctly. Once you confirm that you can repeat these steps for each additional table/recordset you would like to search through.

I appreciate your extremely easy to follow help Eric - that did it!

Two things I should note to help others doing this:

- After the first search behavior was in and running fine, I noticed that the recordset I used had disappeared from Dreamweaver's Server Behaviors and Bindings panels. The DataAssist Search server behavior reported the recordset was "Unknown". Mind you it still worked. Dreamweaver just threw errors because it couldn't find the recordset after DataAssist modified it.
+ In the code I moved the missing recordset to the top of the list of recordsets on that page, and it reappeared. Repeat for each additional search behavior application.

- Adding in the second DataAssist Search Behavior, the page no longer functioned; it became a blank white page in the browser, with no source code. In the page code, DataAssist had added the second search behavior *above* the include that made it function:
<?php
//WA Database Search Include
require_once("../WADbSearch/HelperPHP.php");
?>
+ I moved the include above both of the search behaviors, and all worked as it should. Repeat for each additional search behavior application. I added search behaviors in both design & code view with the same results.

I hope these two bugs get fixed in a future release.

Gary.

Thanks for the note about the the include file being below the server behavior on the page. I will ensure that I get a proper but logged for this. As for the issues with the recordsets this is not something that I encountered myself in my testing. Was the recordset code just broken up too much to be seen properly? It sounds like you just moved the code toward the top of the section with the recordsets, did you have to find any identifier for the recordset when you moved it or just put them back in the order you first added them?

I just put the recordsets back in the order I had them - no other recordset adjustments. Thanks for logging that bug, and for your help!

Your very welcome, hopefully this issue can be looked into soon and a fix developed for the next release.

Originally Said By: Eric Mittman

  You can definitely use DA Search to search multiple tables at once. Here is how you should craft your results page.

First you should have one recordset per table. Start by crafting your recordset, then put the bindings for this recordset on the page where you would like to see them. Finally you will add a repeat region around the display bindings from the recordset, you can have it repeat for all entries.

Next you are ready to apply the first DataAssist Search server behavior to the page. Select your trigger, then the appropriate db, than add your search criteria. Just select the column to search, set the type to keyword then use the lightning bolt to select the value from your form. If your form is not on this page you may need to add to the bindings first by going to bindings > Form Data and selecting your search page.

Once you have completed this process for the first recordset test it to confirm that it is working correctly. Once you confirm that you can repeat these steps for each additional table/recordset you would like to search through.  

Im trying to do a search for the website i evenbought the boss plugin but for me its no good cause yaho takes for ever to index the pages.

I need to get data from 3 difrent tables, is there a way to add navigation menu for next and prevoius i try it and it works on the first recordset but not on the other 2 i added then one for each table and the page goes crazy i dont know wich one changes is there a way i can have just one to move all the pages and show for example 5 records of each recordset and then move to next?

this is a limitation to paging in Dreamweaver.


The Dreamweaver paging controls can only be used to page through one record set. It cannot be used to page through multiple record sets at the same time.

is there any other tool i can use like the paging data assist adds or the tom-muck extension for recoordest navigation paging?

also hope you guys make an extension like this one

  FX Site Search This is a suite of tools to build in a easy way a non database driven site search application that is, it reads textual and dynamic contents from documents. It is based on a data source and it behaves very much like a ordinary recordset. It features selection of extension files to be searched and directories to be excluded. Highlight of the found strings is provided. As a recordset provides also navigation options.  

Wont put the link to avoid problems but its like search for boss but without depending on yahoo to index your site.

DataAssist uses the Dreamweaver paging controls.

I'm not sure if the Tom Muck extension will do this or not.

I dont know of another extension that will do what you are trying to accomplish.