Can Static Text be Searched?

Manat

Hello All

I have a question regarding a site's search functionality.
If I want to have a search feature on my site(PHP/Apache/MySQL)
How exactly does that work?

I mean, in the backround, how does the search box search for Text and Dynamic Content.

For example, our the body of our About Us section is static text, and the catalog content is dynamic.

How will the search box know which to look for, static text or Dynamic content. If I enter text in the search box, does the search function look in both the database and HTML?

If so, then how? I want to have search functionality, but I want to understand it before I start, and I don't seem to have a clue.

Thanks a bunch.
MK

the_Igel

search box doesn't search. It's search engine that does search.
As about search engines, they are rather complicated programs. You can find a bunch on the Net: some are free, and some are not. Or you can write one by yourself, but I'm afraid it'll be too much for you.

Basically, site search engines are divided in two groups: first do search database only (these are usually rather simple), and other work like big search engines like Google or Altavista: they have crawler part (a script or program, that crawls your site, retrieves the pages and creates index of them), and search part (a script, that looks through the index built by crawler, and picks up pages, that are appropriate for a request).

Manat

Ok, so in order to look for static text, I have to create a crawler, which will search through my site, create and index. And a search function will look through in the index.

How long do you think it would take the average PHP programmer to create a crawler and then a search function to look through the index.

The database part is easy, a simple one can be done in less than a day. But how about the crawler?

Thank You

PyroX

There is a third kind, that searches live static text:

www.pyroxpro.com

I have 3 search engines available for free, they may get you started.

Manat

You have 2 or 3 search engines?
I saw Sasquatch and Sasquatch2.

If I use, say... Sasquatch2, what would happen to my dynamic content, I mean my product catalog.

PyroX

You would have to do some adjustments, make it hit both at the same time.

Triality is the 3rd. It does a lot more, so its a bit slower. On mid-server class systems, you should be able to search 400 - 600 documents in under 3 seconds.

I designed these really for personnal use, but put them up anyway, lots have found them useful, but they are not for everyone.