Simple Search Engine

PJNEW

Very new...be gentle

I have a prob with the following

<?php


//error_reporting (E_ALL);
$var = @$_GET['q'] ;
$limit = 10 ;
mysql_connect("localhost","username","password"); 
mysql_select_db("db") or die("Unable to select database"); 
$arrSearch = explode(" ", trim($var));
    for ($i=0; $i<count($arrSearch); $i++) {
      if (strToUpper($arrSearch[$i])=='AND' or strToUpper($arrSearch[$i])=='OR' or strToUpper($arrSearch[$i])=='NOT') {
        if (strToUpper($arrSearch[$i])=='NOT') {
          $i++;
          $strWhere = $strWhere." and keywords not like '%".$arrSearch[$i]."%'";
    } else {
          $strWhere = $strWhere." ".$arrSearch[$i]." ";
    }
      } else {
        $strWhere = $strWhere." keywords like '%".$arrSearch[$i]."%'";
      } 
}

$query = "select imageindex, otherfields from images where ".$strWhere." order by model";

This works really well when searching a single word, or, for instance, chair AND stacking, or, chair OR stacking, or, chair NOT stacking. However, I cannot work out how to ALSO allow for searches with a space seperating the words like....'chair stacking'
Any help would be appreciated, the code is cobbled together with a minimal but improving understanding. I would therefore prefer not to rewrite the whole lot without good reason. (for instance.. the impact on code that I understand less further down the script😕 ) Thanks for you help

ereptur

Useful article on putting together a search engine.

http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/clay19990421.php3

PJNEW

I have read this article and while it is interesting, doesn't really answer my question. I don't think I need to construct a completely new script in a different way. I just need to solve the problem regarding the multiple words with spaces (For instance 'stacking chair') in the context of the above script

Thanks for any help

PJNEW

Hi all, is this a difficult one? or am I asking something that is beyond the scope/remit of this forum? If so, please just shout and point me wherever.
Thanks

stolzyboy

something like that is kinda hard to explain with a forum setting, i have attached a zipped file that is a search that i use, pretty simple and allows what you want

PJNEW

Thanks for responding, stolzyboy. This looks like a really comprehensive search script. I think I am missing the point or, more probably not making myself understood properly. The keywords are in a mysql database in a field related to particular products. Different keywords - different products. What my query ultimately does is gather rows of information (including references to image files) where the keywords fit the search words. As far as I can see, this and other search scripts compiles a list of keywords from existing html pages and then produces the results according to the match. But if the pages don't exist (because we have not produced the search results yet) I can't see how it can work. See what I mean? The argument goes round and round. I know the script above has none of the finesse of the posted script, but it does query my databases keywords field for every product and produces a list of results - as long as I don't use a space between multiple search words. If it is any help, it can be tried out at http://www.infinitih.co.uk If you enter 'chair and stacking' (all three words) you get a nicely filtered search. If you enter 'chair stacking' you get an error. Sorry to be so long winded but I don't think this could be unusual. Saying that, I have not found the answer yet. 😕

stolzyboy

ok, i see what you are saying now, my brain doesn't always function when i tell it to, i will look at your code again and see if i can figure something out, if i can't i won't respond

ereptur

The reason that I mentioned the article is that it shows how to take the query string the user gives the search engine, turn it into a comma seperated values string and then use the

WHERE $searchfield IN("$yourvariable")

syntax to appropriately search for more than one keyword.

PJNEW

Thanks Ereptur for replying. I went back and read it again with a fresh head, but it only confirmed that in this instance it does not do what I require. Because the script removes the noisewords it negates the arguments within my script that allows users to tighten up the search with AND, OR, NOT. Also, the keywords that are being searched are already in a column within my database and are specific to a particular product line. To be honest I would be happy if the space in the search that is causing the problem was replaced with the combination 'spaceANDspace' to produce a narrow result. The problem is that if I do this and someone puts in, for instance, 'chair and stacking' which at the moment is legitimate, it would convert the search to 'chair AND and AND stacking'

and completely messes up the statement that deals with the word 'AND' in my script. (It produces an error) Maybe I am being too ambitious in trying to allow two types of search, or, more probably, coming at it from completely the wrong angle. I hope I am making sense.

PJNEW

As a temporary measure, I have added a line with my searchbox telling users to use AND, OR, NOT between searchwords. I just dont think this is a very elegant solution.

barnesdr

I'm an editor at Wrox. I'm only just getting into PHP, but have some experience with ASP and I think I understand what you're doing here.

I think you want a script that will take a search string like "blue trousers" and turn it into "keywords like blue or keywords like trousers", yes? (Trousers being English English for pants, of course)

At the moment, you loop through each word in the search string. If the current word is AND, NOT, or OR, you react one way -- you add a whole new condition to the SQL WHERE clause. If it's just a regular word, you react another way -- you just append that word to the existing SQL WHERE clause.

What you need to do is this. If two regular words appear side by side, without NOT, AND, or OR between them, you need to add OR for yourself. The easiest way to find out if two 'regular' words appear together is to use a flag. I'm afraid I must resort to pseudocode here -- I hope it's clear enough.

if (currentWord is AND, NOT, or OR) {
  // do what you do anyway

  // then set this to show that we've just had a keyword
  // this will be useful in a second
  $lastWordWasKeyWord = true;
} else {
  // this is just a regular word -- not AND, NOT, or OR
  if ($lastWordWasKeyWord) {
    // do what you do anyway -- just add this word to the
    // SQL String
  } else {
    $strWhere = $StrWhere." or keywords like ".$arrSearch[$i]." ";
  }
  $lastWordWasKeyWord = false
}

That way, if I type in "clean underwear", $strWhere should end up as "keywords like clean or keywords like underwear"

I hope this makes sense... if not, maybe somebody who knows more PHP will help make it clearer! I promise I am learning though!

Cheers

Dave

PJNEW

Lateral thinking Hey!?

I think this exactly the way to go...thanks very much for posting. I am not ignoring, just have not had the time to implement it yet. Will respond when I do. But thanks anyway.