Is there any other activity more popular on the Internet than searching? Probably not. In fact, I'd be willing to double-down on that wager (I'm on the side of searching being the most popular if it wasn't obvious).
What's that number one site on the nets? Oh yeah, it's Google - and they do search.
So, this simply means one thing. Your focus on Drupal search should be close to number one. The default search in Drupal works okay, and just a bit beyond, if you're searching for "cool" and "cool" stuff exists. However, searching for "cool" doesn't cut it when "coolness" is the title for all your cool nodes. Your users pretty much have to hit the right words spot on.
You can enhance Drupal's default search with modules such as Porter-Stemmer (which I suggest using as your fallback search) which breaks a word like "coolness" down into its stem words - ala "cool".
But you simply can't beat the Apache Solr Module in terms of allowing users to narrow down exactly what they might be looking for.
The big problem to using this module is setting up your own Apache Solr instance and running a Java-based Lucene server.
The solution to this problem is the Acquia Search service provided via the Acquia Network. After a quick 30 minute setup, I had the GotDrupal.com web site singing the glory of faceted searching. This video will provide you with all the great details about using the Acquia Search service and setting up the Apache Solr module within Drupal.
Many thanks to Robert Douglas and any one else who has been leading the charge for such a powerful searching enhancement to Drupal! This video is dedicated to you guys!
Here are some other links to valuable content about improving the Drupal search experience.
If you have other's then please comment!
Hi,
I'm Jacob Singh, one of the developers of Acquia Search. I'm glad that this product is as useful to you as I hoped and thanks for getting the word out!
We're currently in a public beta which means free for about 6 months. But don't be scared! The eventual pricing will be very reasonable. In fact, many people think this will cost a fortune post beta and are shying away, so we're crunching some numbers to release preliminary pricing this month.
Stay tuned to the planet or Acquia.com
Best,
Jacob
P.S. I don't think we require 6.10 but I could be wrong. I think we just require 6.x, but better to be upgraded anyway.
While this video is excellent and I'm glad it is ther, it is actually not the best way to install Acquia Search.
The easiest way is to just download a single archive, unzip and add to your site.
All of this CVS stuff is actually not recommended, and not supported. We release a specific version of apachesolr along with our distro or as a standalone, and using any other version from CVS is not recommended.
Here are step by step setup instructions for Acquia Search:
http://acquia.com/products-services/acquia-search
Thanks!
Jacob
Hey Jacob,
I'm glad you found the video helpful for people who will use the service. In my effort to be as thorough as possible. There are two reasons why I showed the information about the SolrPhpClient and mentioned the use of CVS. The CVS mention is because that's what I use personally because it's infinitely easier to upgrade/maintain a site than it is to download tabarlls.
Yes, while the vast majority of people will download, it always pays to know how something is working behind the scenes. It helps you troubleshoot when you come across a problem. Regarding Acquia using their own flavor of Apache Solr module; I hope you don't and would stay in line with the module on D.O. Until Acquia offers access to a repository for pulling the latest version, it adds that much more hassle to managing a complete site release system.
The second reason I mentioned it was for those who are running Drupal and may want to setup their own Lucene server. Knowing that you need the Apache Solr module and the SolrPhpClient are critical things to know.
I applaud the work that you guys have done at Acquia. I, for one, will be using Acquia's service because I don't want to setup and manage a Lucene server and Solr. To that end, I hope the video provides the completeness that people are looking for when seeking knowledge about this technology.
Matt
Thanks Matt for your great video. And thanks for showing the information about the SolrPhpClient and the use of CVSsetup. They both better matches my needs because I'm an open source contributor I have my own Lucene server. I would recommend the Acquia option for those who don't have the resources and or technical knowledge though.
The faceted search feature is the most popular way that I know of for searching very large website.
Onopoc