Formatted Search

Inline search feature allows flexible formatting of search result

The default output format of a %SEARCH{...}% is a table consisting of topic names and topic summaries. Use the format="..." parameter to customize the search result. The format parameter typically defines a bullet or a table row containing macros, such as %SEARCH{ "food" format="| $topic | $summary |" }%. See %SEARCH{...}% for other search parameters, such as separator="".

Syntax

Two parameters can be used to specify a customized search result:

1. header="..." parameter

Use the header parameter to specify the header of a search result. It should correspond to the format of the format parameter. This parameter is optional.
Example: header="| *Topic:* | *Summary:* |"

Format tokens that can be used in the header string:

Name:	Expands To:
$web	Name of the web
$n or $n()	New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
$nop or $nop()	Is a "no operation". This token gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot	Double quote (") (\" also works)
$percnt	Percent sign (%)
$dollar	Dollar sign ($)
$lt	Less than sign (<)
$gt	Greater than sign (>)
$amp	Ampersand (&)

2. footer="..." parameter

Use the footer parameter to specify the footer of a search result. It should correspond to the format of the format parameter. This parameter is optional.
Example: footer="| *Topic* | *Summary* |"

Format tokens that can be used in the footer string:

Name:	Expands To:
$web	Name of the web
$ntopics	Number of topics found in current web
$nhits	Number of hits if multiple="on". Cumulative across all topics in current web. Identical to $ntopics unless multiple="on"
$n or $n()	New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
$nop or $nop()	Is a "no operation". This token gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot	Double quote (") (\" also works)
$percnt	Percent sign (%)
$dollar	Dollar sign ($)
$lt	Less than sign (<)
$gt	Greater than sign (>)
$amp	Ampersand (&)

3. format="..." parameter

Use the format parameter to specify the format of one search hit.
Example: format="| $topic | $summary |"

Format tokens that can be used in the format string:

Name:	Expands To:
$web	Name of the web
$topic	Topic name
$topic(20)	Topic name, "- " hyphenated each 20 characters
$topic(30, -<br />)	Topic name, hyphenated each 30 characters with separator "-<br />"
$topic(40, ...)	Topic name, shortended to 40 characters with "..." indication
$parent	Name of parent topic; empty if not set
$parent(20)	Name of parent topic, same hyphenation/shortening like $topic()
$text	Formatted topic text. In case of a multiple="on" search, it is the line found for each search hit.
$locked	LOCKED flag (if any)
$date	Time stamp of last topic update, e.g. 01 Aug 2010 - 04:11
$isodate	Time stamp of last topic update, e.g. 2010-08-01T04:11Z
$rev	Number of last topic revision, e.g. 4
$username	Login name of last topic update, e.g. jsmith
$wikiname	Wiki user name of last topic update, e.g. JohnSmith
$wikiusername	Wiki user name of last topic update, like Main.JohnSmith
$createdate	Time stamp of topic revision 1
$createusername	Login name of topic revision 1, e.g. jsmith
$createwikiname	Wiki user name of topic revision 1, e.g. JohnSmith
$createwikiusername	Wiki user name of topic revision 1, e.g. Main.JohnSmith
$summary	Topic summary, just the plain text, all formatting and line breaks removed; up to 162 characters
$summary(50)	Topic summary, up to 50 characters shown
$summary(showvarnames)	Topic summary, with %SOMEMACRO{...}% macros shown as SOMEMACRO{...}
$summary(noheader)	Topic summary, with leading ---+ headers removed Note: The tokens can be combined, for example $summary(100, showvarnames, noheader)
$changes	Summary of changes between latest rev and previous rev
$changes(n)	Summary of changes between latest rev and rev n
$formname	The name of the form attached to the topic; empty if none
$formfield(name)	The field value of a form field; for example, $formfield(TopicClassification) would get expanded to PublicFAQ. This applies only to topics that have a DataForm
$formfield(name, 10)	Form field value, "- " hyphenated each 10 characters
$formfield(name, 20, -<br />)	Form field value, hyphenated each 20 characters with separator "-<br />"
$formfield(name, 30, ...)	Form field value, shortended to 30 characters with "..." indication
$pattern(reg-exp)	A regular expression pattern to extract some text from a topic (does not search meta data; use $formfield instead). In case of a multiple="on" search, the pattern is applied to the line found in each search hit. • Specify a Regular Expression that covers the whole text (topic or line), which typically starts with .*, and must end in .* • Put text you want to keep in parenthesis, like $pattern(.*?(from here.*?to here).*) • Example: $pattern(.*?\*.*?Email\:\s*([^\n\r]+).*) extracts the e-mail address from a bullet of format * Email: ... • This example has non-greedy .*? patterns to scan for the first occurance of the Email bullet; use greedy .* patterns to scan for the last occurance • Limitation: Do not use .*) inside the pattern, e.g. $pattern(.*foo(.*)bar.*) does not work, but $pattern(.*foo(.*?)bar.*) does • Note: Make sure that the integrity of a web page is not compromised; for example, if you include an HTML table make sure to include everything including the table end tag
$count(reg-exp)	Count of number of times a regular expression pattern appears in the text of a topic (does not search meta data). Follows guidelines for use and limitations outlined above under $pattern(reg-exp). Example: $count(.*?(---[+][+][+][+]) .*) counts the number of <H4> headers in a page.
$ntopics	Number of topics found in current web. This is the current topic count, not the total number of topics
$nhits	Number of hits if multiple="on". Cumulative across all topics in current web. Identical to $ntopics unless multiple="on"
$n or $n()	New line. Use $n() if followed by alphanumeric character, e.g. write Foo$n()Bar instead of Foo$nBar
$nop or $nop()	Is a "no operation". This token gets removed; useful for nested search
$quot	Double quote (") (\" also works)
$percnt	Percent sign (%)
$dollar	Dollar sign ($)
$lt	Less than sign (<)
$gt	Greater than sign (>)
$amp	Ampersand (&)

Examples

Here are some samples of formatted searches. The Search Pattern Cookbook has other examples, such as creating a picklist of usernames, searching for topic children and more.

Bullet list showing topic name and summary

Write this:

%SEARCH{ "VarREMOTE" scope="topic" nosearch="on" nototal="on" header="| *Topic* | *Summary* |" format="| [[$topic]] | $summary |"  footer="| *Topics found* | *$ntopics* |"  }%

To get this:

Topic	Summary
Var REMOTEADDR	#VarREMOTEADDR REMOTE ADDR environment variable Syntax: % nop REMOTE ADDR% Expands to: Related: ENV, HTTP HOST, REMOTE PORT, REMOTE USER
Var REMOTEPORT	#VarREMOTEPORT REMOTE PORT environment variable Syntax: % nop REMOTE PORT% Expands to: Related: ENV, HTTP HOST, REMOTE ADDR, REMOTE USER
Var REMOTEUSER	#VarREMOTEUSER REMOTE USER environment variable Syntax: % nop REMOTE USER% Expands to: Related: ENV, HTTP HOST, REMOTE ADDR, REMOTE PORT, USERNAME ...
Topics found	3

Table showing form field values of topics with a form

In a web where there is a form that contains a TopicClassification field, an OperatingSystem field and an OsVersion field we could write:

| *Topic:* | *OperatingSystem:* | *OsVersion:* |
%SEARCH{ "[T]opicClassification.*?value=\"[P]ublicFAQ\"" scope="text" type="regex" nosearch="on" nototal="on" format="| [[$topic]] | $formfield(OperatingSystem) | $formfield(OsVersion) |" }%

To get this:

Topic:	OperatingSystem:	OsVersion:
IncorrectDllVersionW32PTH10DLL	OsWin	95/98
WinDoze95Crash	OsWin	95

Extract some text from a topic using regular expression

Write this:

%SEARCH{ "\*Back to:\* FrequentlyAskedQuestions" scope="text" type="regex" nosearch="on" nototal="on" header="FAQs:" format="   * $pattern(.*?FAQ\:[\n\r]*([^\n\r]+).*) [[$topic][Answer...]]" footer="Found $ntopics FAQ topics" }%

To get this:

FAQs:

• How can I create a simple data form based application? Answer...
• How do I delete or rename a topic? Answer...
• How do I delete or rename a file attachment? Answer...
• I would like to install Foswiki on my server. Can I get the source? Answer...
• Why does the topic revision not increase when I edit a topic? Answer...
• Foswiki has a GPL (GNU General Public License). What is GPL? Answer...
• I've problems with the WebSearch. There is no Search Result on any inquiry. By clicking the Index topic it's the same problem. Answer...
• What happens if two of us try to edit the same topic simultaneously? Answer...
• So what is this WikiWiki thing exactly? Answer...

Found 9 FAQ topics

Nested Search

Search can be nested. For example, search for some topics, then form a new search for each topic found in the first search. The idea is to build the nested search string using a formatted search in the first search.

Here is an example. Let's search for all topics that contain the word "culture" (first search), and let's find out where each topic found is linked from (second search).

• First search:
  • %SEARCH{ "culture" format="   * $topic is referenced by: (list all references)" nosearch="on" nototal="on" }%
• Second search. For each hit we want this search:
  • %SEARCH{ "(topic found in first search)" format="$topic" nosearch="on" nototal="on" separator=", " }%
• Now let's nest the two. We need to escape the second search, e.g. the first search will build a valid second search string. Note that we escape the second search so that it does not get evaluated prematurely by the first search:
  • Use $percnt to escape the leading percent of the second search
  • Use \" to escape the double quotes
  • Use $dollar to escape the $ of $topic
  • Use $nop to escape the }% sequence

Write this:

%SEARCH{ "culture" format="   * $topic is referenced by:$n      * $percntSEARCH{ \"$topic\" format=\"$dollartopic\" nosearch=\"on\" nototal=\"on\" separator=\", \" }$nop%" nosearch="on" nototal="on" }%

To get this:

• Access Control is referenced by:
  • Command And CGIScripts, Complete Documentation, Data Forms, Default Preferences, Developing Plugins, File Attachment, Installation Guide, Macros, Main Features, Managing Topics, Managing Users, Reference Manual, Release History, Release Notes 01x 00, Site Permissions, Site Tools, Topics And Webs, Twenty Minute Tutorial, User Authentication, Var SEARCH, Web Preferences, Web Preferences Help, Wiki Word
• Beginners Start Here is referenced by:
  • Macros Quick Start, New User Template, Release Notes 01x 00, Users Guide, Web Left Bar, Web Left Bar Example, Welcome Guest
• Formatted Search is referenced by:
  • Access Control, Book View, Command And CGIScripts, Complete Documentation, Data Forms, Edit Table Plugin, Format Tokens, Meta Data, Query Search, Reference Manual, Release History, Release Notes 01x 00, Render List Plugin, Search Help, Search Pattern Cookbook, Site Tools, Spaced Wiki Word Plugin, Spread Sheet Plugin, Twisty Plugin, Var META, Var METASEARCH, Var SEARCH, Var URLPARAM, Web Left Bar, Web Left Bar Example
• Var Cache Plugin Test is referenced by:
• Wabi Sabi is referenced by:
  • Wabi Sabi, What Is Wiki Wiki
• Welcome Guest is referenced by:
  • Beginners Start Here, New User Template, Starting Points, Users Guide, Web Home, Web Preferences, What Is Wiki Wiki, You Are Here
• What Is Wiki Wiki is referenced by:
• Wiki Culture is referenced by:
  • Access Control, Beginners Start Here, Wabi Sabi, Welcome Guest, What Is Wiki Wiki

Note: Nested search can be slow, especially if you nest more then 3 times. Nesting is limited to 16 levels. For each new nesting level you need to "escape the escapes", e.g. write $dollarpercntSEARCH{ for level three, $dollardollarpercntSEARCH{ for level four, etc.

Most recently changed pages

Write this:

%SEARCH{ "\.*" scope="topic" type="regex" nosearch="on" nototal="on" order="modified" reverse="on"  format="| [[$topic]] | $wikiusername  | $date |" limit="7" }%

To get this:

Web Topic Creator	Project Contributor	13 Sep 2009 - 01:30
Wiki Wiki Clones	Project Contributor	12 Sep 2009 - 02:11
Wiki Notation	Project Contributor	12 Sep 2009 - 02:10
Web Topic List	Project Contributor	12 Sep 2009 - 02:10
Wiki Word	Project Contributor	12 Sep 2009 - 02:01
Web Template Topics	Project Contributor	12 Sep 2009 - 01:56
Webs Table	Project Contributor	12 Sep 2009 - 01:51

Search with conditional output

A regular expression search is flexible, but there are limitations. For example, you cannot show all topics that are up to exactly one week old, or create a report that shows all records with invalid form fields or fields within a certain range, etc. You need some additional logic to format output based on a condition:

1. Specify a search which returns more hits then you need
2. For each search hit apply a spreadsheet formula to determine if the hit is needed
3. If needed, format and output the result
4. Else supress the search hit

This requires the Foswiki:Extensions.SpreadSheetPlugin. The following example shows all topics that are up to exactly one week old.

Write this:

%CALC{$SET(weekold, $TIMEADD($TIME(), -7, day))}%
%SEARCH{ "." scope="topic" type="regex" nosearch="on" nototal="on" order="modified" reverse="on" format="$percntCALC{$IF($TIME($date) < $GET(weekold), <nop>, | [[$topic]] | $wikiusername | $date | $rev |)}$percnt" limit="100" }%

• The first line sets the weekold variable to the serialized date of exactly one week ago
• The SEARCH has a deferred CALC. The $percnt makes sure that the CALC gets executed once for each search hit
• The CALC compares the date of the topic with the weekold date
• If topic is older, a <nop> is returned, which gets removed at the end of the rendering process
• Otherwise, the search hit is formatted and returned

To get this:

Embedding search forms to return a formatted result

Use an HTML form and an embedded formatted search on the same topic. You can link them together with an %URLPARAM{"..."}% macro. Example:

Write this:

<form action="%SCRIPTURLPATH{"view"}%/%WEB%/%TOPIC%">
Find Topics: 
<input type="text" name="q" size="32" value="%URLPARAM{"q" encode="entity"}%" />&nbsp;<input type="submit" class="foswikiSubmit" value="Search" />
</form>
Result:
%SEARCH{ search="%URLPARAM{"q" encode="quote"}%" type="keyword" format="   * $web.$topic: %BR% $summary" nosearch="on" }%

To get this:

Find Topics:  

Result:

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Related Topics: User Documentation Category, Search Help, Macros#VarSEARCH, Search Pattern Cookbook, Regular Expression