Defining List of Searchable Collections

As a part of deployment process, QuestManager generates parameter file qagent.prm that references one or more collections for which you deployed search facility. This article explains relevant parameters in case you need to modify file paths, define combined collections, change order of collections, etc.

QuestAgent search applet relies on collections parameter to get the list of available indices:

 collections = collRef1 collRef2

where collRefN is a collection identifier used later in collection definition. (QuestManager application uses collection’s internal name as reference when deploying search interface.)

After obtaining the list of collections, search engine will lookup for their definition that can have one of two forms described bellow.

Document collection index

The basic collection definition specifies index obtained as a result of indexing process:

 collection.<coll_ref>.name = Descriptive name
 collection.<coll_ref>.index = <path to index directory>
 collection.<coll_ref>.param.locationPrefix = <path to doc root>

Parameter index is relative path from deployment directory to directory containing collection index database.

Parameter locationPrefix is relative path from deployment directory to collection root directory.

There’s also an optional parameter that allows you to hide index from user but you can still reference it in combined collections or using JavaScript API.

 collection.<coll_ref>.hidden = yes

Never use absolute URLs to specify index location or location prefix. Absolute URLs will probably work for your environment only and search most probably won’t work in other environment (e.g. if you send you documentation site to your end-user).

Combined collection

Combined collection is a group of two or more collections that is visible to user as one big (joined) collection.

 collection.<collRef>.name = Descriptive name
 collection.<collRref>.sources = <collRefX> <collRefY>

Referenced source collections may lead to either index or other combined collections.

Example:

 collections = allBooks books12 book1 book2 book3

 collection.book1.name = The First Book
 collection.book1.index = qagent/index-book1
 collection.book1.param.locationPrefix = path_to_book_1/

 collection.book2.name = The Second Book
 collection.book2.index = qagent/index-book2
 collection.book2.param.locationPrefix = path_to_book_2/

 collection.book3.name = The Third Book
 collection.book3.index = qagent/index-book3
 collection.book3.param.locationPrefix = path_to_book_3/

 collection.books12.name = The First and The Second Book
 collection.books12.sources = book1 book2

 collection.allBooks.name = All Books
 collection.allBooks.sources = book1 book2 book3