Search Hacks #1 - Define Scopes by MOSS Metadata
Hey,
I guess you've already noticed but I'm a very big fan of the MOSS Search. Yep, I think this is a key feature in MOSS and should get R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Unfortunately, just like any other Microsoft toy - it's not so perfect (and some nasty people will say "not even damm close..."). But Worry NOT! After all, we should always look on the bright side. MOSS Search is probably one of the most customizable features in SharePoint 2007 and we can usually make it much better with some minimal effort. I'm initiating today a new sub-blog that will be called "Search Hacks". The purpose of those posts will be to shed some light on the dark places of Enterprise Search and create some very cool solutions in practically no time...
The first Search Hack I'll post here will be dedicated for Scopes. In MOSS Search, Scopes are defined by a set of rules to include/exclude content from the Index repository. The rule set available in this version is actually very useful since we now can use a little thing called "Content Class". Scope rules are usually based on Content Sources or start address, however in this version - those are actually the lame possibilities of that feature. The major cool thing is that now you can base a rule on a query definition for the Content Classes in MOSS. The Out-Of-The-Box example for use of that feature is the People Scope that is just a simple Content Class definition. Take a second and think of the possibilities! For example: Define in 2 seconds a new scope that consists from Pictures or Picture Libraries objects only. You've just created a Picture Search for MOSS objects. Just like the big players in the web (Live, Google and other friends). And this is only the beginning!
The only problem is that the syntax is really a pretty messed up one. To make it a bit more easy (I promised minimal time), I'm attaching a list of all available Content Classes in MOSS. Just copy-paste and start combining and create new Scopes in your Search Center:
|
Search Query |
urn:content-class:SPSSearchQuery |
|
News Listing |
urn:content-class:SPSListing:News |
|
People |
urn:content-class:SPSPeople |
|
Category |
urn:content-classes:SPSCategory |
|
Listing |
urn:content-classes:SPSListing |
|
Person Listing |
urn:content-classes:SPSPersonListing |
|
Text Listing |
urn:content-classes:SPSTextListing |
|
Site Listing |
urn:content-classes:SPSSiteListing |
|
Site Registry Listing |
urn:content-classes:SPSSiteRegistry |
|
Site |
STS_Web |
|
List |
STS_List |
|
List Item |
STS_ListItem |
|
Events |
STS_List_Events |
|
Tasks |
STS_List_Tasks |
|
Announcements |
STS_List_Announcements |
|
Discussions |
STS_List_DiscussionBoard |
|
Contacts |
STS_List_Contacts |
|
Links |
STS_List_Links |
|
Document Library |
STS_List_DocumentLibrary |
|
Document Library Items |
STS_ListItem_DocumentLibrary |
|
Picture Library |
STS_List_PictureLibrary |
|
Picture Library Items |
STS_ListItem_PictureLibrary |
That's it for now. GO PLAY!
Adir Ron