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CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

 
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  #181  
Old 11-18-2013, 05:43 AM
 
NikitaP NikitaP is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by carpeperdiem
Cloudsearch should own search on the site.

Hi guys,

Today we announce 1.3.0 beta which replaces the standard X-Cart search with CloudSearch engine. I would like to stress that this is beta and though it was tested on several installations I would want some volunteers to give their feedback on how it behaves in real stores before releasing stable 1.3.0.

Previously CloudSearch exposed its search function only via pop-up search widget, but thanks to suggestions of our users, starting from 1.3.0-beta it also enhances the quality of the default X-Cart search. It means that the separate search page will list results sorted by relevance, in the same order that the search popup does. Please note that it only works in customer area (we decided that more strict default search will suit admin's needs better in many cases than customer-oriented CloudSearch).

In order to install 1.3.0 beta:
1) Download beta module distribution (for X-Cart 4.4-4.6 or 4.1-4.3).
2) Extract it at X-Cart root (backup custom modifed CSS/etc).
3) Run install-cloudsearch.php. If it gives you warning about wrong permissions on include/install.php, please make this file writable. Previously CloudSearch module contained only new files, it didn't patch anything, but starting with 1.3.0 it will.

Look forward to your feedback!
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Sincerely yours,
Nikita Pchelintsev,
Product manager of CloudSearch,
Qualiteam Software Limited.
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  #182  
Old 11-18-2013, 06:17 AM
 
carpeperdiem carpeperdiem is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by NikitaP
Today we announce 1.3.0 beta which replaces the standard X-Cart search with CloudSearch engine.

Wow. I can't wait to test this! Unfortunately, the week before black friday is not always the calm before the storm that I wish it would be! I will try to test by tomorrow.

Nikita, THANK YOU for continuing the development and solving the challenges!! I was seriously thinking about installing an alternative search because too many customers were pressing "Search" and using default search function (which is less than ideal) - but if CloudSearch has the bells and whistles, and the CDN, and site search, and is easily configurable for mobile vs. desktop (all answers are yes), then the only "challenge" is cost -- and it's 15% off this week, right?



DId I ever ask you if it's possible to "tag" a static page to not be indexed by CloudSearch? I have many landing pages and "success" pages (such as "thank you for posting a review", or "thank you for joining our mailing list", or "thank you for contacting customer service") - these pages should not be indexed or served as a possible result by CloudSearch.

WHAT IF CloudSearch were to respect the directives in robots.txt?
Or if CloudSearch had a metatag to prevent being in the index?
Or if CloudSearch had its own robots.txt equivalent?

Any of these solutions would accomplish the goal - of not displaying a page that the customer should not see as a possible search result.

Thanks for considering this.

I'll report back after testing tonight.

Best,

Jeremy
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  #183  
Old 11-18-2013, 06:57 AM
 
carpeperdiem carpeperdiem is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by NikitaP
Previously CloudSearch exposed its search function only via pop-up search widget, but thanks to suggestions of our users, starting from 1.3.0-beta it also enhances the quality of the default X-Cart search. It means that the separate search page will list results sorted by relevance, in the same order that the search popup does.

I just had to do it...

Nikita,
Is the new beta /include/search.php supposed to also return static pages and/or categories? I am not seeing anything except products.
Version 4.5.4 goldplus.

PS -- at installation, I had to chmod 666 /include/search.php then refresh the installer. Just sharing.

I ran cleanup.php after the installation.

It doesn't appear that CloudSearch results are on search.php results. Yet. What could I have done wrong? Want to take this private?

Thanks,
J
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  #184  
Old 11-18-2013, 07:18 AM
 
NikitaP NikitaP is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Hi Jeremy,

Thank you for your feedback!

At the moment it is not supposed to return categories/manufacturers/pages on search.php. However suggestions on how it could look like (especially on multi-page listings) are welcome.

Could you please send your include/search.php to nikita@x-cart.com? Do you have any other search mods enabled?
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Sincerely yours,
Nikita Pchelintsev,
Product manager of CloudSearch,
Qualiteam Software Limited.
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  #185  
Old 11-18-2013, 07:47 AM
 
carpeperdiem carpeperdiem is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by NikitaP
At the moment it is not supposed to return categories/manufacturers/pages on search.php. However suggestions on how it could look like (especially on multi-page listings) are welcome.

1. you've got mail
2. Ah -- static pages (and category pages too) are an essential part of search -- of course you know that, and that's why CloudSearch is so awesome... but if the customer presses the "search button" -- the results must be what they are looking for... excluding these important pages that has the content they are looking for will only hurt the store, and not make for a good customer UX.

Can you grab the CloudSearch results and drop them on the include/search.php result page?

I know - how to format the page?... how about by relevance?
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  #186  
Old 11-18-2013, 10:00 AM
 
NikitaP NikitaP is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by carpeperdiem
Can you grab the CloudSearch results and drop them on the include/search.php result page?

I know - how to format the page?... how about by relevance?

Having a single list of products + categories + manufacturers + pages on a search page all sorted by relevance is a good idea. However I'm afraid that such a mixed list can look misleading to some merchants and/or customers expecting to see a list of just products.

What if there will be a [expandable/contractable] section above the product search results containing categories+manufacturers+static pages (and this section will be shown only on the first page of a multi-page results list)? I guess it will be a less obtrusive solution in some way.
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Nikita Pchelintsev,
Product manager of CloudSearch,
Qualiteam Software Limited.
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  #187  
Old 11-18-2013, 11:58 AM
 
NikitaP NikitaP is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by carpeperdiem
DId I ever ask you if it's possible to "tag" a static page to not be indexed by CloudSearch? I have many landing pages and "success" pages (such as "thank you for posting a review", or "thank you for joining our mailing list", or "thank you for contacting customer service") - these pages should not be indexed or served as a possible result by CloudSearch.

WHAT IF CloudSearch were to respect the directives in robots.txt?
Or if CloudSearch had a metatag to prevent being in the index?
Or if CloudSearch had its own robots.txt equivalent?

Any of these solutions would accomplish the goal - of not displaying a page that the customer should not see as a possible search result.

Your point is clear, please allow me some time to see if I can come up with a clean solution for this.
__________________
Sincerely yours,
Nikita Pchelintsev,
Product manager of CloudSearch,
Qualiteam Software Limited.
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  #188  
Old 11-19-2013, 03:26 AM
 
carpeperdiem carpeperdiem is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by NikitaP
Having a single list of products + categories + manufacturers + pages on a search page all sorted by relevance is a good idea. However I'm afraid that such a mixed list can look misleading to some merchants and/or customers expecting to see a list of just products.

Ah! But who said customers are only looking for "just products"?

The entire paradigm has shifted -- Chrome and Safari and Internet Explorer have removed "search" input fields. You are ALWAYS searching in these browsers. The customer is not expected to drill down or deal with "advanced searched" UX anymore... just type in what you want. The search engine must return the page/item that is most relevant.

Customers are looking for solutions. Not products.

What is the store's return policy? Shipping? Warranty? Owner's manuals? FAQ? Helpful videos? COMPETITOR branding? There are SO MANY ways customers want to use search -- constraining to products using "advanced search" is very 20th century.
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  #189  
Old 11-29-2013, 10:07 AM
 
kosmos kosmos is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Hello,

I've purchased and installed Cloud Search for a client who would like the color of the text in the drop down menu to be a color other than blue. Unfortunately, this seems to be set with either an inline style or by JavaScript/JQuery.(style="color: rgb(15, 157, 204)) Could you tell me where I can customize this color?
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  #190  
Old 11-29-2013, 09:58 PM
 
NikitaP NikitaP is offline
 

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Default Re: CloudSearch service for X-Cart has been released

Quote:
Originally Posted by kosmos
Hello,

I've purchased and installed Cloud Search for a client who would like the color of the text in the drop down menu to be a color other than blue. Unfortunately, this seems to be set with either an inline style or by JavaScript/JQuery.(style="color: rgb(15, 157, 204)) Could you tell me where I can customize this color?

Hello,

CloudSearch animates the color of links to do a smooth transition between them. While there's no way to configure the actual animated colors (I guess it will be most logical to be able to define them in CSS somehow, please let me think about it), it is possible to override the effect of animation in CSS:

HTML Code:
.instant-search-menu a { color: red !important; }
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Sincerely yours,
Nikita Pchelintsev,
Product manager of CloudSearch,
Qualiteam Software Limited.
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