Heretto Portal Search Facets
Search Facets Configuration Overview
Learn how to configure custom portal search facets to refine search results and improve user experience in Heretto Portal by utilizing content attributes and metadata.
A search facet is a specific attribute or characteristic of search results that can be used to filter and refine search results. Facets enable users to narrow down search results based on various categories or criteria, making it easier to find relevant information quickly.
Faceted search is particularly useful because it provides an intuitive way to narrow down large result sets by applying multiple filters simultaneously. This helps users manage the complexity of searching vast amounts of information by breaking it down into manageable, relevant segments.
Heretto Portal has two types of search facets available: facets based on the structure of your main sitemap and facets based on taxonomy metadata.
- Sitemap Structure-based Facets
Facets that are automatically added to your portal based on the structure of your main sitemap. For example, if your main sitemap contains six tiles, each for a different product or product group, the search page in your portal automatically includes a search facet group with six search facets, each representing a product or product group. As a result, it is easy to narrow down your search results by subject.
- Taxonomy Metadata-based Facets
Facets that can be configured in Heretto CCMS and Heretto Portal environments. This facet type leverages metadata that you assign to files in the CCMS. You can use metadata search facets in both the CCMS and portal. You have full control over which metadata is available as a portal search facet. This approach enables you to create custom search facets designed specifically for your content and audience.
If you work with the Heretto team to design and build Heretto Portal as part of the Portal Branding and Configuration package, we ask which search facets you want and set them up for you. However, even when the Heretto team performs the initial configuration for you, because you may want to make changes over time, it is beneficial for you to know how to manage your search facets.
In this section, we explain how to:
- Configure search facets
- Localize search facets that are based on taxonomy metadata
- Add custom search facets to a portal environment
- Complete configurations for both the CCMS and portal
Search Facet Configuration Process
Learn how to configure search facets by creating a taxonomy, enabling metadata, assigning it to files, and enabling it as search facets for your portal. You will also learn how to localize your search facets.
This process outlines the necessary steps to configure search facets, including required and optional steps. Unless stated otherwise, all steps are required.
The search results page in your portal now includes additional search facets that anyone with access to your portal can use to refine their search results. Because you configured your search facets in the master branch in Heretto CCMS, currently, your search facets are visible only in the portal environment associated with the master branch.
Push all files you modified from the master branch to other branches associated with your portal environments to ensure your changes are visible there. We recommend using the replace mechanism when pushing your changes. If needed, publish your changes to portal from the Deployments interface.
Create a Taxonomy with Search Facets
Search facets are a finite, controlled set of attributes a user can use to refine their search results in Heretto Portal. To ensure your search facets are organized well and easy to use, you start by organizing them in a taxonomy in Heretto CCMS.
You create a taxonomy for search facets just like any other taxonomy in the CCMS. You can create one or more taxonomy for your search facets. To create a taxonomy, you need to be assigned the Administrator role in the CCMS.
You added a taxonomy in the CCMS and populated it with terms. It is not visible anywhere outside of the Taxonomy interface. You are ready to enable the taxonomy as metadata.
Enable Search Facet Taxonomy as Metadata
With your search facet taxonomy ready in Heretto CCMS, you can now enable it as metadata in the CCMS. As a result, you will be able to assign that metadata to files and search for files in the CCMS.
You enable your search facet taxonomy as metadata just like you would any other taxonomy. To enable a taxonomy as metadata, you need to be assigned the Administrator role in the CCMS.
Your metadata category should look similar to this. Note the empty third field (expected).
Add Search Facet Metadata to Files
With your taxonomy and metadata configured, you are ready to add metadata to files in Heretto CCMS.
You can add metadata to files individually in the Resource Drawer or to a group of files in a bulk operation. Users assigned the Administrator, Editor/Manager, and Author roles in Heretto CCMS can add metadata to files in the CCMS.
You add search facet metadata to files on the master branch. Once configured, that metadata becomes search facets in the environment that is associated with the master branch. To see search facets in other portal environments, including production, you need to push all your changes from master to branches associated with those portal environments.
Add metadata to files individually
Add metadata to files in a bulk operation
Your files now have metadata assigned to them. You can view the metadata for a file by clicking the file and scrolling down in the Overview tab of the Resource Drawer. From there, you can also expand the API Info view and click REST URL to view all metadata for a file.
You are now ready to enable the metadata as Heretto Portal search facets. If you localize your content, this is also a good moment to send your search facets for localization.
Send Portal Search Facets for Localization
When publishing localized content to Heretto Portal, ensure that your custom search facets are localized to the same languages (and locale codes) as your content. For example, if you localize your content to German (the de-de locale code), localize your search facet labels to German and associate them with the de-de locale code.
Once configured, when a user switches to German in your portal, both content and search facets are available in German.
Once you get the localized search facets back from your LSP, you can add them to your portal configuration.
Add Localized Portal Search Facets to Portal Configuration
Navigate to the config.json file
Open the config.json file in the Source Editor and find i18n
Add the locale code to config.json
Associate metadata name values (identifiers) with localized labels (search facets) in config.json
Add localized taxonomy entries (search facets) to config.json
Enable Metadata as Portal Search Facets
You enable metadata as portal search facets by modifying the config.json file that your main portal sitemap uses. Portions of this procedure can be completed only by users assigned the Administrator role in Heretto CCMS. We recommend that Administrators complete the entire procedure as it involves working in the Source Editor and requires access to the Administration interface.
Open the config.json file in the Source Editor
Populate the facets parameter with metadata Name values
If the deployment from the master branch to Heretto Portal uses the active sync deployment type, your facets are visible in the portal environment associated with your master branch instantaneously. If the deployment uses manual deploy, a user assigned the Administrator role in the CCMS needs to publish it to portal from the Deployments interface available under the Main Menu .
If you want to arrange your search facets in a specific, custom order, see Change the Order of Search Facets.
Push all files you modified from the master branch to other branches associated with your portal environments to ensure your changes are visible there. We recommend using the replace mechanism when pushing your changes. If needed, publish your changes to portal from the Deployments interface.
Change the Order of Search Facets
You can rearrange the order of search facets by overriding the default sorting order. This is especially useful if your search facets are based on taxonomies and metadata.
Navigate to the config.json file
Open the config.json file in the Source Editor
Add the facetsAdvancedSettings
parameter to the config.json file
If the deployment from the master branch to Heretto Portal uses the active sync deployment type, your facets are visible in the portal environment associated with your master branch instantaneously. If the deployment uses manual deploy, a user assigned the Administrator role in the CCMS needs to publish it to portal from the Deployments interface available under the Main Menu .
Push all files you modified from the master branch to other branches associated with your portal environments to ensure your changes are visible there. We recommend using the replace mechanism when pushing your changes. If needed, publish your changes to portal from the Deployments interface.