# Acts\_as\_ferret and indexes created with ferret **URL:** \ **Category:** Ferret\ **Created:** [October 16, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/acts-as-ferret-and-indexes-created-with-ferret/151081 "2008-10-16T16:01:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lyes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@lyes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lyes)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 4:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/acts-as-ferret-and-indexes-created-with-ferret/151081/1 "2008-10-16T16:01:34Z")
Hello List! I’ve have created an index using a Rerret based application, and may aim is to create a Ruby R. Web application that will allows to search using my index! I tried yo use the acts\_as\_ferret plugin for Rails, but when I have read the tutorials, it seemed to mes that acts\_as\_ferret allows only to index the Ruby R. web application data stired in it’s data base, and helps to operate researches using the created index. But I really wonder if acts\_as\_ferret may allow to load an external already created index (Like the index I’ve created with my application) in order to use the acts\_as\_ferret technology to make researches on it and display the results using a Ruby R. application! Is this possible, if not, have any one any idea! thank you! ---
**Author:** ![lyes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@lyes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lyes)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/acts-as-ferret-and-indexes-created-with-ferret/151081/2 "2008-10-16T16:14:29Z")
Hi! On 16.10.2008, at 16:01, Lyes A. wrote: > But I really wonder if acts\_as\_ferret may allow to load an external > already created index (Like the index I’ve created with my > application) in order to use the acts\_as\_ferret technology to make > researches on it and display the results using a Ruby R. > application! > > Is this possible, if not, have any one any idea! If you don’t plan to modify the ferret index from inside your Rails application, the easiest way is to use Ferret’s API directly for querying your index. Acts\_as\_ferret won’t be of much help in your case, since it’s focus is to keep an index in sync with a database that is accessed via active record. Cheers, Jens – Jens Krämer webit! Gesellschaft für neue Medien mbH Schnorrstraße 76 | 01069 Dresden Telefon +49351467660 | Telefax +493514676666 removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid | [www.webit.de](http://www.webit.de) Amtsgericht Dresden | HRB 15422 GF Sven Haubold ---
**Author:** ![lyes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@lyes](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lyes)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/acts-as-ferret-and-indexes-created-with-ferret/151081/3 "2008-10-16T16:32:09Z")
On Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 3:13 PM, Jens Krämer [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > the tutorials, it seemed to mes that acts\_as\_ferret allows only to index the > > If you don’t plan to modify the ferret index from inside your Rails > application, the easiest way is to use Ferret’s API directly for querying > your index. Acts\_as\_ferret won’t be of much help in your case, since it’s > focus is to keep an index in sync with a database that is accessed via > active record. Hello Jens! Thank you for your reply, now it is more clear for me! But is there some to use the acts\_as\_ferret features (Like paginating and Highlighting) when I will display the results of my researche! for example, When I make a search on my index with ferret API, is it possible that I give acts\_as\_ferret the resulting topDocs object or the list of the hits to acts\_as\_ferret in such way that in the web page, this list will be paginated and the key words higlighted! Thanks