# Highlighting isue in description

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/highlighting-isue-in-description/114467>\
**Category:** Ferret\
**Created:** [September 13, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/highlighting-isue-in-description/114467 "2007-09-13T00:08:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dorelal](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@dorelal](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dorelal)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 12:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/highlighting-isue-in-description/114467/1 "2007-09-13T00:08:22Z")

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I have read the highlighting section at  
[http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/2/19/acts-as-ferret-tutorial#highlighting](http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/2/19/acts-as-ferret-tutorial#highlighting)

It mentions that for highlight to work I must have {:store =\> :yes}.  
However it also mentions that only “small” fields should be stored.

My question is how small is small enough.

I have a site where events information is maintained. I have events  
title and events description. On an average the description is of 60  
words and around 300 characters.

When search is performed I want to display the excerpt of description in  
highlighted fashion. For that to work I need to {:store =\> :yes} the  
description field.

What is the recommended practice. How others are displaying the  
description highlight. I am leaning towards storing the whole  
description. Is 60 words too many words?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dorelal](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@dorelal](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dorelal)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2007, 9:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/highlighting-isue-in-description/114467/2 "2007-09-13T09:24:15Z")

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On Thu, Sep 13, 2007 at 12:08:22AM +0200, Raj S. wrote:

> I have read the highlighting section at  
> [http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/2/19/acts-as-ferret-tutorial#highlighting](http://www.railsenvy.com/2007/2/19/acts-as-ferret-tutorial#highlighting)
> 
> It mentions that for highlight to work I must have {:store =\> :yes}.  
> However it also mentions that only “small” fields should be stored.
> 
> My question is how small is small enough.

that depends on how large you want your index to grow, and how long the  
indexing may take 😉

> I have a site where events information is maintained. I have events  
> title and events description. On an average the description is of 60  
> words and around 300 characters.

That shouldn’t be a problem. To save space with large field contents you  
may also use :store =\> :compressed, however with 300 characters that  
shouldn’t be necessary.

Jens

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