Trying to create search filter persistence using SearchLogic

Rails
1

I have just set up a search form on my index using SearchLogic- it
works great. However, since there are several search parameters in the
form I want the results of the most recent search to remain in effect
until the user does a new search. I can’t figure out how to do this!
I’ve tried a few things with global and session variables but just
can’t get it working.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

2

I have done something along these lines using a database store. I
dont use SearchLogic, but build my searches using anonymous scope and
also use Thinking Sphinx.

I have a search model with attributes as below:

Where the search was made from:
t.string “user”
t.string “model_name”
t.string “controller”
Details of the search
t.text “search_filter”
t.string “search_type”
t.string “search_field”
t.integer “page”
t.integer “per_page”
t.string “name”

user holds the id for the user making this search.
search_filter contains the search fields serialized, so it can save
fields for searches against any model. I also save the controller
since I may be searching the same model from different controllers and
want to keep separate filters.
Search field contains the search term if it is a Sphinx search, and
search_type defines if the search is normal or sphinx
I have a name field which I have not yet implemented but which is
intended eventually to allow users to store pre defined named
searches.
The user is also allowed to change the per_page setting so I save that
too.

To use the search in the controller requires three standard method
calls as below:
@search=Search.set_search(@user,Product,params)
@[email protected]
@[email protected]_search

set_search does an update or create for this user,model,controller.
It uses the params hash to get the controller and to serialize the
current filter fields.

The do search method in the search model makes a call to a method
which I have called ‘filtered’ in each model being searched (so the
actual search is local to each model). I havnt used search_logic, but
I guess with that you wouldnt need to have a specific method in each
model. In the ‘filtered’ method in the model being searched, I check
to see if I am doing a normal database search, or if it is Sphinx
search (my form has a search box as well as filter fields).

For the filter fields, I use an instance of the model being searched
which makes building the search form really easy.

It may not be the best approach, but it works for me and I have done
my best to minimise and standardise the code in the controller.
I hope it may at least give you some ideas or provoke some other
responses.

Tonypm

3

dburges wrote:

I have just set up a search form on my index using SearchLogic- it
works great. However, since there are several search parameters in the
form I want the results of the most recent search to remain in effect
until the user does a new search. I can’t figure out how to do this!
I’ve tried a few things with global and session variables but just
can’t get it working.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

The previous form values you want for re-initializing the form are
passed into your controller method in the params object. If you have
built your form around an object called @search like this:

form_for @search do |f|

you just need to initialize @search with the search values in params, in
the controller method (perhaps Controller#index), like this:

@search = Model.search(params[:search])

If you have fields that are not part of Model that you want to include
in the search and have those initialized to, define a named_scope in
Model, and use that named_scope in the form for @search. Then it will
also be part of the params search values and get initialized along with
the other, automatically generated named scopes that correspond to the
model fields.

For example, to add a check box that limits the search to rows with a
certain condition, you could define a named scope in Model.rb like this:

named_scope :my_condition, :conditions => “your sql condition here”

Then in the view form, you would include:
<%= f.label :my_condition, “Check to apply my condition” %>
<%= f.check_box :my_condition %>

4

Patrick Shainin wrote:

For example, to add a check box that limits the search to rows with a
certain condition, you could define a named scope in Model.rb like this:

named_scope :my_condition, :conditions => “your sql condition here”

Then in the view form, you would include:
<%= f.label :my_condition, “Check to apply my condition” %>
<%= f.check_box :my_condition %>

I forgot that f.check_box adds a hidden field so even unchecked, the
condition will trigger. One way to get around that is to use lambda in
the named scope and adjust what condition gets included based on the
check box value:

named_scope :my_condition, lambda { |check| “1”==check ? {:conditions=>
“your sql condition here”} : {}}