Developers can be a stubborn lot. We like to focus on the things we know really well, and things we don’t deal with as often can be seen as “hard”. Search is one of those things that gets written off a lot, few devs I know will deal with it (voluntarily), and almost everyone will tell you “WordPress search sucks.” In this presentation you will learn that not only do you know more about how search works than you thought you did, but maybe give you a better understanding of how WordPress works as a whole, as well as showing you some cool tricks that you can do with WordPress search.

1. Why Hacking WordPress
Search Isn’t Some Big
Scary Thing
WordCamp SLC 2014
Chris Reynolds
@jazzs3quence

2. Who’s
this guy?

3. Who’s
this guy?
WordPress Developer

4. Who’s
this guy?
WordPress Developer

5. Who’s
this guy?
WordPress Developer

6. Who’s
this guy?
WordPress Developer
Course Author

7. 3 misconceptions
about search

8. 3 misconceptions
about search
1.“I don’t know anything about
search.”

9. 3 misconceptions
about search
1.“I don’t know anything about
search.”
?s=some%20query

10. 3 misconceptions
about search

11. 3 misconceptions
about search
2.“WordPress search is hard.”

12. 3 misconceptions
about search

13. 3 misconceptions
about search
3.“WordPress search sucks.”

14. 3 misconceptions
about search
3.“WordPress search sucks.”
Does what you ask it to.

15. 3 misconceptions
about search
3.“WordPress search sucks.”
Does what you ask it to.
No weight given to titles vs. content.

16. 3 misconceptions
about search
3.“WordPress search sucks.”
Does what you ask it to.
No weight given to titles vs. content.
You can do a lot of cool stuff with
search…

17. 3 misconceptions
about search
3.“WordPress search sucks.”
Does what you ask it to.
No weight given to titles vs. content.
You can do a lot of cool stuff with
search…
(if you know how)

18. What does WordPress
search do?
?s=your%20search

19. What does WordPress
search do?
?s=your%20search

20. What does WordPress
search do?
?s=your%20search
( $wpdb->posts.post_title LIKE %s ) OR
( $wpdb->posts.post_content LIKE %s )

21. Let me tell you
something about
query strings and
the WordPress Loop

22. Recognize this?
?p=123

23. What’s going
on?
?p=123

24. What about
this?
?cat=music

25. What’s going
on?
?cat=music

26. Did you know you
can combine these?
?post_type=article&cat=music

27. What’s going
on?
?post_type=article&
taxonomy=music&term=jazz

29. -?p=123

30. -?p=123
-?paged=2

31. -?p=123
-?paged=2
-?cat=music

32. -?p=123
-?paged=2
-?cat=music
-?s=your%20search

34. $args = array(
'post_type' => 'music',
'paged' => $paged,
'orderby' => 'date',
'order' => 'DESC',
'post_status' => 'publish',
'ignore_sticky_posts' => 1
);
!
$my_query = new WP_Query( $args );
!
if ( $my_query->have_posts() ) :
while ( $my_query->have_posts() ) :
the_post();

35. $my_query = new
WP_Query( 'post_type=music&post_stat
us=publish&orderby=date&order=DESC&p
aged=' . $paged .
'&ignore_sticky_posts=1');
!
if ( $my_query->have_posts() ) :
while ( $my_query->have_posts() ) :
the_post();

36. domain.com/?
post_type=music&post_status=publish&
orderby=date&order=DESC&paged=2&igno
re_sticky_posts=1

37. WordPress search
isn’t hard

38. WordPress search
isn’t hard
You already know all this stuff

39. WordPress search
isn’t hard
You already know all this stuff
You just may not know you know it

41. Ready to have your mind
blown?

42. Ready to have your mind
blown?
You can add all these query args to search

45. ?s=your
%20search&post_type=article&taxonomy=music
&term=jazz

46. ?s=your
%20search&post_type=article&taxonomy=music
&term=jazz

47. How do I actually
use this? Like, in
a form?

48. <form role="search" method="get" class="search-form"
action="' . get_home_url( '/' ) . '">
<label>
<input type="search" class="search-field"
placeholder="Search" value="" name="s"
title="Search for:" />
</label>
<input type="hidden" name="music" value="jazz" />
<input type="hidden" name="post_type" value="article"
/>
</form>

49. <form role="search" method="get" class="search-form"
action="' . get_home_url( '/' ) . '">
<label>
<input type="search" class="search-field"
placeholder="Search" value="" name="s"
title="Search for:" />
</label>
<input type="hidden" name="music" value="jazz" />
<input type="hidden" name="post_type" value="article"
/>
</form>

50. Examples!

52. posts

53. users posts

54. users songs posts

55. users songs posts
?s=patrick&post_type%5B%5D=post&post_type%5B
%5D=song&post_type%5B%5D=artist

56. <?php
/**
* If users exist, deal with displaying them first
*/
!
if ( curated_have_users() && curated_show_users() ) :
!
// get the classes to display user results
$classes = curated_get_grid_classes( $i, 4 ); ?>
!
<div id="user-<?php echo sanitize_title( get_search_query() ); ?>"
class="tile-wrap <?php echo esc_attr( $classes ); ?> ">
!
<?php get_template_part( 'partials/search', 'user' ); ?>
!
</div>
!
<?php
// increment $i
$i++;
endif; ?>

57. /**
* set up an array of arguments to determine post2post relationships
* this stuff gets set up too late to be used in pre_get_posts so I have to use query_posts.
*/
$search_term = curated_posts_like_title( get_search_query() );
$query_args = array(
'connected_type' => 'songs_to_artists',
'connected_items' => $search_term,
'connected_direction' => 'any',
'nopaging' => true,
// make sure this post isn't a duplicate
'post__not_in' => $do_not_duplicate
);
if ( curated_has_connected_posts( $search_term ) ) {
// only run the query posts if we need it
query_posts( $query_args );
// sometimes query_posts will break and return nothing even if something should be returned. If this
happens, reset the query and move on
if ( !have_posts() ) { wp_reset_query(); }
}
while ( have_posts() ) : the_post();
$do_not_duplicate[] = $post->ID; // add this post to the duplicate array so we don't get duplicates

58. /**
* Run the loop for the search to output the results.
* If you want to overload this in a child theme then include a file
* called content-search.php and that will be used instead.
*/
// don't display the other results if we are only looking at users
if ( 'user' != curated_get_search_selected() && 'artist' != get_post_type() ) {
if ( '' == $classes ) {
// if classes haven't been set yet, setup the classes
$classes = curated_get_grid_classes( $i, 4 );
} ?>
<div id="<?php echo get_post_type(); ?>-<?php echo $post->ID; ?>" class="tile-wrap <?php
echo get_post_type(); ?> <?php echo esc_attr( $classes ); ?>">
<?php get_template_part( 'partials/search', get_post_type() ); ?>
</div>
<?php }
wp_reset_query();
$i++; // increment the counter again
endwhile;
curated_paging_nav();
else :
get_template_part( 'content', 'none' );

59. /**
* Run the loop for the search to output the results.
* If you want to overload this in a child theme then include a file
* called content-search.php and that will be used instead.
*/
// don't display the other results if we are only looking at users
if ( 'user' != curated_get_search_selected() && 'artist' != get_post_type() ) {
if ( '' == $classes ) {
// if classes haven't been set yet, setup the classes
$classes = curated_get_grid_classes( $i, 4 );
} ?>
<div id="<?php echo get_post_type(); ?>-<?php echo $post->ID; ?>" class="tile-wrap <?php
echo get_post_type(); ?> <?php echo esc_attr( $classes ); ?>">
<?php get_template_part( 'partials/search', get_post_type() ); ?>
</div>
<?php }
wp_reset_query();
$i++; // increment the counter again
endwhile;
curated_paging_nav();
else :
get_template_part( 'content', 'none' );
http://s3q.us/
wcslc2014-cs-search

62. only search within current taxonomy

63. function nps_get_taxonomy_search_form( $term = null, $taxonomy = null ) {
!
if ( !$term ) {
$term = get_term_by( 'slug', get_query_var( 'term' ), get_query_var( 'taxonomy' ) );
$term = $term->name;
}
!
if ( !$taxonomy )
$taxonomy = get_query_var( 'taxonomy' );
!
$form ='
<form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="' . get_home_url( '/' ) . '">
<label>
<input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search" value="" name="s"
title="Search for:" />
</label>
<input type="hidden" name="' . $taxonomy . '" value="' . $term . '" />
</form>
';
!
echo $form;
}

64. function nps_get_taxonomy_search_form( $term = null, $taxonomy = null ) {
!
if ( !$term ) {
$term = get_term_by( 'slug', get_query_var( 'term' ), get_query_var( 'taxonomy' ) );
$term = $term->name;
}
!
if ( !$taxonomy )
$taxonomy = get_query_var( 'taxonomy' );
!
$form ='
<form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="' . get_home_url( '/' ) . '">
<label>
<input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search" value="" name="s"
title="Search for:" />
</label>
<input type="hidden" name="' . $taxonomy . '" value="' . $term . '" />
</form>
';
!
echo $form;
}
http://s3q.us/wcslc2014-
nps-searchform

65. Where does that
leave us?

66. Where does that
leave us?
“I don’t know anything about search.”
You do now.

67. Where does that
leave us?
“I don’t know anything about search.”
You do now.
“WordPress search is hard.”
Not any more so than normal queries.

68. Where does that
leave us?
“I don’t know anything about search.”
You do now.
“WordPress search is hard.”
Not any more so than normal queries.
“WordPress search sucks.”
No, it doesn’t.

69. Questions?

70. Questions?
Chris Reynolds
@jazzs3quence

71. Questions?
Chris Reynolds
@jazzs3quence
Pluralsight Courses — http://s3q.us/cr-ps

72. Questions?
Chris Reynolds
@jazzs3quence
Pluralsight Courses — http://s3q.us/cr-ps
These slides — http://s3q.us/wcslc2014

73. Questions?
Chris Reynolds
@jazzs3quence
Pluralsight Courses — http://s3q.us/cr-ps
These slides — http://s3q.us/wcslc2014
Search form gist — http://s3q.us/wcslc2014-nps-searchform

74. Questions?
Chris Reynolds
@jazzs3quence
Pluralsight Courses — http://s3q.us/cr-ps
These slides — http://s3q.us/wcslc2014
Search form gist — http://s3q.us/wcslc2014-nps-searchform
Search page gist — http://s3q.us/wcslc2014-cs-search