Extra Fields / Parent & Child Options

[Bronxgodzilla]

Can anyone please help with precise directions and even better, examples of the application of the Admin/Categories/ ->Extra Fields & Parent / Child options? I would like to see some sites with examples, or get a better understanding of the variations. Knowledgebase has paucity of info.

My application needs do require multi-level searches and levels of products, but I am not seeing the full application but feel these intriguing features are important. Anyone has used them before and applied them? What circumstances? Can I see the results?

Also, (separate application) can I use ExtraFields to add fields to UserRegistration and listings, for visitors to search on?

Thanks!

[Lhotch]

Goto the 68C demo, login (demo/demo) and place an ad in the motorcycle category and you will see parent child extra fields in action.

As for registration fields, you cant use extra fields, but there are 3 fields already defined that you can make sure of.

[Bronxgodzilla]

Lhotch - thanks. I spent most of the day playing with the admin and results in the demo regarding the Extra Fields - Parent /child applications and pretty thoroughly see where it applies --- and does not. I have to admit the functionality gives a good focused search criteria into the makeup of various categories.

But this is all a manual setup. What if a seller placing an ad has some items which are not found on the "standardized" child-list? It means it will not be searched for directly. What is then the order of the search, ie where will the "not listed" child type come up? At the bottom of the search? (obviously the code will list other items first --

In other words where will the customer's item be found? IE if I put in a child called "Other" does that automatically mean the code will Exclude the other child-types and do a search equivelent to a "not equal" or "not contained" regarding the other, listed types. IE will it look for anything BUT what is on the list to find "Other"??

AND, if not, what is the solution?

Thanks
BG

[Lhotch]

Originally Posted by Bronxgodzilla

In other words where will the customer's item be found? IE if I put in a child called "Other" does that automatically mean the code will Exclude the other child-types and do a search equivelent to a "not equal" or "not contained" regarding the other, listed types. IE will it look for anything BUT what is on the list to find "Other"??

AND, if not, what is the solution?

Thanks
BG

Im not sure I am following your question, so instead of trying to directly answer it let me quickly run down how things tie together and maybe that will give you the answer you need.

68C is broken down into some basic areas......

• Users - ie the people that place ads
• ads themselves
• categories
• extra fields
• ad packages (ie products that you sell on your site)

Since 68C caters to a wide audience who in turn has a wide audience its not uncommon for someone to have a site that has a wide variety of ads, for example homes and autos.

Ads themselves have some basic data thats common to all ads (ie title, price etc) and then due to the variety of items listed you can create "extra fields". These fields are not only bound to a specific ad but to categories as well.

It doesnt make much sense to ask someone to list how many miles are on their house or if their car has maintenance free siding.

By default when you load the search form for 68C all you see are the common ad fields. If you want to search by extra fields, you need to specifically select a category to search in and then the extra fields specific to that category will appear if they were set as searchable when they were created.

[Bronxgodzilla]

Originally Posted by Lhotch

By default when you load the search form for 68C all you see are the common ad fields. If you want to search by extra fields, you need to specifically select a category to search in and then the extra fields specific to that category will appear if they were set as searchable when they were created.

Larry -- I was not asking about the general operations of 68C but only and singly a very specific event regarding the "search by extra fields" as you describe above. I understand multi-level indexing and filtering, as a programmer. My SPECIFIC question was in the structuring of the extra field searching and its results:

what is the Default Search Order the customer (person searching for a product) sees when a user (ad seller) has placed an ad NOT INCLUDED in the Admin Parent/Child setup? In other words:

1) Site owner creates X number of Child/Parent items
2) User fills out a child item NOT included in the pre-set items (X1)
3) Customer A is searching for item X1 but it is not on the drop down (extra field) search list

If there are 1000 products where -- what Order -- does the customer see X1 if this ad is not on the Admin's Child list?

In other words, does the items which ARE on the Admin's Child list take precedence over all other items not so described as a child (and found searchable on the drop down search box)?


Secondly, does user's new ads automatically added to the Child list which is listed under a single Parent? If so, then all is good, man.
Barry

[Lhotch]

Extra field contents arent searched at all unless they have data placed in them on the search form.

Your default search order is set in the 68C admin under settings -? search settings.

[Bronxgodzilla]

Larry
Due respect, I cannot figure out why you keep answering some other question than I am asking. If I didnt feel the subject important enough, to me and others, I wouldnt keep asking.

My questions are not about whether an extra field would be searched if no data was put in the form to search on (??!) but the Order of the Search Results which a customer will see -- after making the search. AND what Order those listing results will be if the extra field/child was not set up.

I am talking about what is known in other languages as Soundex ("best match sounds like") -- how is 68C using mySQL to perform the task? Does anyone here understand and can answer please?

I am trying to design a proper indexing functionality with the tools at hand, then see how much I will have to customize.

Thanks
Barry

[Lhotch]

With due respect, I just told you the default search order is set within 68C admin, take a look and see how you have it set and you will have your answer.

I already told you I am having a hard time understanding exactly what kind of answer you are looking so forgive me for not spoon feeding you. Im clearly not understanding what kind of answer you are looking for and not at all pleased with attitude I am getting for simply trying to help so I will let someone else step in.

On a side note, since your such an advanced coder why dont you just look at the query yourself and get your answer?

[Eric Barnes]

I haven't responded to this post because I am in the same boat as Larry. I am just not fully understanding what you are looking for.

My questions are not about whether an extra field would be searched if no data was put in the form to search on (??!) but the Order of the Search Results which a customer will see -- after making the search. AND what Order those listing results will be if the extra field/child was not set up.

The actual order is first determined by the default sort order defined in admin. Then the users can resort the results which will set a cookie and maintain their desired sort order.

It does not use full text searching if that is what you are referring too.

[Bronxgodzilla]

Thank you Eric; you answered my question -- and have pointed me in the right direction to do the further research I was after.

Lhotch:
I was not trying to come off in some snide way, so I am sorry you took it that way. Guess I was not making myself clear enough. I did not state or imply I was a "hot coder" -- I am not a php programmer, but an old clipperhead dbase programmer looking to transition into the now, to discover the underling greater qualities of the 68C and be able to work with it. I do not ask dumb questions. I was actually asking about the filtered re-sort and possible text search, which Eric has answered.

Perhaps my actual query just got lost in translation. Here's to the future then.

Barry