Forms

Custom search forms allow you to create your own search forms using a point and click interface, that can be used from both Perceptive Enterprise Search and the Perceptive Search desktop products. This feature is most useful on structured or semi-structured content, where you may want to combine free-text and fielded searching.

For example, if you use a document management system such as TRIM Context, you could easily create a search form that allows your users to build complex searches based on metadata. You could create a form that allowed them to enter:

• Client
• Firm
• Matter
• Date

Perceptive Enterprise Search extends this functionality by implementing an auto-create feature. This allows you to point at an index and have Perceptive Enterprise Search automatically create a search form based on the metadata.

You can find the search forms for your index in the web administration site under:

WebSites\SiteName\Customizations\Forms

Creating a new Search Form

1. Open the Perceptive Enterprise Search Administration Console and go to the forms section of your web site, this can be found under:
   WebSites\SiteName\Customizations\Forms
2. Click the New Form button on the toolbar.
3. Select how you want to create the form, the options are:
   
   • Analyze document content
     Allows you to select an index which Perceptive Enterprise Search will analyze to detect if a suitable search form can be generated. The form will be generated off the documents metadata. Systems that have a consistent metadata schema will produce the best result.
   • Create a blank form
     Creates a new form with no elements. You must manually construct the form.
4. If you selected to Analyze document content, you will be prompted to select an index and to enter a query. The query allows you to analyze a smaller subset of the index for form creation.
   
   Clicking Next will analyze the index and produce a list of form elements it detected. Don't worry if there are more elements then you expected. You can modify it later.
5. Give the form a name. The form data will be saved to a file with the same name in the WebRoot of your website. You can also provide an optional description that is shown when your users view the search form.
6. The final step is to review your settings. If everything is correct, click Finish to create the form.

Editing a search form

See Editing a search form for details.