Laravel Scout – Full-text search using Algolia

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2 months ago

Laravel Scout is a powerful package that provides a simple and fluent interface for adding full-text search functionality to your Laravel applications. Scout works seamlessly with various search engines, including Algolia, making it easy to implement real-time search features in your application.

Key Features of Laravel Scout:

Full-Text Search: Provides full-text search capabilities, allowing users to search through large datasets quickly and efficiently.
Drivers: Supports multiple search services, with Algolia being one of the most popular options.

Indexing: Automatically manages the indexing of your Eloquent models, ensuring your search results are always up-to-date.
Searchable Trait: Easy to integrate with Eloquent models using the Searchable trait.
Custom Search Logic: Allows customization of search behavior and ranking.

Installation

To get started with Laravel Scout and Algolia, follow these steps:

Install Laravel Scout: Use Composer to install the package:

composer require laravel/scout

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composer require laravel/scout
Install the Algolia Driver: Since we are using Algolia, you need to install the Algolia Scout driver:

composer require algolia/algoliasearch-client-php

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composer require algolia/algoliasearch-client-php
Publish Scout Configuration: Publish the Scout configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Scout\ScoutServiceProvider"

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php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Laravel\Scout\ScoutServiceProvider"
Configure Algolia: Add your Algolia credentials to your .env file:

SCOUT_DRIVER=algolia ALGOLIA_APP_ID=your-algolia-app-id ALGOLIA_SECRET=your-algolia-secret

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SCOUT_DRIVER=algolia
ALGOLIA_APP_ID=your-algolia-app-id
ALGOLIA_SECRET=your-algolia-secret

Using Laravel Scout with Eloquent Models

1. Making a Model Searchable:

To make an Eloquent model searchable, add the Searchable trait to the model:

use Laravel\Scout\Searchable;

class Post extends Model
{
    use Searchable;

    // Define the data to be indexed
    public function toSearchableArray()
    {
        return [
            'title' => $this->title,
            'content' => $this->content,
            // Add other fields you want to be searchable
        ];
    }
}

use Laravel\Scout\Searchable;

class Post extends Model

{

use Searchable;

// Define the data to be indexed

public function toSearchableArray()

{

return [

'title' => $this->title,

'content' => $this->content,

// Add other fields you want to be searchable

];

}

2. Indexing Data:

To index the data, you can use the scout:import command:

php artisan scout:import "App\Models\Post"

1	php artisan scout:import "App\Models\Post"

This will push all existing records of the specified model into Algolia.

3. Performing Searches:

You can easily perform searches using the search method on your model:

$posts = Post::search('your search query')->get();

1	$posts = Post::search('your search query')->get();

Updating and Deleting Records

1. Automatic Updates:

When you create, update, or delete records in your model, Scout will automatically handle the indexing for you. For example:

$post = Post::find(1);
$post->update(['title' => 'Updated Title']); // This will automatically update the index in Algolia.

1 2	$post = Post::find(1); $post->update(['title' => 'Updated Title']); // This will automatically update the index in Algolia.

2. Deleting Records:

When you delete a model, it will also be removed from Algolia:

$post = Post::find(1);
$post->delete(); // This will automatically remove the record from Algolia.

1 2	$post = Post::find(1); $post->delete(); // This will automatically remove the record from Algolia.

Customizing Search Queries

You can customize your search queries by chaining additional methods. For example:

$posts = Post::search('your search query')
    ->where('published', true)
    ->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')
    ->get();

$posts = Post::search('your search query')

->where('published', true)

->orderBy('created_at', 'desc')

->get();

Pagination and Scoring

Scout supports pagination and scoring out of the box. You can paginate your search results using Laravel’s built-in pagination methods:

$posts = Post::search('your search query')->paginate(10);

1	$posts = Post::search('your search query')->paginate(10);

Advanced Features

1. Faceting:

You can use Algolia’s faceting features to filter results based on attributes. To enable faceting, define the attributes in the Algolia dashboard and use the facetFilters method.

$posts = Post::search('your search query')
    ->facetFilters(['published:true'])
    ->get();