Install a Search Client in Salesforce Communities (Visualforce)

This article shows how to set up the SearchUnify search in a Visualforce community. The installation takes only a few minutes but goes a long way in enhancing user experience.

Create a Salesforce Visualforce Search Client

1. Ensure that Salesforce Communities are enabled. Skip this step if you already have a community.
2. Create a Salesforce Visualforce search client.
3. Configure the Salesforce Visualforce search client.

Install SearchUnify Package

1. Visit Salesforce AppExchange, look up "searchunify", and open the top listing, SearchUnify - Unified Cognitive Platform for Salesforce.

   

2. Click Get It Now.

   

3. If prompted, log in with your Salesforce admin credentials.

   

4. It's usually a good practice to install an app on Sandbox, instead of Production.

   

5. Install the app for All Users. A warning might come up. Overlook it and proceed with installation.

In the end an Installation Successful message will greet you.

Process SearchUnify Package

The data flow between SearchUnify and your Salesforce org is managed through Remote Sites. Create remote two (three if you have turned on multitenancy) remote sites. The instructions are on Create Remote Sites in Salesforce. After creating the remote sites, add them all to Trusted URLs.

1. Click Salesforce App Launcher and then View All.

   

2. Find SearchUnify Configuration and click it open.

   

3. Select the installation location for the search in Choose search platform. Then, turn on CDN Support if you use multitenancy.



4. Turn on CDN Support if you use multitenancy. Turning on CDN Support improves speed but it also requires two extra settings:

   • During search client processing, you need a CDN endpoint which can be found in the readme file

   • For successful processing, you will have to create three remote sites instead of two. The website to be inserted in Remote Site URL can be found in the readme file

   

5. Enter the details and click Process.
   • Select your application for Configuration. The search client will be installed in the chosen application on Console, Community, or Visualforce. The field is absent when Internal is picked.
   • Enter Service Endpoint. It is your SearchUnify instance URL.
   • Enter CDN endpoint. The endpoint is in readme.
   • Enter Provision Key. You can get it from your SearchUnify representative.
   • Enter UID. It is your search client ID.
   • Enter expiration time (authentication token for searches in minutes). Enter any integer. The suggested value is 120.

   

You have configured the search successfully. means that SearchUnify has been installed on your VF community.

Set up on Community Homepage

1. If you are on Classic, then from Setup, go to Quick Find Box, look up "Sites" and open Sites in Build > Develop; as is shown in the next image. The path for Lightening users, from the search box, is User Interface > Sites and Domains > Sites.

   

2. Scroll down to find your community and open it.

   

3. Click {{Home Page Name}} against Active Site Home Page. In the image, the home page name is "CommunitiesLanding".

   

4. Click Edit.

   

5. There are two ways to set up search on the community:
   1. Type I. Both the search box and search results are right on the home page. The illustration used in this article is Type I. To proceed with Type I, edit the existing code and insert <su_vf_console:SU_Vf_Community_Component /> on the page. The final code looks as in the image.
   2. Type II. The search box is on the home page but the results are displayed on a community page specifically created to host them. If you are going with Type II, then name the page in Enter community page name (Step 4 of Process SearchUnify Package). To proceed with Type II, edit the existing code and insert <su_vf_console:SU_Vf_Community_Searchbox /> on the page. The final code looks as in the image.
   After selecting a Type, click Save.

   

6. Scroll down to Site Visualforce Pages and click Edit.

   

7. Add su_vf_console.SU_Vf_Community to Enabled Visualforce Pages, and click Save. IMPORTANT. If you are not hosting the search box on the home page (Type 2 in step 5), then add the search page (Enter community page name in step 4 of Process SearchUnify Package) to Enabled Visualforce Pages as well.

   

8. From Sites (step 1), click the Site URL of your community to view SearchUnify search client on its home page.

   

Result

The search results update when you click anywhere outside the search box, even when you are still typing.