Construct a Direct Search URL

Owned by Brian Banet, created
Last updated: Nov 03, 2022
2 min read

GlobalSearch supports a lightweight URL driven searching route, allowing customers to build links that will run a search and display the results automatically. Common use cases include embedding links into other applications, allowing quick and easy access to specific documents from within other applications.

Instructions

A direct search URL resembles the following:

https://yoursquare9.com/square9web/index.html#/direct?db=10&a=1&s=10&p=1307:2804

In this example:

  1. The domain yoursquare9.com should be updated to reflect your GlobalSearch instance.

  2. Beside the base address, the only edits to the URL come after the question mark. The easiest way to identify the additional parameters that are required is to run the search in GlobalSearch. Running a search will present a URL in the address bar similar to:

     

    1. Find the parameter db=
      This parameter represents the Database ID. Use this ID for the db parameter in the Direct Search URL.

    2. Find the parameter archive=
      This parameter represents the Archive ID. Use this ID for the a parameter in the Direct Search URL.

    3. Find the parameter Id=
      This parameter represents the Search ID. Use this ID for the s parameter in the Direct Search URL.

    4. Find the parameter criteria=
      This parameter represents the search details, which are prompt id followed by a colon, and the value to search for.

      1. The prompt id is the first part of the criteria parameter. You might notice a URL encoded curly brace (%7B). Disregard that and use the numeric value preceding the colon are the left side of the colon in the p parameter.

      2. The search value is the second part of the criteria parameter, following the colon. The value you are searching for should be added to the URL after the colon.

Direct Search URL’s are passing plain text in the URL. In some cases, the data you are passing may not be allowed in a URL and these situations will need to be tested and accounted for in your environment. Basic searches, and in particular searches for data where there are no special characters should run without any special consideration.

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