JoomFAQs provides three layers of search functionality to help your visitors find the answers they need quickly. This guide covers the module instant search (client-side filtering), the category page search (server-side filtering), and integration with Joomla's Smart Search (Finder) and Basic Search plugins.
Table of Contents
- Module Instant Search
- Configuring Module Search Settings
- Category Page Search
- Smart Search (Finder) Plugin
- Basic Search Plugin
- Search Configuration Reference
- Tips for an Optimal Search Experience
- Related Guides
Module Instant Search
The JoomFAQs module (mod_joomfaqs) includes a built-in instant search bar that filters FAQ items in real time -- directly in the browser, with no page reload required. It uses the Mark.js library to highlight matching terms inside both questions and answers.
How It Works
- A visitor types a search term into the search input field displayed above the accordion.
- The JavaScript engine (
joomfaqs-search.js) compares the typed text against the question title and answer body of every accordion item. - Items that do not match are hidden instantly.
- Matching text inside visible items is wrapped in a highlight element (by default, a
<mark>tag with a configurable background color). - A results count message appears below the accordion showing how many FAQs matched (for example, "Found 3 of 12 FAQs").
- Pressing the Escape key or clicking the clear button resets the search and restores all items.
Key Behaviors
- Case insensitive by default. Searching for "shipping" will match "Shipping", "SHIPPING", and so on. You can change this in the module settings.
- Searches both questions and answers. A match in either the question title or the answer body will keep the item visible.
- Separate word search. When enabled (the default), each word in the search phrase is matched independently. Typing "return policy" will highlight both "return" and "policy" wherever they appear.
- Diacritics support. By default, accented characters are treated as equivalent to their unaccented counterparts. For example, "cafe" will match "cafe".
- Animated highlights. Each highlighted term receives the CSS class
joomfaqs-mark-animated, which you can target with custom CSS for transition effects.
Configuring Module Search Settings
To configure instant search for a JoomFAQs module instance:
- In the Joomla administrator, go to Content > Site Modules (or Extensions > Modules in some Joomla versions).
- Open the JoomFAQS - Questions module you want to configure.
- Click the Search Settings tab.
Module Search Options
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Search | Yes | Show or hide the search input field above the FAQ accordion. |
| Search Placeholder | (empty -- falls back to "Search FAQs...") | Custom placeholder text displayed inside the search input when it is empty. |
| Case Sensitive | No | When set to Yes, search matching respects uppercase and lowercase differences. |
| Ignore Diacritics | Yes | When enabled, accented characters match their unaccented equivalents (e.g., "e" matches "e"). |
| Enable Wildcards | No | When enabled, the * and ? wildcard characters can be used in search terms. |
| Search Accuracy | Partially | Controls how strictly search terms are matched. See the accuracy options table below. |
| Highlight CSS Class | highlight |
The CSS class name applied to each highlighted search term. |
| Highlight HTML Element | mark |
The HTML element used to wrap highlighted terms. Options: mark, span, strong, em. |
| Highlight Color | #ffff00 (yellow) |
The background color applied to highlighted search terms. |
| Show Count Message | Yes | Display a count message after the last accordion item showing how many FAQs matched. |
Search Accuracy Options
| Value | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Partially | Matches if the search term appears anywhere inside a word. For example, "ship" matches "shipping" and "relationship". |
| Complementary | Matches the search term plus any surrounding word characters. For example, "ship" matches "shipping" but not "warship" when it appears mid-word. |
| Exactly | Only matches the complete word. "ship" matches "ship" but not "shipping". |
Category Page Search
JoomFAQs also provides a server-side search on category pages. Unlike the module instant search (which filters on the client side without a page reload), the category search submits a form to the server and returns filtered results. This is useful for categories with many questions or when you want search results to include subcategories.
Enabling Category Search
- In the Joomla administrator, go to Content > JoomFAQs > Categories.
- Open the category you want to configure.
- Click the Search Settings tab in the category options.
- Set Enable Search to Yes.
- Configure additional settings as needed (see table below).
- Save the category.
Category Search Options
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Search | No | Show or hide the search form on this category page. |
| Search Scope | Questions Only | Defines what content is searched. Questions Only searches within the current category's questions. Questions and Subcategories also searches questions in child categories. |
| Search Placeholder Text | (empty -- falls back to "Search FAQs...") | Custom placeholder text for the search input field. |
| Show Results Count | Yes | Display an informational alert showing how many results were found (e.g., "5 results found for 'refund'") or a "No results found" message. |
| Show Clear Button | Yes | Show a button next to the search input that clears the current search and reloads the full question list. |
How Category Search Works
- The search form is rendered above the question list on the category page.
- The visitor enters a search term and clicks the search button (or presses Enter).
- The page reloads with the results filtered server-side. Only questions whose title or answer contains the search term are displayed.
- If Show Results Count is enabled, an informational banner appears below the search form indicating how many results were found or whether no results matched.
- If Show Clear Button is enabled and a search is active, a clear button appears next to the search input. Clicking it navigates back to the unfiltered category page.
Smart Search (Finder) Plugin
The Smart Search - JoomFAQs plugin integrates your FAQ content with Joomla's Smart Search (Finder) system. This allows FAQ questions and answers to appear alongside articles, contacts, and other content in Joomla's global Smart Search results.
Enabling the Plugin
- In the Joomla administrator, go to System > Manage > Plugins.
- Search for Smart Search - JoomFaqs (the plugin type is
finder). - Click on the plugin name to open it.
- Set Status to Enabled.
- Save and close.
Note: The Smart Search - JoomFAQs plugin is disabled by default when JoomFAQs is first installed. You must manually enable it.
Indexing FAQ Content
After enabling the plugin, you need to index (or re-index) your FAQ content so that it appears in Smart Search results.
- Go to Components > Smart Search.
- Click the Index button in the toolbar.
- Wait for the indexing process to complete. The indexer will crawl all published FAQ questions.
The plugin indexes the following fields from each FAQ question:
| Indexed Field | Source |
|---|---|
| Title | The question text |
| Summary/Body | The answer text (processed through content plugins) |
| Alias | The question's URL alias |
| Meta Keywords | The question's meta keywords field |
| Meta Description | The question's meta description field |
| Author | The user who created the question |
The plugin also registers the following taxonomy data for filtering in Smart Search:
- Type: "Question"
- Author: The question author's name
- Category: The FAQ category hierarchy (supports nested categories)
- Language: The question's language
Automatic Re-indexing
Once enabled, the plugin keeps the search index up to date automatically:
- When a question is created, saved, or edited, it is re-indexed.
- When a question is deleted, it is removed from the index.
- When a question is published or unpublished, its state in the index is updated.
- When a category's state or access level changes, all questions in that category are updated accordingly.
How FAQs Appear in Smart Search Results
FAQ questions appear in Smart Search results with:
- The question text as the result title.
- The answer text as the result description/summary.
- A link to the FAQ question page (using the SEF URL generated by the JoomFAQs router).
- The content type labeled as "Question" in the Smart Search type filter.
Visitors can filter Smart Search results to show only FAQ questions by selecting the "Question" type filter in the Smart Search interface.
Basic Search Plugin
The Search - JoomFAQs plugin integrates with Joomla's legacy Basic Search component. This plugin is provided for backward compatibility with sites that still use the older search system.
Enabling the Plugin
- In the Joomla administrator, go to System > Manage > Plugins.
- Search for Search - JoomFAQs.
- Click on the plugin name to open it.
- Set Status to Enabled.
- Save and close.
Note: Like the Finder plugin, the Basic Search plugin is disabled by default after installation.
Plugin Configuration
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Label | FAQ | The label displayed in the search areas list within the Basic Search component. Visitors can check or uncheck this area to include or exclude FAQ results. |
| Number of pages | 50 | Maximum number of FAQ results to return for a single search query. |
| Result Link | Link | Controls how search result links behave. Link opens the individual question page. Anchor links to the question within its category page (scrolling to the question's anchor). |
Search Areas Covered
The Basic Search plugin searches the following fields in each FAQ question:
- Question text (the question/title)
- Answer text (the full answer body)
- Meta keywords
- Meta description
The plugin supports all three Joomla search phrase modes:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Exact | Searches for the entire phrase as entered. |
| All words | All words must appear (in any of the searchable fields). |
| Any words | At least one word must appear. |
Results can be ordered by: newest, oldest, alphabetical, or by category.
Only published questions in published categories are included in search results.
Search Configuration Reference
The following table summarizes where each search feature is configured and its scope:
| Feature | Configuration Location | Scope | Search Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Module instant search | Module settings > Search Settings tab | Per module instance | Client-side (JavaScript, no page reload) |
| Category page search | Category options > Search Settings tab | Per category | Server-side (form submission, page reload) |
| Smart Search (Finder) | Plugins > Smart Search - JoomFaqs | Site-wide | Server-side (Joomla Finder index) |
| Basic Search | Plugins > Search - JoomFAQs | Site-wide | Server-side (Joomla legacy search) |
Tips for an Optimal Search Experience
For Module Instant Search
- Keep the FAQ list manageable. The instant search filters items client-side, so it works best with a moderate number of questions (the module's "List Limit" setting controls how many are loaded). For very large FAQ sets, consider using the category page search instead.
- Choose the right accuracy level. The default "Partially" accuracy is the most forgiving and works well for most sites. Switch to "Exactly" only if you need strict word-boundary matching.
- Use a descriptive placeholder. Setting a custom placeholder like "Type your question here..." can encourage visitors to use the search bar.
- Pick a visible highlight color. The default yellow (
#ffff00) works well on light backgrounds. If your template uses a dark theme, choose a color that provides good contrast. - Enable diacritics support for multilingual sites so that accented and unaccented characters are treated equivalently.
For Category Page Search
- Use "Questions and Subcategories" scope when your FAQ structure has deep category nesting and you want a single search to cover all child categories.
- Enable the results count so visitors can see at a glance whether their search returned relevant results.
- Keep the clear button enabled to make it easy for visitors to reset their search and return to the full question list.
For Smart Search and Basic Search
- Re-index after bulk changes. If you import or bulk-edit many questions, run the Smart Search indexer manually to ensure the index is current.
- Enable only the search plugin you use. If your site uses Smart Search (the modern Joomla standard), you do not need to enable the Basic Search plugin, and vice versa. Enabling both is safe but unnecessary.
- Set meaningful meta keywords and descriptions on your FAQ questions. Both search plugins index these fields, so well-written metadata improves discoverability.
- Use the "Result Link" setting in the Basic Search plugin to control the user experience: "Link" sends visitors to a dedicated question page, while "Anchor" sends them to the category page with the question scrolled into view.