User-entered Boolean logic within search?

@technofrolics

Apologies for the delayed response. The plugin uses mySQL’s FULLTEXT features. https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/fulltext-search.html

You can enable Boolean mode in the settings page and then use the features related to that: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/fulltext-boolean.html

@ajay

Thanks much for the response and your links. Just one issue I hope to clarify, because it seems to vary between plugins (confirmed by the creators of the plugins), and where which way it works is not always immediately obvious (to me):

1) Method 1: Full, flexible, boolean logic is possible, *but only for the Developer*. In other words, the User just sees a search box and whatever they enter is “boolean-parsed” as the *Developer* pre-configured when setting up the search box (e.g., ORing words User entered into search box vs. ANDing them, etc.).

2) Method 2: The *User* can construct the boolean query *themselves, dynamically* within the search box at search time.

Can you just confirm whether your plugin works as per 1 or 2 above? In other words, whether MySQL’s boolean features you pointed me to are available to just the developer when setting up the search box vs. the user themselves having flexible access to them at search time?

Thank you!
David

@ajay

PS: It sure looks like, from https://ps.w.org/better-search/assets/screenshot-2.png?rev=2720215, that what I want (Method 2) is supported :-). But just wanted to double check my understanding.

Thanks,
David

@technofrolics

On Boolean mode you’re limited with what is supported by MySQL FULLTEXT – which you can enable in the setting as you noted above.

Here is the full explanation of what works and doesn’t: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/fulltext-boolean.html