How to Configure the Search/Ask Widget
About Search/Ask
With Search/Ask you have the ability to search for anything within your community, either at the site level or group level with ease. Can’t find what you are looking for in that search results list? You can ask a question within that same search results area! There is flexibility as this widget can be used in a narrow or wide column.
Search/Ask now remembers a user's last search term, the same way the Community Site Banner Search does. If a user types a search term and then reloads the page or navigates away and back, that term is automatically restored in the search box — but results are not automatically shown. The user presses Enter or clicks the magnifying glass icon to run the restored search. Clearing the search field removes both the displayed and the cached term. This behavior applies to all users, including those who aren't logged in.
Add the Search/Ask Widget to a Site, Group or Application Page
Navigate to the relevant group or application where you want the Search/Ask Widget to appear.
Select the Pencil icon at the top left.
Select Manage Group Theme.
Select Edit this Page
From the Widgets menu, search for the Search/Ask widget and add it to the page by dragging and dropping the widget onto the page.
Configure the Search/Ask Widget
While configuring the widget, DO NOT click off the white popup box or you will lose your configurations and will need to click the gear to edit and start again.
Select the Gear in the right corner on the widget bar of the widget to edit the widget
Options Tab
Title: (optional) If you will be using it as a heading on the page, go ahead and change it.
Placeholder Text: This text is what will show in the search box (I was wondering… is the default)
Content Tab
Select Groups & Applications to Surface Content From: Choose where Search/Ask should pull content from.
Select Entire Community to search across the whole site
Current Group to search only the group the widget is placed in
Other Groups to search one or more specific groups you choose,
Specific Applications to search individual applications (such as a particular blog or forum) rather than an entire group.
Configuration options below will vary depending on your selection
Content Source Selection:
The fields shown here change based on your selection above.
For Entire Community or Current Group: you'll see application checkboxes to select which type of content you want to display.
NOTE: our recommendations are for the application types you have enabled in the group.
NOTE: if you select all, it will list links for all comments, groups, and full applications — not recommended unless you are using this widget to display certain groups, applications, etc.
For Other Groups: you'll see a group search field where you can search for and select one or more specific groups, along with application checkboxes to choose the general application type(s) you want to search within those groups.
For Specific Applications: you'll first see a group selector to choose which group you want to search applications in, followed by an applications selector showing the applications available within that chosen group — so you can select individual applications directly rather than content types.
Results Count: The number of results you would like to display (NOTE: There will be a “More” link to display additional content if there is additional content)
Ask a Question Tab
Select the group(s) with forum applications the user can choose from when asking a question. You can select from Other Groups, Current Group, or Entire Community.
Check the box to include forums from the selected group's subgroups as well.
Footer Tab
Footer Text This text will show in the footer of the search box directing the user to select a forum to ask a question if they haven’t found their search results
Footer Design: Select from Inherit from site theme or define custom colors using hexadecimal values. See screenshots below for further details on Footer Design Options.
Button Text: This is what the button will say. The user will push this button after they make their forum selection
Widget Style Tab
Title Widget Icon: Would you like to display an icon at the beginning of your widget title? Enter a URL for that image.
Widget Title Position: Would you like your widget title to be left, right, or center aligned and to be displayed above the search bar.
Background Field Color: Select if you would like a transparent background or a background with color. If you select a color, you can enter a specific hexadecimal value for a color.
General Style Tab
Search Rounded Corners: Will the search bar have large, medium, small, or no rounded corners.
Background: Select if you would like a transparent background or colored background. If you select a color, you can enter a specific hexadecimal value for a color.
CSS Class: Enter any specific CSS class you would like to apply to this widget.
Click the Save button at the bottom
Publish the Page
Click the Publish Button in the Management Console Panel to publish your changes
Click the X in the Management Console Panel, to close the Panel
Your page will appear published with your updates
Search Results with Question being asked in the same group
Search Results with User being able to select where the question should be asked
Search Results with User making a selection for where the question should be asked
Search Results with Question forum selected, User would click the Ask Button to continue
Support
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