It probably would be an understatement if I said search was the most often requested feature. Well, it’s coming. The feature is fully implemented in the admin. There is only some tidying up yet to do. I also updated the cMap template to include search. Market will also get search and so will the ‘Plus’ templates.
Here’s a list of fields that will be searched for matches:
- family_name
- first_name
- middle_name
- last_name
- title
- organization
- department
- contact_first_name
- contact_last_name
- bio
- notes
- line_1
- line_2
- line_3
- city
- state
- zip code
- country
I decided not to include links, email addresses and social media IDs as the results could get less useful do to partial string matching when the search is being performed.
Outstanding! Thank you for all of the work you’re putting into the next update.
thats amazing, just what I needed! When will we be able to download it?
@asbk
I get this question a lot. It looks like the current target release date for WordPress 3.3 is Nov 29th, I’m shooting for the same day. So mark your calendar :)
Thanks, calendar marked! :)
Hi Steven, will the front end search be coming in the 29th November release?
Keep up the fantastic development of this plugin!! :)
Yes, but only to the premium templates, starting with cMap with Market to follow shortly after. The ‘Plus’ templates will also get search. The templates that come with Connections will not have front end search.
So as we have already purchased the “Tile” template, we wouldn’t be getting the search upgrade? and we would have to purchase “Tile Plus”?
Thanks
Dan
Yes, that would be correct. The basic templates are meant to be basic. However, Tile will be upgraded to take advantage of some new features coming in the next release. For example, currently to configure any template you have to open a php file and edit it, which makes the configuration global. Meaning every time you use the template it has to use the same configuration. The next release of Connections has added the ability to allow templates to be configured per instance by adding template specific options to the Connections shortcode. Put simply, you can use the same template on different pages with a different configurations. Actually, you could use the same template and the same page multiple times with different configurations. Which honestly, in my opinion, is only really useful with the basic templates.
So, with that said, Tile will be gaining a few customization options such as the size of the tile and the image.
Thanks for the clarification Steven, Will search for Tile Plus be released on the 29th November? As the search function is something we really need for our organisation
@Dan
Honestly, not sure if I’ll have any of the template updates completed for Nov 29th. That’s certainly my goal. All templates will be updated thru the month of December for sure.
That’s great news! Lack of search is the one feature keeping me from buying this right now.
Keep coding!!! Like everyone else, I’m eager for this functionality. Thanks for such a great product :-)
Will the WordPress 3.3 upgrade be required for it to work?
@Christina
No, development is occurring on 3.2.1. I have tested with beta 1 of 3.3 and I did have to make adjustments to be compatible. This is the primary reason I’m targeting Nov 29th for my release. Connections will be compatible with both 3.2.x and 3.3.
Wonderful! Thank you!
Hey Steve, thanks for keep up on this software; it’s great. I’ll continue to purchase templates and support your development, I am very pleased with the flexibility and foresight that goes into the development of this product.
One thing I might as well mention while I write this is that it would be fantastic (and probably exclusive to this plugin alone) if there was a way to make this more friendly with WP Multi Site installs. Right now it works with WPMU, but only on a per site basis. It would be excellent if there was a way for the main site to display the address books of all the sub sites into one “master directory”.
Thanks again for the hard work and updates; your time and efforts are appreciated :)
Chris
@Chris
Thanks for the suggestion. I’d have to look to see what would be involved to pull that off. Maybe next year.
So, if I go ahead and buy the Cmap template now; I’ll get that later update included or would have to purchase a different one?
@OblivionCW
Yes, if you purchase cMap the next version will be a free upgrade. You will be able to access it with the same download details you’ll receive when you purchase the current cMap version.
Thanks for the quick reply, will be getting this soon. Your plugin is perfect for me and my name is Steven too :D. So, can’t go wrong there huh? hehe
Great news! Keep on the very good work!
Just wondering if this is still on target for release today. I have a very anxious client waiting for the search function who would like to demo this feature at their conference this week.
Great product!
@Kelly
Sorry, no, I’m running behind schedule. I am however at the stage where I need beta testers. Read this: http://connections-pro.com/2011/11/29/running-late/
Is it possible to run the search function on a page other than a directory page? We’d like to add the search function to our home page.
Or, our current site search only searches static pages and blog posts. Do you have suggestions for including our connections directory in that search?
@ Tara
You could potentially use the Widget Pack. It has a search widget that can be added to the theme’s sidebar. I know there are many users who use the widget for that expressed purpose. Hope that helps.