654874 - Show a default generic search using the "Combined" facet on search page

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(addons.mozilla.org Graveyard :: Add-on Builder, defect, P1)

Description

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

When a user hits a search page with no defined query, preset the page to search with a blank query using the "Combined" facet.

Comment 1

[Sean McArthur [:seanmonstar]]

What should the preset query be? Unless otherwise selected, it will be of the Combined sort. Though, I don't know how to search (if its even possible) without an actual term. The home page doesn't use a search, but instead just lists Packages by their last_updated date.

Comment 2

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

CCing davedash.  Dave: we're wanting to use ES for the listings of eg. "recently updated" - how do we form the query without a search term but with that sort?

Comment 3

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

(In reply to comment #0)
> When a user hits a search page with no defined query, preset the page to search
> with a blank query using the "Combined" facet.

This will slow down the search page's loading and add clutter - what's the point of loading the search page with a bunch of data already?

(comment 2 still applies for other pages - I didn't know I was commenting in this bug when I did it)

Comment 4

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

Yeah we need the ability to search with no term, we can include the
metric/facet of most revisions. So no term, add-ons by their number of
revisions in descending order, with the "Combined" sort selected.

Comment 5

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

Wil, we can load it async with JS after page load.

Comment 6

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

There is no reason to serve this content statically on either the home page or search page, as it will be in constant flux, thus caching will have little benefit.

Comment 7

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

I'm wondering what the benefit of going to /search/ and seeing a bunch of content is.  It's a search page - the chances of you showing me what I want are next to nothing.  You don't go to google and yahoo and see a page full of results before you search, right?

Comment 8

[Dave Dash [:davedash, :dd] (assign all bugs to mbrandt)]

(In reply to comment #7)
> I'm wondering what the benefit of going to /search/ and seeing a bunch of
> content is.  It's a search page - the chances of you showing me what I want are
> next to nothing.  You don't go to google and yahoo and see a page full of
> results before you search, right?

Agreed - empty search queries are possible, but are very wasteful.  You're running a query that more than likely will not show what you really want.

So do two things:

* don't link directly to /search
* show the search form as soon as they want to search (e.g. just make it part of the site's chrome)
* if someone *does* go to /search show them a form

Comment 9

[Sean McArthur [:seanmonstar]]

I agree, preset data seems very weird. It's why I couldn't think of a decent default query: there shouldn't be.

Comment 10

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

There most certainly should be results present, and here's why:

I am a new add-ons developer, I know nothing about the SDK. I come to the site and I read the tutorial, it helps some but isn't based on an example close to what I want to make. So what do I do? Hmm, well I probably would look for other well-done, maintained, popular add-ons. Good idea! Wait, where do I find those? Oh look a search page! Now I'm on the search page, and what do I find? Wow a preset search that shows me a combined cream of the crop for add-ons and libraries, now we're talking! Good thing they showed me these, cause remember I'm no domain expert here, and I don't know what metrics would yield a good batch of reference add-ons that are "well-done, maintained, and popular".

End transmission.

Comment 11

[Sean McArthur [:seanmonstar]]

That's not search. I would never go to search hoping they pre-populated a search for me. It would just be a wasted query as I search for what I actually want.

You describe a "Most Popular" page.

Comment 12

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

(In reply to comment #11)
> That's not search. I would never go to search hoping they pre-populated a
> search for me. It would just be a wasted query as I search for what I actually
> want.
> 
> You describe a "Most Popular" page.

Exactly.  Isn't that what the front page is listing in the two columns?

Comment 13

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

OK, so I am just going to leave the request at this: No huge, blank white-space if the user doesn't arrive to the page via a specific search query. I would like the search box centered in the page, think GrooveShark's interface (discussed this with Chowse - he suggested it), with a few suggested searches that we predefine and give friendly names.

On another note, I think having search available from the top nav is great, we should do that in addition to, not reliant upon, the outcome of this discussion.

Comment 14

[Sean McArthur [:seanmonstar]]

Attachment: Example of no-results screen.

So something along these lines? I'm no designer...

Comment 15

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

Attachment: Mock for empty search page

Let's get this style in for the empty search page with some preset searches, suggestions on what we can offer for preset searches at this point are welcome.

Comment 16

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

Attachment: Another variation of an empty search page

I think this will be the final one, Chowse worked with me a bit and this is what we'd like to go with. I have higher quality small icons for the icons present in the mock when you need them.

Comment 17

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

Attachment: Magnifying glass icon

Comment 18

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

Attachment: Sean's yearly optometry check

Comment 19

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

(icons should be sprited when we do this)

Comment 20

[Sean McArthur [:seanmonstar]]

Styled the search box, but haven't included the preset links, since we dont have those preset searchs available yet.

https://github.com/mozilla/FlightDeck/commit/90d52820f0b6dddaaa50501ae3c3776597eca59c