Redirecting the Search Widget: Creating a Search Function

In the previous lesson, we successfully redirected the search widget to a search URL. However, the search page does not exist yet. In this lesson, we will create the search page and implement the necessary functionalities to display search results.

Creating the Search Page

To create the search page, we will use the index.astro file as a template. Here are the steps to create the search page:

1. Copy and paste the content of index.astro into a new file.
2. Rename the new file as search.astro.
3. Move the search.astro file from the blog folder to the pages directory.
4. Save the changes.

After completing these steps, we can now access the search page and begin modifying its content.

Modifying the Search Page

To modify the search page, we need to make a few changes to the code:

1. Remove the post section from the page since we are not loading posts on the search page.
2. Remove the code that loops over the posts since it is not relevant to the search functionality.
3. Add an ARIA label to the search input element to indicate that it is a search region.
4. Include a paragraph element with an ID of "search-readout" to display the search term.
5. Add an aside element to include another search form for searching within the page itself.

By making these changes, the search page will have the necessary structure to handle search functionality while still maintaining the overall look and feel of the blog.

Handling Search Query

To handle the search query and update the search results dynamically, we will use JavaScript. Here are the steps to implement this functionality:

1. Obtain a reference to the search input element using the querySelector method and assign it to the search variable.
2. Get the search input value from the URL query parameters using the URLSearchParams API.
3. Update the value property of the search input with the search query obtained from the URL parameters.
4. Use the DOMPurify library to sanitize the search query and prevent any malicious code from being executed.
5. Focus the search input element to make it convenient for users to modify the search query.

By using these steps, the search input will be automatically populated with the search query from the URL parameters, providing users with a seamless search experience.

Updating the Document Title and Search Readout

To enhance the search page's usability, we will update the document title and include a search readout section. Here's how we can achieve that:

1. Create a function called updateDocumentTitle that takes in the search query as a parameter.
2. Use the search query to update the document title dynamically. If there is no search query, display a generic title such as "Search the Blog".
3. Implement a similar function called updateSearchReadout that updates the search readout section with the search query.
4. Call these functions after the page loads to display the current search query and make it editable for users.

By implementing these functionalities, the search page will provide clear indications of the search query and allow users to easily modify it.

Updating the Search Functionality

In the previous section, we implemented a basic search feature with some initial functionality. Now we will enhance it further, creating an improved search experience for our users.

Update Search Readout

First, let's modify the updateSearchReadout function to display relevant search information. We will update the search readout instead of the document title, to provide a more informative message to the user.

We can achieve this by setting the text content of the search readout element. To maintain security, we will use the textContent property instead of directly inserting user-input text into the HTML. This way, we avoid any potential risks associated with injected HTML.

Additionally, we will modify the function so that when there are no search results, the search readout will display an empty string. If there are search results, the readout will show the text "Search results for [search term]". This way, users can easily identify whether their search yielded any results.

Enhancing the Live Search Experience

To enhance the live search experience, we will update the search results in real-time as the user types. We can achieve this by adding an event listener for the input event on the search input element.

Whenever the value of the search input changes, we will grab the search term being typed in. We can use the DOM.purify function to ensure the safety of the input. We will update both the document title and the search readout accordingly.

With these updates, every keystroke will trigger the necessary changes to keep the user informed. As the user starts typing, the document title and search readout will update dynamically. If the search input is cleared, the search readout will display an empty string and the document will revert to showing the default text "Search the blog".

Furthermore, since the search term is embedded in the URL, users can share the specific search results with others. This enables a consistent search experience across different users.

Fetching and Processing the Data

In the following section, we will move on to fetching and processing the blog data based on the user's search. This will allow us to display the relevant blog posts that match the search term entered.

To achieve this functionality, we will create a JSON file containing all of our blog posts. This file will serve as the data source for our search feature. By fetching data from this JSON file and processing it based on the user's search term, we can provide accurate search results.

Stay tuned for the next article, where we will explore how to create and utilize the JSON file for efficient blog post searching.In this lesson, we learned how to create a search page and implement search functionality. we modified the existing code to accommodate the search feature, handled the search query from the url parameters, and dynamically updated the document title and search readout. with these enhancements, the search page now provides an improved user experience and makes it easier for users to find relevant content.

stay tuned for the next lesson, where we will explore additional features to further enhance the search functionality.