Ibexa Solr Search Query Boost Laravel Package

Getting Started

Minimal Steps

1. Installation

   composer require contextualcode/ibexa-solr-search-query-boost
   

   Ensure your project uses eZ Platform (now Ibexa DXP) with Solr as the search engine.

2. Configuration Add the service to your config/services.yaml (or equivalent) to enable the boost logic:

   services:
       Ibexa\Search\SearchService:
           decorates: 'ibexa.search.search_service'
           arguments: ['@.inner']
   

3. First Use Case Boost a specific content type or field in a search query:

   use Contextualcode\IbexaSolrSearchQueryBoost\Boost\BoostBuilder;
   
   $searchService = $this->container->get('ibexa.search.search_service');
   $searchService->getSearch()
       ->setQuery($query)
       ->setBoost(BoostBuilder::create()
           ->addBoost('content_type_identifier', 'article', 2.0)
           ->build()
       );
   

Implementation Patterns

Usage Patterns

1. Dynamic Boosting Use the BoostBuilder to dynamically adjust search relevance at runtime:

   $boostBuilder = BoostBuilder::create()
       ->addBoost('field_name', 'priority_value', 1.5)
       ->addBoost('content_type_identifier', 'news', 3.0)
       ->build();
   

2. Field-Specific Boosting Target specific fields (e.g., name, body, or custom fields) for granular control:

   $boostBuilder->addBoost('custom_field_name', 'high_priority', 2.5);
   

3. Combining with eZ Platform Search Integrate with existing SearchService logic:

   $searchResult = $searchService->search($query, $searchCriteria);
   $searchCriteria->setBoost($boostBuilder->build());
   

Workflows

• Content Prioritization: Boost high-value content types (e.g., "Featured Articles") by content_type_identifier.
• Field Weighting: Amplify relevance of critical fields (e.g., title or tags) during search.
• A/B Testing: Temporarily adjust boost factors to test search performance.

Integration Tips

• Solr Schema Alignment: Ensure your Solr schema includes the fields you plan to boost (e.g., content_type_identifier).
• Caching: Cache boost configurations if they are static (e.g., per-content-type boosts).
• Logging: Log boost adjustments for debugging:

  $this->logger->info('Applied boosts', ['boosts' => $boostBuilder->getBoosts()]);
  

Gotchas and Tips

Pitfalls

1. Field Mismatch

   • Issue: Boosting a field that doesn’t exist in Solr or isn’t indexed in eZ Platform.
   • Fix: Verify Solr schema and eZ Platform field mappings. Use solr.schema.xml to confirm field names.

2. Over-Boosting

   • Issue: Excessive boost factors (e.g., > 5.0) can distort search relevance.
   • Fix: Test incrementally (e.g., 1.0, 2.0, 3.0) and monitor results.

3. Case Sensitivity

   • Issue: Solr field names in boosts must match the schema exactly (e.g., content_type_identifier vs. ContentTypeIdentifier).
   • Fix: Use lowercase or exact schema names.

4. Performance Impact

   • Issue: Complex boost queries may slow down searches.
   • Fix: Limit boosts to 3–5 critical fields/values.

Debugging

• Solr Admin UI: Check the boost query in the Solr query parser to validate syntax.
• eZ Platform Logs: Enable ezsearch logging in config/logging.php:

  'channels' => [
      'ezsearch' => [
          'level' => 'debug',
      ],
  ],
  

• Boost Validation:

  if (!$boostBuilder->isValid()) {
      throw new \RuntimeException('Invalid boost configuration: ' . $boostBuilder->getErrors());
  }
  

Extension Points

1. Custom Boost Logic Extend BoostBuilder to support dynamic boosts (e.g., user-specific or time-based):

   class DynamicBoostBuilder extends BoostBuilder {
       public function addDynamicBoost(callable $callback) {
           $this->boosts[] = $callback();
       }
   }
   

2. Solr Query Modifiers Hook into Solr’s edismax or dismax parameters to combine with boosts:

   $searchCriteria->query->setParam('defType', 'edismax');
   $searchCriteria->query->setParam('boost', $boostBuilder->getSolrBoostQuery());
   

3. Event Subscribers Automate boosts via eZ Platform events (e.g., ContentUpdateEvent):

   public function onContentUpdate(ContentUpdateEvent $event) {
       if ($event->getContent()->getContentInfo()->contentTypeId === 'article') {
           $boostBuilder->addBoost('content_type_identifier', 'article', 2.0);
       }
   }
   

4. Configuration Overrides Override boost defaults in config/ibexa/solr_boost.php:

   return [
       'default_boosts' => [
           'content_type_identifier' => [
               'article' => 1.5,
               'news' => 2.0,
           ],
       ],
   ];