Support
Frequently Asked Questions
How is RapidSearch Pro different from RapidSearch?
Unlike its predecessor, RapidSearch Pro does not rely on third-party APIs to return search results. RapidSearch Pro maintains its very own search index using MySQL full-text indexing. This means RapidSearch Pro will provide faster, more accurate, and more up-to-date search results. Also unlike its predecessor, RapidSearch Pro indexes your entire website within a matter of seconds; the older RapidSearch plugin requires you to wait until your site is indexed by Google.
Why does RapidSearch Pro not find results for three or two letter words?
By default, MySQL only indexes words that have four or more letters. This is beyond our control and is intrinsic
to MySQL itself. To change the minimum word length that MySQL will index, update the MySQL server configuration file
with ft_min_word_len=3. If you are on a shared server, you will need to ask your database administrator
or web host to make this change for you.
Why does RapidSearch Pro not find results for general search terms like "okay", "thanks", or similar?
By default, MySQL includes a list of "stopwords" that are automatically filtered out before performing a search.
To disable this list of "stopwords", update the MySQL server configuration file with ft_stopword_file = "".
If you are on a shared server, you will need to ask your database administrator or web host to make this change for you.
To see what words are part of the default "stopwords" list, visit this page:
MySQL default stopwords
Is there a discount for current RapidSearch plugin owners?
No. RapidSearch Pro is a separate product built from the ground up to be a faster, more accurate search solution for more demanding RapidWeaver websites. If current RapidSearch plugin users wish to migrate to RapidSearch Pro, they will need to purchase a new RapidSearch Pro license.
What are the system requirements for RapidSearch Pro?
An Intel-based Mac running OS X 10.5+, RapidWeaver 4+, PHP 5.2+ with libcurl, one empty MySQL database, and a sitemap.xml for your website.
Will RapidSearch Pro work with RapidWeaver 5?
Yes.
How do I generate a sitemap.xml file for my website?
If you are using RapidWeaver 5, you can enable sitemap generation in the Site Setup panel. If you are using RapidWeaver 4, you will need to purchase the SiteMap plugin from LogHound.
How do I create a MySQL database?
Most hosting providers have tools to help you create a MySQL database. If you require assistance creating a MySQL database, contact your database administrator or your hosting provider. Be sure you know the database server IP address, database username, database password, and database name. You may need the database port if your database server runs on a non-standard port.
If I republish my RapidSearch Pro page, will I lose my search index data?
No. You can safely re-publish your RapidSearch Pro page without losing your search index data. This is actually encouraged, especially if you need to update your RapidSearch Pro account username and/or password. However, if you change your MySQL database details to a new database, you will need to re-build your search index since your previous search index data will be in the old database.
I don't see any search results. What is wrong?
- Have you built your search index? If not, you need to do that.
- Is the path to your sitemap.xml file correct?
- Does your MySQL database exist?
- Are your MySQL database login credentials correct?
If the problem still persists, let me know and send me the URL to your RapidSearch Pro page.
There is some code appearing in the search field of my RapidSearch Pro page. What's wrong?
Code may appear in the search field when the file extension for a RapidSearch Pro page has been changed to .html. RapidSearch Pro pages requires a .php file extension. The Software does this for you automatically, but if this issue is occurring please double-check the file extension via the Page Inspector, and fix if necessary.
Can RapidSearch Pro search password-protected pages?
No.
RapidSearch Pro will not activate. What is wrong?
Send us your name, email, order number, and serial number so we can troubleshoot this issue.
Do I need to buy a new RapidSearch Pro license for each website?
Yes. One RapidSearch Pro license entitles you to use the Software on a single primary domain and in a local development and client staging environment. Sub domain use is ok if the sub domain:
- is a alternate language clone of the primary domain ie: http://en.mysite.com or http://it.mydomain.com
- supporting content of the primary domain ie: http://help.mysite.com or http://faqs.mysite.com
- If you're unsure contact us for clarification.
However, you only need to activate RapidSearch Pro once on your computer. After you have activated RapidSearch Pro on your computer, you will not need to activate it again. However, you will need to purchase a new license for each new website that uses RapidSearch Pro.
Technical Support
If you are unable to solve your problem after reading the FAQs above, contact me with a description of your problem and all information pertinent to your issue. Allow one business week for a reply.