Search Flows

Overview

The primary purpose of Search Flows is to help buyers find appropriate products.

Suppliers benefit from creating Search Flows because they know buyers have assistance in locating complex products in a less error-prone way than with manual selection.

Buyers benefit from Search Flows because they can find the best products for their needs quickly and accurately. Search Flows usually appear to buyers when they click Advanced Search in the Search page.

A Search Flow typically contains selection attributes whose values can be used to determine a set of products. Selection attributes are configuration attributes that can be displayed to the buyer in steps as a flow or all at once.

Using flows, you can add logic to the search process by displaying ”next” steps based on previously set values. With some extra planning, search flow attribute values can carry over to the product Configuration process. For this to work, 2 conditions must exist:

1. The attribute name and type (for example, float, integer, non-numeric) in the Search Flow must match up exactly with the corresponding attribute used in the Configuration Process.
2. The attributes whose values should pass along to the Configuration Process must be included in the Search Flow's post-calculation.

A Search Flow rule has a condition and an action. The values of the condition attributes determine the result of the condition, which, when true, triggers an action. The action is to pick up the right Search Flow to be displayed on the Selector Configuration page. If more than one Search Flow rule exists and has its condition evaluating to true, then the first flow is selected based on the flow selection logic mentioned below.

Flow Selection Logic when Multiple Flows are Applicable

When more than one flow is applicable at the same time, the flows are sorted based on the following criteria (in sequence) to pick up the first flow:

1. Descending order of validity of flows
2. Ascending order of nodeType.

3. Descending order by number of rule inputs

   Rules with single inputs are evaluated last.

4. Ascending order by rule order number

   See the Reordering Rules section in the Configuration Rule Overview topic.

Following is the precedence order for flow nodeType:

1. Start Node
2. End Node
3. Start and End Node
4. Transitional Node
5. Primary Start Node
6. Primary Start and End Node

The rule for selecting node types for flows is that the first flow has to be one of first four node types listed above for the flow to be picked up and showed on the Model Configuration page. Otherwise the attributes are displayed using the default wizard.

If more than one flow is defined, then the first flow has to be any one of first three nodes listed and the last flow has to be of type NODE_TYPE_END for all the flows to show up.

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Administration

Creating a Search Flow

1. Navigate to the Selector List page.

   1. Click Admin to go to the Admin Home Page.

   2. Click Catalog Definition in the Products section.

      The  Supported Products page opens.

   3. Confirm that Product Families is listed in the Navigation column, and click List.

      The Supported Product Families page opens.

2. For the Product Family you are interested in, select  Search Flows from the Navigation drop-down and click List
   The Selector List page opens.

3. Click Add.

4. Specify the Name, Variable Name, Description and Status of the rule.

   The Variable Name field populates automatically. Variable names can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores. The entry can be changed before saving, but after saving the value is read-only.

5. Specify the Selector Type. There are three options:
   • Select Models in Single Product Line: A Search Flow created for this selector helps the buyer choose the optimal models in a specified Product Line.
   • Select Product Lines: This helps the buyer choose the optimal Product Line in that particular family.
   • Select Models Across Product Lines: Helps the buyer choose the optimal models within the specified Product Family.

6. Select Product Line(s) for the Selector.

   

7. Click Add.

   The Selector List page opens.

8. Click List in the Rules column.

   

   The Search Flow Rules List page opens.

   

9. Click Add.

   The Search Flow: Search Wizard page opens.

   

10. Enter the Name, Variable Name and Description of your rule.

    The Variable Name field populates automatically. Variable names can only contain alpha-numeric characters and underscores. The entry can be changed before saving, but after saving the value is read-only.

11. Select the Status of the rule: 
    • Active: The rule must fire if the condition is satisfied.
    • Inactive: The rule does not fire, even if the condition evaluates to true.
    • Internal: The rule only fires if the FullAccess user is the user and the condition evaluates to true.
12. Select the Start/End Dates for which the rule is valid (if applicable).
13. Select the Conditions for the rule.

14. In the Wizard Node Type drop-down, select any type that has an End Node, such as Start and End Node.

    The Search Flow Results Action section appears on the Search Flow page.

    

15. Select the Result Type:  

    • External URL:  

    • Define Function:  See the section Selector Pop-Up: Define Function (Search Flow Results Action).

16. Click Update and Back.

    The Search Flow Rules List page opens.

    Search Flows can only be created at the Product Family level.

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Selector Pop-Up: Define Function (Search Flow Results Action)

1. Navigate to the Search Flow page.

   1. Click Admin to go to the Admin Home Page.

   2. Click Catalog Definition in the Products section.

      The  Supported Products page opens.

   3. Confirm that Product Families is listed in the Navigation column, and click List.

      The Supported Product Families page opens.

   4. For the Product Family you are interested in, select  Search Flows from the Navigation drop-down and click List.

      The Selector List page opens.

   5. For the Search Flow to which you want to add a Selector Pop-Up , click List in the Rules column.

      The Search Flow Rules List page opens.

   6. Click the name of the rule to which you want to add a Selector Pop-Up.

      The Search Flow page opens for the rule you are editing.

   7. If necessary, select a Wizard Node Type that has an End Node, such as Start and End Node.

      The Search Flow Results Action section appears on the Search Flow page.

2. Choose Define Function as the Result Type.

   

3. Click Edit Function.

4. Define the function and include a call to the pop-up function.

   Click here to see syntax.

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <Item>
   <Company hidden="yes">testCompany</Company>
   <Description>
    <GroupName title="Product Line">bigWidgets</GroupName>
    <Name hidden="no" title="Model">W1</Name>
   </Description>
   <Attributes>
    <Attribute title="SIZE">40</Attribute>
    <Attribute title="Color">RED</Attribute>
   <Attribute>
   <![CDATA[
   <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0>
   <tr>
   <td class=button-left><img src="/img/button10.gif" width=10 height=22></td>
   <td class=button-middle>
    <a class=button-text href="javascript:popupFunction()>Calculator</a>
   </td>
   <td class=button-right><img src="/img/button10.gif" width=10 height=22></td>
   </tr></table>]]>
   </Attribute>
   </Attributes>
   </Item>

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5. Inputs to the popupFunction: 
   • All the attributes available to the Function to Evaluate Result Set are available to the popupFunction
   • Dynamic values in the Search Results page can be passed as a parameter to the popupFunction
6. Output of the popupFunction
   • The pop-up Function returns a string
7. Syntax of popupFunction

   • popupFunction (search_results_string) where,search_results_string

     This is an optional string parameter that is used to pass values computed in the search results function to the popupFunction. It enables a FullAccess user to pass dynamic values on the Search Results page. The maximum size of this string is 1000.

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Notes

Related Topics

See Also