Custom Module and Site Search

So you having created your new custom module, what about having its content indexed by the site search?
This process may be divided into 3 sections

1. Module's main presentation File
In your main presentation file ensure that the stub for the site search is included. Shortly after the class definition for our module we require   Implements Entities.Modules.ISearchable, our example below whow this, together with those for the inclusion of the additional mouse over menu items and the import and export of data..
   Public MustInherit Class Articles_Show
      Inherits Entities.Modules.PortalModuleBase
      Implements Entities.Modules.IActionable
      Implements Entities.Modules.IPortable
      Implements Entities.Modules.ISearchable

Elsewhere within this file we have the sub-routine definition.
      Public Function GetSearchItems(ByVal ModInfo As Entities.Modules.ModuleInfo) As Services.Search.SearchItemInfoCollection Implements Entities.Modules.ISearchable.GetSearchItems
         ' included as a stub only so that the core knows this module Implements Entities.Modules.ISearchable
      End Function

2. SQL Controller file
As with our main presentation file we need to provide a reference to our additinal sub-routing

   Public Class ArticlesController
      Implements Entities.Modules.ISearchable

and a definition for our sub-routine
      Public Function GetSearchItems(ByVal ModInfo As Entities.Modules.ModuleInfo) As Services.Search.SearchItemInfoCollection Implements Entities.Modules.ISearchable.GetSearchItems
         Dim SearchItemCollection As New SearchItemInfoCollection
         Dim arrArticles As ArrayList = janetArticles_GetArticleList(ModInfo.ModuleID, ModInfo.PortalID, 1, "Listing", 6, "", "%%", 0)
         Dim objArticle As Object
         For Each objArticle In arrArticles
            Dim SearchItem As SearchItemInfo
            With CType(objArticle, ArticlesInfo)
               Dim UserId As Integer = Null.NullInteger
               Dim strContent As String = System.Web.HttpUtility.HtmlDecode(.Title & " " & .Description)
               Dim strDescription As String = HtmlUtils.Shorten(HtmlUtils.Clean(System.Web.HttpUtility.HtmlDecode(.Description), False), 100, "...")
               SearchItem = New SearchItemInfo(ModInfo.ModuleTitle & " - " & .Title, strDescription, UserId, .StartDate, ModInfo.ModuleID, .ID.ToString, strContent, "ItemId=" & .ID.ToString)
               SearchItemCollection.Add(SearchItem)
            End With
         Next
         Return SearchItemCollection
      End Function

3. DesktopModules Table
In the table desktopmodules ensure that the field BusinessControllerClass has an entry. In the dnn file associated with your custom module this will be a line like

janet.Articles.ArticlesController, janet.Articles


and the line in the table for the discussions module is

DotNetNuke.Modules.Discussions.DiscussionController, DotNetNuke.Modules.Discussions

for my recent module this was

janet.Articles.ArticlesController, janet.Articles

NAT June 2005