Search usage scenarios for product variants

Some of the scenarios in which you can optimize HCL Commerce Search for product variants are described.

Scenario 1: Set the default search type to include variants

  1. Ensure that you have built variants into the index. For more information, see Using Search with product variants.
  2. Edit WCDE_installdir\workspace\search-config-ext\src\runtime\config\com.ibm.commerce.search\wc-component.xml to set the search Type to include variants. If the wc-component.xml file does not exist, create one. For example:
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<_config:DevelopmentComponentConfiguration
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/commerce/foundation/config ../xsd/wc-component.xsd "
    xmlns:_config="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/commerce/foundation/config">

    <_config:valuemappingservice>

    </_config:valuemappingservice>

    <_config:extendedconfiguration>
        <_config:configgrouping name="SearchConfiguration">

            <_config:property name="searchType" value="20000"/>

        </_config:configgrouping>
</_config:extendedconfiguration>

</_config:DevelopmentComponentConfiguration>
    For more information about Search Types, see Changing the default search type.
  3. Save your changes and close your file, then package and deploy your customization. See Packaging the customization.
  4. Restart the Search server.

Scenario 2: View child variants of a product

The REST API store/{storeId}/productview/byId/{productId} only returns child SKUs for a product by default. If you want it to return both child variants and SKUs, follow the steps below.

  1. Ensure that you have built variants into the index, as described in Using Search with product variants.
  2. Redefine the IBM_findProductByIds_Details profile in the search configuration file (wc-search.xml). Set the search type to 20000, and replace com.ibm.commerce.search.internal.expression.postprocessor.SearchCatalogEntryViewSKUQueryPostprocessor with com.ibm.commerce.search.internal.expression.postprocessor.SearchCatalogEntryViewVariantAndSKUQueryPostprocessor. For example:
    <_config:profile name="IBM_findProductByIds_Details" indexName="CatalogEntry">
   <_config:query>
      <_config:param name="searchType" value="20000"/>

<!--  Remove SearchCatalogEntryViewSKUQueryPostprocessor, and use SearchCatalogEntryViewVariantAndSKUQueryPostprocessor instead
<_config:postprocessor classname="com.ibm.commerce.search.internal.expression.postprocessor.SearchCatalogEntryViewSKUQueryPostprocessor" /> 
-->

       <_config:postprocessor classname="com.ibm.commerce.search.internal.expression.postprocessor.SearchCatalogEntryViewVariantAndSKUQueryPostprocessor" />

   </_config:query>
</_config:profile>
    Where:
    • The default value of searchType is 1000. A searchType value of 20000 changes the search scope to include variants and exclude products.
    • A searchType value can alternatively be set in the wc-component.xml file.
  3. Save your changes, and then restart the Search server.
  4. Access the REST API store/{storeId}/productview/byId/{productId} to view the child variants and SKUs of a product.