Shell module EPiServer 7.5 and higher

Introduction

This document describes the shell module configuration settings and the included module components for EPiServer Find 7.5 and higher versions. The EPiServer Find integration comes with a shell module that adds a new, top-level global menu item to the EPiServerOnline Center view. 

Configuration settings

The shell module needs to be configured to become visible. First, you need to create an index. When done. you get an e-mail with an episerver.find section that you must add to the sites web.config. The EPiServer shell module registration and configuration are done automatically when you install using NuGet packages.

Below are the changes made in configuration when installing EPiServer Find packages:

Register Find module:

<episerver.shell>
  <publicModules rootPath="~/modules/" autoDiscovery="Minimal" />
  <protectedModules rootPath="~/epiui/">
    <strong><add name="Find">
      <assemblies>
        <add assembly="EPiServer.Find.Framework" />
        <add assembly="EPiServer.Find.Cms" />
      </assemblies>
    </add></strong>
    <add name="Shell" />
    <add name="CMS" />
  </protectedModules>
</episerver.shell>

Add handler for embedded resources:

<location path="EPiServerFindEmbeddedResources">
    <system.webServer>
        <handlers>
            <clear />
            <add name="wildcard" path="*" verb="*" type="EPiServer.Web.StaticFileHandler, EPiServer.Framework" />
        </handlers>
    </system.webServer>
</location>

Access rights

Access to views in the shell module is restricted to users in one of three groups:

• WebAdmins
• Administrators
• SearchAdmins

Note that the first two groups typically have Admin view access in EPiServer CMS. So, administrators typically have access to shell module views by default. To grant users without administrator access (such as those in the WebEditors role) access, create a new group, SearchAdmins, and add those users to it.

Supported browsers

The shell module relies heavily on CSS 3, so only modern browsers are supported. Refer to the system requirements for EPiServer for more information.

Added views

When properly configured, the shell module adds the views and subviews described below to the editing interface.

Manage

Statistics

• This view shows search statistics for the top most frequent searches, searches without hits, and searches without relevant hits. Statistics can be displayed for last 24 hours, last week, last month or last year.

Optimization

• Best bets - can be site and language-specific or site and language-independent, depending on choices made in the site and language drop-downs (near the top of the view). Note: to apply Best Bets to search results, you must apply an ApplyBestBets extension method.
• Related queries - can be either site and language-specific or site and language independent. Note: to use related queries, you must apply a DidYouMean method.
• Synonyms - can be language-specific or apply to any language, but cannot be site specific. Note: to use synonyms, you must apply a UsingSynonyms extension method.

Configure

• Boosting - provides a form for fine tuning weights of different parts of the content in search results. Site and language independent.
• Index - lets you to clear data stored in the index and index statistics.
• Connectors - provides a view for creating and listing connectors.

Overview

The Overview and Explore views let you browse indexed content, displaying information about indexed documents count grouped by type. Filtering by type and arbitrary search query is supported.  

 See also

• EPiServer User Guide