Introduction
This articles discusses and demonstrates the number of ways in which a 3rd Party system can interface to the powerful InfoLink search system. The article assumes that the 3rd Party has a valid client token for the system and the websites that are required to be searched have been indexed by InfoLink.
To recieve your client token for InfoLink and to index your corporate site, intranet, or any number other sites for research / marketing purposes etc., contact MDB Consulting today.
Using the common search results page
The easiest way to integrate your corporate web sites and web applications with InfoLink is to use the common InfoLink search results page. This method requires the third party to place a HTML form on any of their website pages that will host the search function. When a search query is entered and submitted, the form will then redirect to the common results page displaying the results of their query specific to the company's indexed websites. This method is identical to the method Google uses when you place a Google search form on your website page.
The HTML required to be placed on your webpage is shown below:
<!-- Search InfoLink -->
<form method="post" action="http://www.mdbconsulting.co.uk/CommonInfoLinkResults.aspx">
Search this site with <a href="Products.aspx"><img src="http://www.mdbconsulting.co.uk/images/InfoLink.gif" border="0" alt="InfoLink from MDB Consulting Ltd" /></a>
<input type="text" name="query" maxlength="255" value="">
<input type="hidden" name="clienttoken" value="<your client token goes here>">
<input type="submit" name="btnSearch" value="InfoLink Search">
</form>
<!-- Search InfoLink -->
The search results are shown on the CommonInfoLinkResults.aspx web page on MDB Consulting's own web server. The results page is tailored to the company who made the request, showing their company logo and home page details. An example can be viewed by navigating to the Impact Dance and Theatre School website.
Using the InfoLink web service
An alternative method of integrating the InfoLink search system into your own web sites, web applications and Windows applications is to use the InfoLink web service.
The web service is located at http://infolinkws.mdbconsulting.co.uk/InfoLink.asmx.
The web service provides a programmatic way of interfacing with the InfoLink search system and gives the 3rd Party full control over the use of the search functions and display of the search results.
The web service can be accessed easily through .NET applications or any SOAP toolkit. In .NET, once the web service has been referenced, it is as easy as instantiating any object:
// Create the InfoLink webservice
InfoLink objInfoLink = new InfoLink();
// Load the results list
SearchResultsList objResults = objInfoLink.GetSearchResults("token", "phrase")
// Display the results list
foreach(SearchResult objResult in objResults)
{
objText.Append("<a href=\"" + objResult.ItemPath + "\">" + objElement.ItemName + "</a><br>");
objText.Append(objElement.ItemPath + "<br><br>");
}
// Set the text
lblMain.Text = objText.ToString();
Summary
Intregrating the InfoLink search engine into your own websites and applications provides you with a highly advanced, yet low cost and simple to use, method of providing exciting search functionality to your employees and customers.