Exclude Comments from Search

Question

Hi everyone.

Goal: We want to exclude/hide comments that appear in Search results.

Ideally excluding comment results to anonymous users. Ones that use QuickSearch and/or Advanced Search. A solution for all user groups would also be acceptable.

* Is it possible to 'pre-set' a filter or parameter on our default QuickSearch and/or Advanced Search to achieve this?
* Alternatively is it possible to restrict the actual comments so they don't appear in search results for an anonymous user?

Thank you.

Shannon S · Answer

Peter,

Thank you for your response. At this time, the only available method within the local Confluence Search is to configure the search scope within the Full Search, as I have mentioned.

The exact functionality you're looking for is mentioned in the feature request ticket I shared with you (CONFSERVER-5338).

Other possible workarounds would be:

* The Live Search macro, which would enable you to embed search into a specific page in Confluence. This allows you to dynamically search Confluence based on a set of parameters that you provide it.
* The Search Results Macro, which would allow you to embed a specific list of results on a page.

I hope that helps, but do let me know if you have any further concerns.

Regards,

Shannon

Peter Vojtech · Answer

Hi Shannon,

Thanks for the links to those feature requests. I have added a vote.

The alternatives you mention still require additional steps or information to be added by the end user. Our product is used by anonymous users and a demographic not familiar with filters or search syntax for a quick search.

At this point I can't accept the answer as our goals remain outstanding.

Thanks

Peter

Shannon S · Answer

Hello Peter,

Thank you for contacting us!

Although it takes a few more clicks, you can filter out any comments from your search results by clicking the checkboxes for the content types you do want to see, just under where it says Filter by > Type. You have Comment currently selected, but try selecting everything but comment here.

The Quick Search feature itself is not pre-configurable. It is also not possible to modify the behavior of a search, even for anonymous users. We do have a feature request for this below:

* CONFSERVER-5338 Make quick search scope a site configurable option
* CONFCLOUD-5338 (Cloud version of the same request above)

Please vote on the feature request to show your support.

As for a workaround, you may find that one of our search-related add-ons for Confluence could help you with your case. I would recommend having a look at them and see:

* Confluence Search Add-ons from Marketplace

I'm not too familiar with these myself, but you're welcome to have a look and give them a try. If you have any questions about any specific add-on, you can raise a question in our Marketplace collection here on Community.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

Regards,

Shannon