Refiner Properties

Refiner Properties

The Search & Preview refiner feature enables users to focus in on a specific type of information in an existing result list. It works by displaying a selection control (e.g., a drop-down list) that enables the user to select a single target value from among all values found for a given property. For example, after making an initial search, the user can then choose to filter the list to include only results by one specific selected site, author, file type, status, etc.

Figure: Example of how the refiner feature will be seen by users

To enable this feature, you must establish one or more refiner properties for each search tab and then configure your result pages to make use of these properties. Each refiner property for Search & Preview must be mapped to a specific SharePoint managed the property, each of which exists as a column for each document in the search database.

Establishing Refiner Properties

To set up a managed property for use as a refiner property for a given search-tab configuration:
1. Make sure that any metadata properties that you wish to use are available and configured as managed properties in SharePoint.

2. Navigate to the search-tab settings for the site and site level at which your refiner property will most-often apply. See “Search-Tab Configuration and Inheritance” for details.

3. You should now be on the Search Tabs page, which shows a list of search tabs that apply at the site and level you selected above. Open the configuration settings for the search tab for which your refiner properties should be available.

4. The Search Tab Configuration page opens. Under the Property Settings heading on this page, click on the Refiner Properties link. The Refiner Properties page opens.

5. The Refiner Properties page shows a list of the current refiner properties. Click on the Add Property button in the toolbar to open the Add Refiner Property page. Make settings for your new property as described in the help text on the page.

6. When you are done configuring the new refinery property, it will immediately become available to all result pages that take their settings from the site and search tab that you selected above.

Enabling the Refiner Feature

To make the refiner feature available on a given result page, add an Search & Preview Search Summary Web Part to the page and configure it as needed. See also “Search & Preview Search Summary Web Part”.