Creating an Advanced Search Engine

[Nikolay728]

I'm trying to create an advanced search engine.I have an understanding of how to create a keyword search, but I need a very advanced search form, and am confused how to do it.What I need it to do is have a drop down menu of options.ex.Form 1: ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators,When I select refrigerators, form two pops upex.Form 2: 18 cu.ft, 21 cu.ft, 25 cu.ftAfter size style would comeex. form 3: French Door, Bottom Freezeretc etcI've been trying to research if this is something I could program easily myself, or to use one of billions of programs offered.If anyone could give me a suggestion that would be awesomeThanks

[skaterdav85]

To do all this you would need to use JavaScript to control which form elements are displayed on the page prior to submitting the form. You would also need some server side scripting language and SQL to process and search through all your information stored in your database.

[MrFish]

Use Ajax to send information and get real-time results. Ajax is a fancy word for a Javascript object used to send and receive information without leaving the page. This is what google uses when it gets you real-time recommended searches when you type in the search box.Next you will need php. When you use ajax to send information to a page you will need php to retrieve the information. PHP is a server-side script that big dave mentioned.Last you will need, like big dave mentioned, an SQL language. You can use MySQL with PHP to retrieve the information from the database, print it to the php page, and return it to the original page with javascript.It can be a complicated process and I didn't make it any easier. But with this information you have ample information to get you started. W3Schools has tutorials on JS, PHP, and Ajax.

[skaterdav85]

Just wanted to clarify one thing. MySQL is just one database management system you can use. You could also use SQL Server, Postgres, oracle, and plenty others. They all interpret the Structured Query Language (SQL), although each DBMS may have its own particular syntax for certain features. For example, T-SQL (Transact SQL) is Microsoft's extension to SQL.

[thescientist]

are you looking for help on creating dynamic drop downs, or what do with the values of these drop downs after the user has progressed through and filled out the entire form? For the drop downs you should be able to use Javascript, or if you have information saved in database, you could use AJAX to query the database using the currently selected drop downs value and return new options for the next level of drop down options.