PostgreSQL Full Text Search for Laravel Scout

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May 5th, 2023

PostgreSQL Full Text Search for Laravel Scout

This package makes it easy to use native PostgreSQL Full Text Search capabilities with Laravel Scout:

// plainto_tsquery()
$posts = App\Post::search('cat rat')
->usingPlainQuery()->get()
 
// phraseto_tsquery()
$posts = App\Post::search('cat rat')
->usingPhraseQuery()->get()
 
// to_tsquery()
$posts = App\Post::search('fat & (cat | rat)')
->usingTsQuery()->get()
 
// websearch_to_tsquery()
// uses web search syntax
$posts = App\Post::search('"sad cat" or "fat rat" -mouse')
->usingWebSearchQuery()->get()
 
// DIY using a callback
use ScoutEngines\Postgres\TsQuery\ToTsQuery;
 
$results = App\Post::search('fat & (cat | rat)', function ($builder, $config) {
return new ToTsQuery($builder->query, $config);
})->get();

And here's an example model:

class Post extends Model
{
use Searchable;
 
// Configurable search data...
// Bring other data (i.e., tags) to the index document
public function toSearchableArray()
{
return [
'title' => $this->title,
'content' => $this->content,
'author' => $this->user->name,
'tags' => $this->tags->pluck('tag')->implode(' '),
];
}
 
public function searchableOptions()
{
return [
// Model search config for index settings, rank, etc.
];
}
}

The way this integration works is that the parsed document model data is stored in the same table in the searchable column with the tsvector type. You can fine-tune how each model works by integrating a searchableOptions() method, which allows you to:

  • Configurable column name (default is searchable)
  • Rank groups can be assigned to fields in the table
  • Rank weights are configurable for each rank group
  • Configurable ranking function to use (ts_rank or ts_rank_cd)
  • Rank normailzation
  • And more...

You can learn more about this package, get full installation instructions, and view the source code on GitHub.

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Paul Redmond

Full stack web developer. Author of Lumen Programming Guide and Docker for PHP Developers.