Building Search Interfaces

Infactory enables you to build powerful, natural language search interfaces that allow users to find information in your data using ordinary questions. Unlike traditional search solutions, Infactory-powered search interfaces can interpret user intent, extract parameters, and return precise, contextual results.

Why Infactory for Search Interfaces?

Traditional search solutions face several challenges:

Keyword Limitations

Traditional search only matches keywords, missing conceptual matches

Lack of Context

Cannot understand user intent or contextual meaning

Complex Implementation

Requires significant expertise in search technologies

Maintenance Overhead

Difficult to update and maintain as data evolves

Infactory search interfaces offer significant advantages:

Natural Language Understanding: Users can search using conversational questions
Precise Results: Returns exact answers, not just document links
Contextual Awareness: Understands parameters and filters from questions
Easy Implementation: Build advanced search with minimal code
Consistency: Delivers reliable, accurate results at database speed

Search Interface Architecture Overview

Define your queries

Create and deploy the queries that will power your search interface.

Design search UI

Create a user-friendly search interface with an input field and results area.

Connect search to Infactory

Send user questions to Infactory’s API and handle the response.

Format results

Format the structured data results into a user-friendly display.

Implement refinement options

Add filters, sorting, or follow-up options to help users refine searches.

Implementation Approaches

Basic Search Interface

The simplest implementation provides a search box that sends questions to Infactory:

import { useState } from 'react';

function SearchInterface() {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
  const [results, setResults] = useState(null);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
  const [error, setError] = useState(null);
  
  async function handleSearch(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
    
    if (!query.trim()) return;
    
    setLoading(true);
    setError(null);
    
    try {
      // Call your backend API that interfaces with Infactory
      const response = await fetch('/api/search', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({ question: query }),
      });
      
      if (!response.ok) {
        throw new Error('Search failed');
      }
      
      const data = await response.json();
      
      if (!data.data || data.data.length === 0) {
        setError('No results found. Please try a different search.');
        setResults(null);
      } else {
        setResults(data);
      }
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error during search:', error);
      setError('Failed to perform search. Please try again.');
      setResults(null);
    } finally {
      setLoading(false);
    }
  }
  
  // Function to render search results based on data type
  function renderResults() {
    if (!results || !results.data) return null;
    
    // Check the type of data we received
    const data = results.data;
    
    // For tabular data, render a table
    if (Array.isArray(data) && data.length > 0 && typeof data[0] === 'object') {
      return (
        <div className="table-container">
          <table className="results-table">
            <thead>
              <tr>
                {Object.keys(data[0]).map(key => (
                  <th key={key}>{key}</th>
                ))}
              </tr>
            </thead>
            <tbody>
              {data.map((row, index) => (
                <tr key={index}>
                  {Object.values(row).map((value, i) => (
                    <td key={i}>{typeof value === 'object' ? JSON.stringify(value) : value}</td>
                  ))}
                </tr>
              ))}
            </tbody>
          </table>
        </div>
      );
    }
    
    // For simple scalar results
    if (!Array.isArray(data)) {
      return (
        <div className="scalar-result">
          <p className="result-value">{JSON.stringify(data)}</p>
        </div>
      );
    }
    
    // Fallback for other data types
    return (
      <div className="json-result">
        <pre>{JSON.stringify(data, null, 2)}</pre>
      </div>
    );
  }
  
  return (
    <div className="search-interface">
      <h1>Data Search</h1>
      <p className="description">
        Ask any question about your data
      </p>
      
      <form onSubmit={handleSearch} className="search-form">
        <input
          type="text"
          value={query}
          onChange={(e) => setQuery(e.target.value)}
          placeholder="e.g., 'What were total sales last month?' or 'How many users signed up yesterday?'"
          disabled={loading}
          className="search-input"
        />
        <button type="submit" disabled={loading} className="search-button">
          {loading ? 'Searching...' : 'Search'}
        </button>
      </form>
      
      <div className="results-container">
        {loading && <div className="loading">Searching...</div>}
        {error && <div className="error">{error}</div>}
        {results && (
          <div className="search-results">
            <div className="results-header">
              <h2>Results</h2>
              <div className="query-info">
                <span>Query: <code>{results.query_used}</code></span>
                <span>Execution time: <code>{results.execution_time_ms}ms</code></span>
              </div>
            </div>
            
            {renderResults()}
          </div>
        )}
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Backend Implementation

Your backend needs to proxy requests to Infactory:

// Node.js/Express backend
const express = require('express');
const axios = require('axios');
const router = express.Router();

// Environment variables
const INFACTORY_API_KEY = process.env.INFACTORY_API_KEY;
const INFACTORY_PROJECT_ID = process.env.INFACTORY_PROJECT_ID;

// Search endpoint
router.post('/api/search', async (req, res) => {
  try {
    const { question } = req.body;
    
    if (!question) {
      return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Question is required' });
    }
    
    // Call Infactory's unified query endpoint
    const response = await axios.post(
      'https://api.infactory.ai/v1/query',
      {
        query: question,
        project_id: INFACTORY_PROJECT_ID
      },
      {
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${INFACTORY_API_KEY}`
        }
      }
    );
    
    res.json(response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error during search:', error.response?.data || error.message);
    
    // Extract specific error information if available
    let errorMessage = 'Failed to process your search';
    
    if (error.response?.data?.error) {
      if (error.response.data.error === 'no_matching_query') {
        errorMessage = 'No query available to answer this question';
      } else if (error.response.data.error === 'parameter_extraction_failed') {
        errorMessage = 'Unable to understand all parts of your question';
      } else {
        errorMessage = error.response.data.error;
      }
    }
    
    res.status(500).json({
      error: errorMessage
    });
  }
});

module.exports = router;

Enhanced Search Experience

Search Suggestions

Add search suggestions to help users formulate effective questions:

function SearchWithSuggestions() {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
  const [suggestions, setSuggestions] = useState([
    "What were total sales last month?",
    "How many customers do we have in California?",
    "Show me top 10 products by revenue",
    "What's the average order value by customer segment?",
    "How many support tickets were opened yesterday?"
  ]);
  
  // Use a suggested question
  const useQuestion = (question) => {
    setQuery(question);
    // Optionally auto-submit the search
  };
  
  return (
    <div className="search-interface">
      <form onSubmit={handleSearch} className="search-form">
        <input
          type="text"
          value={query}
          onChange={(e) => setQuery(e.target.value)}
          placeholder="Ask a question about your data..."
          className="search-input"
        />
        <button type="submit" className="search-button">Search</button>
      </form>
      
      {/* Suggestions */}
      {!results && !loading && (
        <div className="search-suggestions">
          <h3>Suggested questions:</h3>
          <ul className="suggestions-list">
            {suggestions.map((suggestion, index) => (
              <li key={index}>
                <button
                  onClick={() => useQuestion(suggestion)}
                  className="suggestion-btn"
                >
                  {suggestion}
                </button>
              </li>
            ))}
          </ul>
        </div>
      )}
      
      {/* Results rendered here */}
    </div>
  );
}

Search Results Enhancement

Improve the presentation of search results with visualizations and summaries:

function EnhancedResults({ results }) {
  if (!results || !results.data) return null;
  
  // Generate a natural language summary of the results
  function generateSummary() {
    const data = results.data;
    
    if (!Array.isArray(data)) {
      return `The result is ${JSON.stringify(data)}.`;
    }
    
    if (data.length === 0) {
      return "No data was found for your query.";
    }
    
    if (data.length === 1) {
      return `Found 1 result: ${JSON.stringify(data[0])}.`;
    }
    
    return `Found ${data.length} results. Here are the details:`;
  }
  
  // Determine if data can be visualized
  function canVisualize() {
    const data = results.data;
    return Array.isArray(data) && 
           data.length > 1 && 
           data.length <= 20 && 
           Object.keys(data[0]).some(key => typeof data[0][key] === 'number');
  }
  
  // Simple visualization for numeric data
  function renderVisualization() {
    if (!canVisualize()) return null;
    
    const data = results.data;
    const keys = Object.keys(data[0]);
    
    // Find a likely category field and numeric field
    const categoryKey = keys.find(key => typeof data[0][key] === 'string') || keys[0];
    const numberKey = keys.find(key => typeof data[0][key] === 'number');
    
    if (!numberKey) return null;
    
    // In a real implementation, you would use a charting library like Chart.js
    return (
      <div className="visualization">
        <h3>Data Visualization</h3>
        <div className="chart-placeholder">
          {/* In a real app, replace with actual chart component */}
          <div className="mock-bar-chart">
            {data.map((item, index) => (
              <div key={index} className="mock-bar-item">
                <div className="mock-bar-label">{item[categoryKey]}</div>
                <div 
                  className="mock-bar" 
                  style={{ 
                    width: `${Math.min(100, (item[numberKey] / Math.max(...data.map(d => d[numberKey]))) * 100)}%` 
                  }}
                ></div>
                <div className="mock-bar-value">{item[numberKey]}</div>
              </div>
            ))}
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    );
  }
  
  return (
    <div className="enhanced-results">
      <div className="results-summary">
        <h3>Summary</h3>
        <p>{generateSummary()}</p>
      </div>
      
      {renderVisualization()}
      
      <div className="detailed-results">
        <h3>Detailed Results</h3>
        {/* Render the full results table or other appropriate format */}
      </div>
      
      <div className="results-metadata">
        <h4>Query Information</h4>
        <ul>
          <li><strong>Query Used:</strong> {results.query_used}</li>
          <li><strong>Execution Time:</strong> {results.execution_time_ms}ms</li>
          <li><strong>Parameters:</strong> {JSON.stringify(results.parameters || {})}</li>
        </ul>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Add filters and refinement options to help users narrow down results:

function SearchWithFilters() {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
  const [results, setResults] = useState(null);
  const [filters, setFilters] = useState({});
  const [availableFilters, setAvailableFilters] = useState([]);
  
  async function handleSearch(e) {
    e.preventDefault();
    // Perform search as before...
    
    // After getting results, identify possible filters
    if (data && Array.isArray(data.data) && data.data.length > 0) {
      const possibleFilters = {};
      
      // Identify string columns that could be used as filters
      Object.keys(data.data[0]).forEach(key => {
        if (typeof data.data[0][key] === 'string') {
          // Get unique values for this column
          const uniqueValues = [...new Set(data.data.map(item => item[key]))];
          
          // Only use as filter if there are a reasonable number of unique values
          if (uniqueValues.length > 1 && uniqueValues.length <= 10) {
            possibleFilters[key] = uniqueValues;
          }
        }
      });
      
      setAvailableFilters(possibleFilters);
    }
  }
  
  // Apply a filter
  function applyFilter(key, value) {
    setFilters(prev => ({
      ...prev,
      [key]: value
    }));
  }
  
  // Clear a specific filter
  function clearFilter(key) {
    setFilters(prev => {
      const newFilters = { ...prev };
      delete newFilters[key];
      return newFilters;
    });
  }
  
  // Clear all filters
  function clearAllFilters() {
    setFilters({});
  }
  
  // Filter the results based on selected filters
  function getFilteredResults() {
    if (!results || !Array.isArray(results.data)) return results;
    
    // If no filters are applied, return all results
    if (Object.keys(filters).length === 0) return results;
    
    // Apply filters
    const filteredData = results.data.filter(item => {
      // Item passes if it matches all filters
      return Object.entries(filters).every(([key, value]) => {
        return item[key] === value;
      });
    });
    
    return {
      ...results,
      data: filteredData,
      filtered: true
    };
  }
  
  const filteredResults = getFilteredResults();
  
  return (
    <div className="search-interface">
      {/* Search form */}
      <form onSubmit={handleSearch} className="search-form">
        {/* ... */}
      </form>
      
      {/* Results and filters */}
      {results && (
        <div className="search-results-container">
          {/* Active filters */}
          {Object.keys(filters).length > 0 && (
            <div className="active-filters">
              <div className="active-filters-header">
                <h3>Active Filters</h3>
                <button onClick={clearAllFilters} className="clear-all-btn">
                  Clear All
                </button>
              </div>
              <div className="filter-tags">
                {Object.entries(filters).map(([key, value]) => (
                  <div key={key} className="filter-tag">
                    <span>{key}: {value}</span>
                    <button onClick={() => clearFilter(key)} className="remove-filter-btn">
                      ×
                    </button>
                  </div>
                ))}
              </div>
            </div>
          )}
          
          <div className="results-and-filters">
            {/* Available filters */}
            {Object.keys(availableFilters).length > 0 && (
              <div className="filter-sidebar">
                <h3>Refine Results</h3>
                {Object.entries(availableFilters).map(([key, values]) => (
                  <div key={key} className="filter-group">
                    <h4>{key}</h4>
                    <ul className="filter-options">
                      {values.map(value => (
                        <li key={value}>
                          <button 
                            onClick={() => applyFilter(key, value)}
                            className={filters[key] === value ? 'active' : ''}
                          >
                            {value}
                          </button>
                        </li>
                      ))}
                    </ul>
                  </div>
                ))}
              </div>
            )}
            
            {/* Search results */}
            <div className="results-area">
              {filteredResults.filtered && (
                <div className="filter-notice">
                  Showing {filteredResults.data.length} of {results.data.length} results
                </div>
              )}
              {/* Render results as before */}
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  );
}

Advanced Search Features

Search History

Implement search history to allow users to revisit previous searches:

function SearchWithHistory() {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
  const [searchHistory, setSearchHistory] = useState([]);
  
  // Add search to history
  function addToHistory(question, results) {
    const historyItem = {
      id: Date.now(),
      question,
      queryUsed: results.query_used,
      timestamp: new Date(),
      resultCount: Array.isArray(results.data) ? results.data.length : 1
    };
    
    setSearchHistory(prev => [historyItem, ...prev].slice(0, 10)); // Keep last 10 searches
    
    // Optionally save to localStorage
    try {
      const savedHistory = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('searchHistory') || '[]');
      localStorage.setItem('searchHistory', JSON.stringify([historyItem, ...savedHistory].slice(0, 10)));
    } catch (err) {
      console.error('Failed to save search history:', err);
    }
  }
  
  // Load search history from localStorage on component mount
  useEffect(() => {
    try {
      const savedHistory = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('searchHistory') || '[]');
      setSearchHistory(savedHistory);
    } catch (err) {
      console.error('Failed to load search history:', err);
    }
  }, []);
  
  // Clear search history
  function clearHistory() {
    setSearchHistory([]);
    localStorage.removeItem('searchHistory');
  }
  
  // Rerun a previous search
  function rerunSearch(question) {
    setQuery(question);
    handleSearch({ preventDefault: () => {} }, question);
  }
  
  return (
    <div className="search-interface">
      {/* Search form */}
      <form onSubmit={handleSearch} className="search-form">
        {/* ... */}
      </form>
      
      {/* Search results */}
      {/* ... */}
      
      {/* Search history */}
      {searchHistory.length > 0 && (
        <div className="search-history">
          <div className="history-header">
            <h3>Recent Searches</h3>
            <button onClick={clearHistory} className="clear-history-btn">
              Clear History
            </button>
          </div>
          <ul className="history-list">
            {searchHistory.map(item => (
              <li key={item.id} className="history-item">
                <button onClick={() => rerunSearch(item.question)} className="rerun-search-btn">
                  {item.question}
                </button>
                <div className="history-meta">
                  <span className="history-time">
                    {new Date(item.timestamp).toLocaleTimeString()}
                  </span>
                  <span className="history-results">
                    {item.resultCount} result{item.resultCount !== 1 ? 's' : ''}
                  </span>
                </div>
              </li>
            ))}
          </ul>
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  );
}

Suggest related searches based on current results:

function SearchWithRelatedQuestions({ results }) {
  // Generate related questions based on current results
  function generateRelatedQuestions() {
    if (!results || !results.data) return [];
    
    const relatedQuestions = [];
    
    // If we have query parameters, suggest alternative values
    if (results.parameters) {
      Object.entries(results.parameters).forEach(([key, value]) => {
        if (key === 'timeframe' && value) {
          // Suggest different timeframes
          if (value === 'last_month') {
            relatedQuestions.push(`Same question for last week`);
            relatedQuestions.push(`Same question for last quarter`);
          } else if (value === 'last_week') {
            relatedQuestions.push(`Same question for last month`);
            relatedQuestions.push(`Same question for yesterday`);
          }
        }
        
        if (key === 'limit' && value) {
          // Suggest different limits
          relatedQuestions.push(`Show me top ${value * 2} results`);
        }
        
        if (key === 'category' && value) {
          // Suggest comparing with other categories
          relatedQuestions.push(`Compare with other categories`);
        }
      });
    }
    
    // Suggest trending or deeper analysis
    relatedQuestions.push(`Show trend over time`);
    relatedQuestions.push(`What's driving these results?`);
    
    return relatedQuestions;
  }
  
  const relatedQuestions = generateRelatedQuestions();
  
  if (relatedQuestions.length === 0) return null;
  
  return (
    <div className="related-searches">
      <h3>Related Questions</h3>
      <ul className="related-questions-list">
        {relatedQuestions.map((question, index) => (
          <li key={index}>
            <button onClick={() => onSelectRelated(question)} className="related-question-btn">
              {question}
            </button>
          </li>
        ))}
      </ul>
    </div>
  );
}

Saved Searches

Allow users to save and name their searches:

function SavedSearches() {
  const [savedSearches, setSavedSearches] = useState([]);
  const [showSaveDialog, setShowSaveDialog] = useState(false);
  const [searchName, setSearchName] = useState('');
  
  // Load saved searches on component mount
  useEffect(() => {
    try {
      const saved = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('savedSearches') || '[]');
      setSavedSearches(saved);
    } catch (err) {
      console.error('Failed to load saved searches:', err);
    }
  }, []);
  
  // Save current search
  function showSaveSearchDialog() {
    setSearchName(query);
    setShowSaveDialog(true);
  }
  
  // Complete saving the search
  function saveSearch() {
    if (!searchName.trim()) return;
    
    const savedItem = {
      id: Date.now(),
      name: searchName,
      query: query,
      createdAt: new Date(),
    };
    
    const updatedSaved = [...savedSearches, savedItem];
    setSavedSearches(updatedSaved);
    
    // Save to localStorage
    try {
      localStorage.setItem('savedSearches', JSON.stringify(updatedSaved));
    } catch (err) {
      console.error('Failed to save searches:', err);
    }
    
    setShowSaveDialog(false);
    setSearchName('');
  }
  
  // Delete a saved search
  function deleteSavedSearch(id) {
    const updatedSaved = savedSearches.filter(item => item.id !== id);
    setSavedSearches(updatedSaved);
    
    // Update localStorage
    try {
      localStorage.setItem('savedSearches', JSON.stringify(updatedSaved));
    } catch (err) {
      console.error('Failed to update saved searches:', err);
    }
  }
  
  return (
    <>
      {/* Saved searches list */}
      {savedSearches.length > 0 && (
        <div className="saved-searches">
          <h3>Saved Searches</h3>
          <ul className="saved-list">
            {savedSearches.map(item => (
              <li key={item.id} className="saved-item">
                <button onClick={() => runSavedSearch(item.query)} className="run-saved-btn">
                  {item.name}
                </button>
                <button onClick={() => deleteSavedSearch(item.id)} className="delete-saved-btn">
                  Delete
                </button>
              </li>
            ))}
          </ul>
        </div>
      )}
      
      {/* Save search button - show when results are available */}
      {results && (
        <button onClick={showSaveSearchDialog} className="save-search-btn">
          Save This Search
        </button>
      )}
      
      {/* Save search dialog */}
      {showSaveDialog && (
        <div className="save-dialog-overlay">
          <div className="save-dialog">
            <h3>Save Search</h3>
            <input
              type="text"
              value={searchName}
              onChange={(e) => setSearchName(e.target.value)}
              placeholder="Name this search"
              className="save-name-input"
            />
            <div className="save-dialog-actions">
              <button onClick={() => setShowSaveDialog(false)} className="cancel-btn">
                Cancel
              </button>
              <button onClick={saveSearch} className="save-btn">
                Save
              </button>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      )}
    </>
  );
}

Search Interface Best Practices

Clear Search Box

Make the search input prominent with clear placeholder text

Helpful Suggestions

Provide example searches to help users get started

Intelligent Error Handling

When a search fails, suggest alternatives or corrections

Loading States

Show clear loading indicators during search execution

Mobile Optimization

Ensure the search interface works well on all device sizes

Progressive Disclosure

Show a simple result first with options to see more details

Context Preservation

Remember previous searches and allow users to return to them

Clear Feedback

Make it clear which query was used and how parameters were interpreted

Example Search Interface Use Cases

Customer Support Portal

Allow support teams to quickly find customer information

Internal Knowledge Base

Enable employees to search company data and documentation

E-commerce Product Search

Help customers find products using natural language

Business Intelligence Tool

Support executives in finding business metrics quickly

Healthcare Patient Portal

Help patients find relevant information about their care

Financial Research Tool

Allow analysts to find financial data using natural language

Next Steps

After building your search interface, consider:

Adding user authentication for internal search tools
Creating specialized queries for specific search types
Implementing result caching to improve performance
Exploring dashboard integration to visualize search results
Building a hybrid search solution that combines Infactory with traditional search engines

Getting Started

Core Features

Developer Guides

Use Cases

Enterprise

Resources

Why Infactory for Search Interfaces?

Keyword Limitations

Lack of Context

Complex Implementation

Maintenance Overhead

Search Interface Architecture Overview

Implementation Approaches

Basic Search Interface

Backend Implementation

Enhanced Search Experience

Search Suggestions

Search Results Enhancement

Search Filters and Refinement

Advanced Search Features

Search History

Saved Searches

Search Interface Best Practices

Clear Search Box

Helpful Suggestions

Intelligent Error Handling

Loading States

Mobile Optimization

Progressive Disclosure

Context Preservation

Clear Feedback

Example Search Interface Use Cases

Customer Support Portal

Internal Knowledge Base

E-commerce Product Search

Business Intelligence Tool

Healthcare Patient Portal

Financial Research Tool

Next Steps

Getting Started

Core Features

Developer Guides

Use Cases

Enterprise

Resources

​Why Infactory for Search Interfaces?

Keyword Limitations

Lack of Context

Complex Implementation

Maintenance Overhead

​Search Interface Architecture Overview

​Implementation Approaches

​Basic Search Interface

​Backend Implementation

​Enhanced Search Experience

​Search Suggestions

​Search Results Enhancement

​Search Filters and Refinement

​Advanced Search Features

​Search History

​Related Searches

​Saved Searches

​Search Interface Best Practices

Clear Search Box

Helpful Suggestions

Intelligent Error Handling

Loading States

Mobile Optimization

Progressive Disclosure

Context Preservation

Clear Feedback

​Example Search Interface Use Cases

Customer Support Portal

Internal Knowledge Base

E-commerce Product Search

Business Intelligence Tool

Healthcare Patient Portal

Financial Research Tool

​Next Steps

Why Infactory for Search Interfaces?

Search Interface Architecture Overview

Implementation Approaches

Basic Search Interface

Backend Implementation

Enhanced Search Experience

Search Suggestions

Search Results Enhancement

Search Filters and Refinement

Advanced Search Features

Search History

Related Searches

Saved Searches

Search Interface Best Practices

Example Search Interface Use Cases

Next Steps