Plugin Architecture

4. Plugin Architecture

The WP Fast Total Search (WPFTS) plugin boasts a modular architecture, ensuring flexibility, extensibility, and efficiency. The plugin comprises several key components that interact to provide comprehensive search functionality. A detailed description of each component and their interactions will be provided in the following subsections. The plugin also leverages the WordPress database extensively for storing the index and other information necessary for search operations. The database table structure will also be described separately.

General Operating Principles

WPFTS operates according to the following principles:

  1. Indexing: Upon initial plugin activation or any modification of site content, WPFTS indexes the data, extracting text from posts, pages, custom post types, and other sources. Indexed data is processed according to indexing rules, configurable via the administrative interface.

  2. Index Storage: Indexed data is stored in dedicated database tables. This enables rapid retrieval of relevant results during a search query.

  3. Search Query Processing: When a user performs a search, WPFTS analyzes the query and uses the search index to locate matching posts and pages. Result relevance is calculated based on cluster weights and other parameters.

  4. Result Display: WPFTS displays search results using Smart Excerpts, which highlight the found keywords in context.

Extensibility

The WPFTS architecture is designed with extensibility in mind. The plugin provides developers with numerous hooks (actions and filters) that allow modification of virtually any aspect of its operation. This allows integration of WPFTS with other plugins and themes, adding data from third-party sources to the index, modifying the search algorithm, and customizing result display.

In the following subsections, we will detail:

  • Descriptions of the main plugin components (indexer, search engine, widget, Smart Excerpts generator).

  • Component interaction.

  • The structure of the database tables used by the plugin.

This information will help you better understand how WPFTS works and how it can be extended to meet your needs.

Working with 3rd-party pluginsCore Components