Introduction:
We've all been there, traversing through nodes and their children recursively has been a common practice. However, this approach often comes with performance issues, especially as the content tree grows larger. In this blog post, we'll explore how leveraging alternative traversal methods, specifically the Examine search index, can significantly enhance performance and functionality in Umbraco projects.
Examine search index offers a powerful alternative to traditional traversal methods in Umbraco. Not only does it provide faster performance, but it also brings additional benefits such as search functionality, filtering capabilities, and support for multiple data sources. By leveraging Examine search index, developers can optimize content retrieval and improve overall user experience.
Check out the official Umbraco documentation to get started:
https://docs.umbraco.com/umbraco-cms/reference/searching/examine
Creating a custom search index in Umbraco is a straightforward process. By following the documentation and configuring the necessary fields, developers can set up a custom index tailored to their specific requirements. This allows for efficient searching and retrieval of content, eliminating the need for expensive recursive traversal operations.
Learn how to build and customize the indexes that come with your Umbraco website.
One of the key advantages of using a custom search index is its ability to automatically index new content as it's published. This streamlines the content management process and ensures that the latest updates are readily available for search and retrieval. With automatic content indexing, developers can focus on creating content without worrying about manual indexing tasks.
For Umbraco instances deployed in load-balanced environments, Azure Search emerges as a recommended solution. Azure Search seamlessly integrates with Umbraco and offers scalable search capabilities that can handle high traffic loads effectively. By leveraging Azure Search, developers can ensure consistent performance across all nodes in the load-balanced environment.
Take a shortcut with this great add-on that makes implementing Azure Search a breeze
A real-world example of the benefits of using Examine search index can be seen in the CCleaner Knowledge Base project. By implementing a custom search index, the development team was able to significantly improve performance and enhance user experience. With faster content retrieval and advanced search capabilities, CCleaner Knowledge Base saw a notable increase in user engagement and satisfaction.
Check out how this works in the wild:
https://www.ccleaner.com/knowledge
In conclusion, leveraging alternative traversal methods, such as the Examine search index, can bring substantial performance improvements and functionality enhancements to Umbraco projects. By adopting a custom search index and embracing tools like Azure Search for load-balanced environments, developers can optimize content retrieval, streamline content management processes, and ultimately deliver a better user experience.
As with most things in life, there isn’t a magic-bullet solution for everything. Search indexes have their own issues, and a performance crippling re-indexing ran at the wrong time can slow down or even bring a site down. So, as usual, with great power..., but you know that already, just make sure you do your own research before jumping straight in.
Do get in touch if you need a hand and we’ll be glad to help you staying ahead of the curve and to deliver exceptional digital experiences.
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