Manticore Search - intelligent search for OpenCart 3 with OCFilter support

Manticore Search smart search module for OpenCart

The "Manticore Search" module is designed for online stores on OpenCart 3.0.x and ocStore 3.0.x. It replaces the standard search with the Manticore Search search server. Thanks to it, a customer can find a product by part of the article number, with spelling errors, or with incorrect keyboard layout.

OpenCart's standard search searches for the entire string and does not tolerate errors: a customer enters the query slightly differently, sees an empty page, and leaves. The module solves this problem:

1. understands inaccurate queries and finds the right product;
2. shows dynamic hints with products, prices, and categories from the first characters;
3. collects statistics showing what customers search for but cannot find.

If the search server is unavailable, the store automatically falls back to the standard search — the storefront continues to work.

Who will benefit from this module

It will be useful for businesses where customers search for products by name, article number, or manufacturer code. The module simplifies the search during sales:

• auto parts and machinery parts;
• electronics and components;
• tools and building materials;
• consumables.

Main features

• Search by part of article number

A customer enters "786" instead of "HM-786" — and finds the product. The module searches for code fragments within the string in fields selected by the store owner: article number, model, manufacturer code, EAN, UPC, JAN, and ISBN. This way, a customer finds the right product even if they only remember part of the code.

• Multi-level search

The query goes through up to five stages:

• exact code match;
• part of code;
• full-text search by name, description, category, manufacturer, and attributes;
• error correction;
• transliteration and keyboard layout correction.
• Error correction

The module corrects errors within a word: for a query "perfaretor" a customer will see perforators. The acceptable number of errors (one or two letters) can be set in the settings. If the query was corrected, a message "Results shown for query ..." appears above the results. The function works on the Manticore server with the Manticore Buddy component.

• Keyboard layout and transliteration

A query typed in the wrong layout or in Latin characters is transformed into the correct form: "hexrf" is transformed into "ручка," and "drel" — into "дрель." Russian and Ukrainian layouts are supported. The customer does not need to enter the query again.

• Morphology and search in all languages

The module takes into account word forms in Russian, Ukrainian, English, and German: the query "drills" finds "drill." The search can be performed in all languages of the store at once, so a customer on the Ukrainian version of the site will find a product even with a Russian word.

• Synonyms and industry dictionaries

Synonyms are set manually — for example, "screwdriver = windscrewer." For a quick start, ready-made industry dictionaries are available that immediately set optimal field weights.

• Field weights and ranking

You determine how much more important the name is than the description, category, or attributes. Additionally, you can:

• add additional product fields to the index;
• choose one of seven ranking algorithms;
• hide out-of-stock items from the results.

This way, the order of results can be adapted to the assortment of a specific store.

• History and popular queries

Two lists are displayed on the hints panel: the visitor's own query history and what is being searched for in the store. Even before starting to type, the customer sees their history, viewed, and popular products.

• Integration with OCFilter

If OCFilter is installed in the store, the module integrates it with the search page. Parameters selected by the customer narrow down the set of found products, and value counters, slider ranges, and the "Show N" button are calculated for the same products. The filter and search work together consistently, and the numbers on the panel correspond to the results list. The function is enabled in the settings and is disabled by default; without OCFilter, the module works as usual.

• Search query statistics

The "Statistics" tab contains all queries with the number of results, source (search page or hints), and date. For a query without results, you can click the "To synonyms" button to immediately create a synonym and make the product available for search. This way, search becomes a sales tool: you can see what customers are searching for but cannot find. This could be a product that is not in the assortment or a product whose name customers do not know.

• Metrics panel

The panel displays for today, week, or month:

• number of queries;
• number of queries without results;
• share of cached responses;
• average response time.

There is also a graph, most popular queries, and queries without results displayed. The report can be exported to Excel.

• Fallback search

If the Manticore server is unavailable, the site uses the standard OpenCart search through MySQL.

• Reindexing without downtime

A new index is created in a separate table and replaces the working one in one step. During this time, customers search for products using the previous index. If indexing fails, the old index is restored. Catalog updates do not affect the storefront's operation.

• Update queue

Changes to the catalog go into a queue processed by cron. A ready-made task string with a security token is generated in the admin panel. The package size can be adjusted for weak hosting or a powerful server.

• Overload protection

The module carefully uses server resources:

• the frequency of showing hints to one visitor is limited;
• a query without results is not sent to the server again for a certain time;
• indexing is performed in batches, without a separate query for each product;
• the volume of statistics is limited, and the least frequently used records are automatically evicted.

The number of database queries on the results page is comparable to OpenCart's standard search.

• Diagnostics and system status

The "Status" tab displays server connections, versions of Manticore and the module, number of products and documents in the index, documents by language, and queue status.

Requirements and installation

The module requires:

• OpenCart 3.0.x or ocStore 3.0.x;
• PHP 7.4 or newer with cURL extension;
• Manticore Search server with HTTPS;

Installation is standard: download the archive, update modifiers, enter server access credentials, and reindex.

The "Manticore Search" module for OpenCart is a reliable solution for online stores where customers search for products by name and article number. It helps find the right product even with inaccurate queries, keeps customers on the site, and shows real demand for the assortment.