Multiple models in one index

How to implement aggregators to handle multiple models in one index using Algolia SearchBundle.

To search in multiple entities at the same time, use aggregators. Aggregators let you index multiple entities in a single index.

Define aggregators

To create a new aggregator, add a new class to your entities directory. The getEntities method of this class should return all the entity classes you want to index:

PHP

namespace App\Entity;

use Doctrine\ORM\Mapping as ORM;
use Algolia\SearchBundle\Entity\Aggregator;

#[ORM\Entity]
class News extends Aggregator
{
    /**
     * Returns the entities class names that should be aggregated.
     *
     * @return string[]
     */
    public static function getEntities()
    {
        return [
            Post::class,
            Comment::class,
        ];
    }
}

If you’re using a NoSQL database like MongoDB, use the Algolia\SearchBundle\Document\Aggregator class instead.

Finally, add the new aggregator class name to the config/packages/algolia_search.yaml file:

YAML

algolia_search:
  indices:
    - name: news
      class: App\Entity\News

Search

An aggregator is a standard entity class. To start searching entities on the aggregator, use the search method of your SearchService:

PHP

$this->searchService->index($objectManager, $post);
$this->searchService->index($objectManager, $comment);

$results = $this->searchService->search($objectManager, News::class, 'query');

// $results[0] contains a \App\Entity\Post.
// $results[1] contains a \App\Entity\Comment.

Be careful, the $result array may contain different types of entities instances.

To get the raw results from Algolia, use the rawSearch method. However, each result might have a different structure:

PHP

$results = $this->searchService->rawSearch(News::class, 'query');

JSON

{
  "hits": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "title": "Post title",
      "slug": "post-title",
      "content": "Post content by query",
      "objectID": "App\\Entity\\Post::1"
    },
    {
      "id": 1,
      "content": "Comment content by query",
      "objectID": "App\\Entity\\Comment::1"
    }
  ]
}

To ensure that each result has a similar structure, implement the normalize method on each entity or override it on the aggregator class.

Conditional indexing

Conditional indexing on aggregators works just like a normal entity, using the index_if key. Use $this->entity to have access to the current entity being aggregated. Here is an example using the method approach:

YAML

algolia_search:
  indices:
    - name: news
      class: App\Entity\News
      index_if: isPublished

PHP

#[ORM\Entity]
class News extends Aggregator
{
    // ...

    public function isPublished()
    {
        // Index only published posts.
        if ($this->entity instanceof Post) {
            return $this->entity->isPublished();
        }

        // If it's not a post, index anyway.
        return true;
    }
}

For more information, see Conditional indexing.