Koha Question of the Week: Can Search Result Facets be Reordered?

by Hebah Amin-Headley on Jan 12, 2024

Each Friday, we will bring you a new Koha Question of the Week. We will select real questions that we receive and share the answers with you!

Question: Can Search Result Facets be Reordered?

Answer: Libraries with Elastic Search enabled can re-order search result facet orders. These facets, displayed on the lefthand side in OPAC and staff client searches, are built out of the first X number of search results, where X is set in the maxRecordsForFacets system preference. These facet categories include things like holding branches, item types, subjects, series information, and collection codes.

These facets can be reordered from the staff client without putting in a ticket or reindexing the site. This is done through Administration -> Search engine configuration (ElasticSearch) ->Bibliographic Records tab, scrolling down to the bottom of the search field mapping.

From here, facets can be turned off or rearranged. For example, a single-site library may choose to only display home OR holding branch instead of two different, identical facet lists. Or a library that carries a lot of series fiction may want that facet to be higher in the list than subject, while an academic library may want author and subject at the very top of the list. The order can be rearranged via drag and drop, and once changes are saved, they are effective immediately.

Additional Resources

Monday Minutes: Customizing Facets