Create an index
An index is the searchable copy of your content that lives in your search backend. Each index has a name, the post types and taxonomies it includes, and the attributes each record carries. Views search one index each.
Add an index
- Go to SearchSync → Add New Index.
- Fill in the fields below.
- Click Save Index Settings, then click Re-index now in the confirmation notice to fill the index.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Index Name | The name in your search backend, for example courses_index. Use lowercase letters, numbers, underscores and hyphens; spaces become underscores. Each index needs its own name. |
| Index Label | A friendly name, shown in the index list and in the index picker when you build a View. |
| Indexed Content | The post types and taxonomies to include. |
| Index Language | On multilingual sites, limit the index to certain languages. Leave it empty to index every language. |
The index is created in your backend the first time you reindex it. You don't need to create it there first.
Attributes
Attributes are the fields each record carries: what you can search, filter on, sort by and show on a card. A new index starts with:
post_id, post_title, post_excerpt, post_content, permalink, post_date, featured_image and post_label.
To add one, add a row to the attributes list and set:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Attribute Name | The field name in the record. |
| Data Type | Where the value comes from: post, post meta, user, user meta, taxonomy, term, term meta or LearnDash. |
| Attribute Type | For post, user and LearnDash data: which field to use, such as post_title, post_author or featured_image. |
| Data Name | For taxonomy and term data: which taxonomy to read. |
| Meta Name | For meta data: the meta key. |
Every attribute you want to filter by in a View has to be in the index first. Add it here, reindex, and it appears in the View editor's attribute dropdown.
Some attributes are added automatically when a matching plugin is active. For example, LearnDash adds ld_group_ids and lessons_count to courses and WooCommerce adds price, stock_status and on_sale to products. See Integrations.
Long post content is trimmed to 6,000 bytes per record, to stay inside Algolia's record size limit.
Manage your indexes
SearchSync → Index Settings lists every index. Each row has Edit, Duplicate and Delete actions.
- Duplicate copies the settings. Change the copy's index name before you reindex, or the two will overwrite each other.
- Delete removes the configuration only. Records already in your search backend are left alone.
The Global Search Index
Every site has a built-in index called Global Search Index (wp_search_index), marked Built-in. It powers the search override. You can't delete or duplicate it, and its content follows the post types you choose in General Settings.
Sort orders (Algolia)
On Algolia, each sort order needs its own replica index. Once an index is saved and has attributes, its edit screen shows a Sort orders panel:
- Pick an attribute in Sort on attribute.
- Click Create sort replicas.
SearchSync creates <index>_<attribute>_asc and <index>_<attribute>_desc. Use them in a Sort By widget.
Each replica is a full copy of the index and counts toward your Algolia record quota, so one sortable attribute roughly triples your record count. Removing a sort option later doesn't delete its replicas.