FS4SP - Using the Windows Search connector
Hello World of Search
Just a quickie today about a very useful feature in 2010: search your SharePoint content from your desktop machine (through the FAST provider).
- Go to your favorite FAST Search Center.
- Issue a test query to end up in the results page.
- Locate and hit the icon as shown below
- Add the Search Connector
- Your Search Provider is now integrated in your desktop (Favorites Sidebar on windows 7)
- Issue the same query as previously from your explorer search
- Note the highlighting as well on your desktop search results.
It works fine on Win 8 too (highlighting improved)
Your search requests can be saved to future recall
In this example I set it to fetch content indexed by FAST Search Engine (Search connector created out of the FAST Provider). but you can download a search connector for People Search.
I invite you to explore the Search connector format (wrapper of an OpenSearch .osdx in a way) and useful application for federated search in windows client:
Federated Search in windows
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/windows/desktop/ff625899(v=vs.85).aspx
Deploying Search connectors
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/windows/desktop/dd940454(v=vs.85).aspx
HTH