Metadata vs Thesaurus

(Edinkin) #1

Hello all I am looking for an advice.

We are setting up large new section of the website with resources.
Resources can be links, files, pages, and small subsites
Resources need to be categorised each category will have subcategories there will also be other information about the resources such as topics it relates to and type of resource.
Resources can belong to multiple categories and subcategories

we have roughly 30 odd categories with each category having subcategories unknown number at the moment, but starting from 20+ and potentially new subcategories being added to in the future.

On the front end we would want to be able to show / search by

  • category,
  • A-Z category,
  • subcategory,
  • both cat/subcat,
  • type,
  • topic

Advice I am looking for is the initial setup. Is it better to use Metadata select fields or Metadata Thesaurus? I know that it is easier to work with select metadata field and asset listings then thesaurus however the nature of cat/subcat and the fact that we will be adding to both of those lists makes me consider thesaurus.

I also have to consider creation of form for our users to submit new resources and how to handle thesaurus fields.

Any advice would be appreciated.

(Tbaatar) #2

Hi Eric,

To me it seems like better to use both method to achieve the desired result. I would use metadata select with multi chechbox for the main 30 odd categories and for the unknown sub categories use Thesaurus terms and group it where necessary.

If SEO is important you could create the main category as pages and paint layout the search functionality on top with the filter options which could pick up the thesaurus.

(Edinkin) #3

Thanks @tbaatar main categories will be they own pages, we need this in metadata to associate resources with these pages and sub-categories for listings searches etc.

What I am unsure about is working with thesaurus fields and how to display / process them on a front end.
For example can I populate select field on a front end with related terms of a specific term from thesaurus?

Does anyone use thesaurus for these purposes any examples, pitfalls, things to be aware of, performance issues.

(Tbaatar) #4

Hi Eric,

Processing the thesaurus for the front end should not be difficult, i think you could use asset list or SSJS the entire thesaurus terms into select and hook it up to search field when selected. I haven’t tried but logic tells me it is possible.

(Tbaatar) #5

I had a quick play around with creating the sub-categories with Thesaurus and this is what the setup looks like

18

I’m using the Tag List to list all the Thesaurus terms and the Metadata to print terms related to each Category and using bit of SSJS to create it as selection option.

Cat 1
33

Cat 2
46

And this is what the search produces:
23 52