Lesson #143
Connect – Create Full-Text Search function
If you add the Full-Text Search plug-in to your RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile, your clients can search for specific text in their repositories and Transcript Packages, and get results in seconds. When they locate the right file in their repository, they can download it. When they find Transcript Packages that include the text, they can go directly to the first instance of the text in a transcript and click through to all subsequent instances.
Before your clients can use Full-Text Search in their RB Connect repositories, you must index the files. Use the Create Full-Text Search function to index files that contacts can search for specific words in their repositories. (The Full-Text Search plug-in gives the same functionality to Transcript Packages automatically — no need to set up an index first.)
You can index files from any or all client-related repositories (case, job, invoice, or witness). You can index most text-based files, with the exception of some proprietary file formats. Full-text indexes you create automatically upload to your repository.
You choose which files to index. We do not recommend indexing all files because the monthly charge for the Full-Text Search plug-in is based on the storage space used by the indexes. You can also delete old indexes in this function to manage your storage space usage.
Selecting files to index
To find files to index, you can leave the defaults selected of all repositories, all file types, and all cases, then enter a date/date range of when the files were uploaded to search. Or refine your search results by selecting:
- A single repository
- A single case
- One or more file types
- A file name or partial name
- A job or invoice number
- A different type of date range — either the job date or invoice date associated with the file(s)
Files that fit your search criteria will appear in the results along with:
- The repository they are stored in
- Their file type
- File size
- What type of user can access the file (files must have Contact access for your clients to see them)
- Whether they have been published to RB Connect (files must be published for your clients to access them),
- When they were uploaded and who uploaded them
- Whether they have already been indexed
You can sort your results in the grid by one or more columns in ascending or descending order (but when you exit the function, RB will revert back to the default order). Export the results as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV (comma-separated values) file to save, print, share, or use in other applications.
Select the files in the results that you want to be text-searchable and create the index. If there are any problems, RB9 will stop the process and direct you to fix them. For example, if you selected an unpublished file, it will direct you to publish the file before attempting to index it. Or if a file contains no text to index, it will alert you so you can remove it from your indexing selections.
Managing indexes & files
You can update and publish files without leaving this function.
Click a file’s hyperlinked file name to:
- View its details
- Change its File Type
- Change its Access Type to include contacts
- Publish or un-publish it
- Make notes about the file
- Download the file
- View who has previously downloaded the file and when
- Delete the file from your central repository
After indexing files, a checkmark appears in each indexed file’s Full-Text Search column in the Create Full-Text Search results screen. When you no longer need a file indexed — for example a case was closed or a client is no longer active — you can de-index it to remove its Full-Text Search mark from the results screen and save on storage space.
NOTE: This is an RB9-only function. It is not included in RB Lite.
TL;DR: Index client repository files so they can quickly search their repositories by content in the Full-Text Search plug-in.
RB concepts in this lesson
Contact: Person who works for a firm you do business with, such as attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, legal assistants, claim adjusters, and court clerks.
Full-Text Search: Clients can search for specific text in their RB Connect repositories and Transcript Packages, and get results in seconds with this plug-in. When they locate the right file in their repository, they can download it. Requires RB Connect. More >
RB Connect: Online repository, calendar, and access to your office for clients and resources. More >
RB Connect Mobile: Clients and resources can access your RB Connect on their smartphones and tablets in an interface optimized for mobile devices. More >
Transcript Package: Bundle containing interactive transcripts with all of their related files to be viewed in a browser through RB Connect and RB Connect Mobile. More >
