How to use Sitecore Solr Custom Index

Question

Could someone please help me understand below?

1. Do we need to specify the name of the index in code when using a Sitecore solr search?

2. If we make the new custom index called 'sitecore_web-index_custom'. How do we make sure we are using this index in code?

Thank you.

Answer 1

In order to get Sitecore index, use GetIndex method from the ContentSearchManager class:

Sitecore.ContentSearch.ContentSearchManager.GetIndex(...)

You can either pass index name:

// get Sitecore built in index for current database:
string dbName = (Sitecore.Context.ContentDatabase ?? Sitecore.Context.Database).Name;
var index = Sitecore.ContentSearch.ContentSearchManager.GetIndex("sitecore_" + dbName + "_index");

// get custom index
Sitecore.ContentSearch.ContentSearchManager.GetIndex("sitecore_web-index_custom")

or Sitecore Item:

// get index by Sitecore item 
Sitecore.ContentSearch.ContentSearchManager.GetIndex((SitecoreIndexableItem)item);

In the second scenario, Sitecore will try to find the index in which the item is indexed.

There is no difference between getting Solr or Lucene indexes - Sitecore API is transparent here.

More information about Sitecore search and indexing can be found in

• Sitecore Search and Indexing Guide
• Developer's Guide to Item Buckets and Search