How to Implement 'Best Match' Ordering in MySQL Live Searches?

MySQL Order by "Best Match"

When performing live searches in MySQL, the default ordering of results based on alphabetical order may not provide the most relevant results. To prioritize results where the search string appears closer to the beginning of the word, consider implementing a "best match" ordering.

Ordering by Starting Position

To place results where the search string appears at the beginning of the word first, you can utilize a multi-tiered ordering approach.

SELECT word
FROM words
WHERE word LIKE '%searchstring%'
ORDER BY
  CASE
    WHEN word LIKE 'searchstring%' THEN 1
    WHEN word LIKE '%searchstring' THEN 3
    ELSE 2
  END

In this query:

• CASE expression assigns priority based on where the search string matches within the word.
• Results are ordered with matches starting at the beginning (priority 1) appearing first.

Ordering by Position within Word

Alternatively, to sort results based on the position of the search string within the word, the LOCATE() function can be employed.

SELECT word
FROM words
WHERE word LIKE '%searchstring%'
ORDER BY LOCATE('searchstring', word)

With this approach:

• LOCATE() determines the starting position of the search string within the word.
• Results are ordered by this position, with lower positions (closer to the beginning) ranked higher.

Handling Tiebreakers

In cases where multiple words share the same search string position, you may want to introduce a secondary sorting criteria.

SELECT word
FROM words
WHERE word LIKE '%searchstring%'
ORDER BY <whatever>, word

By adding another ordering criteria (e.g., alphabetical sorting), you can break any ties and ensure a consistent ordering.

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