---
id: M012
title: "Multi-Field Composite Search & Sort Controls"
status: complete
completed_at: 2026-04-01T06:38:09.561Z
key_decisions:
  - D023: Multi-token AND search architecture — tokenize by whitespace, per-token OR across fields, AND all tokens, partial_matches fallback on zero results
  - D024: Qdrant embedding text enriched with creator_name + topic_tags, batch-resolved at stage start
  - Sort applied in Python for mixed-source search results, SQL ORDER BY for single-source endpoints
  - Shared sessionStorage key across all pages for unified sort preference
  - Page-specific sort option lists with context-appropriate defaults (relevance for search, alpha for subtopic, newest for creator)
key_files:
  - backend/search_service.py
  - backend/schemas.py
  - backend/routers/search.py
  - backend/routers/topics.py
  - backend/routers/techniques.py
  - backend/pipeline/stages.py
  - backend/pipeline/qdrant_client.py
  - backend/routers/pipeline.py
  - frontend/src/components/SortDropdown.tsx
  - frontend/src/hooks/useSortPreference.ts
  - frontend/src/pages/SearchResults.tsx
  - frontend/src/pages/SubTopicPage.tsx
  - frontend/src/pages/CreatorDetail.tsx
  - frontend/src/api/public-client.ts
  - backend/tests/test_search.py
lessons_learned:
  - Reusable SortDropdown + useSortPreference hook pattern: sessionStorage for UI preferences that don't need server persistence, page-specific option lists with shared storage key
  - Batch-resolve related entity names at stage start to avoid N+1 during embedding loops — resolved creator names once for all technique pages/key moments
  - Reindex-all admin endpoint pattern: when embedding text composition changes, provide a one-shot re-embedding trigger rather than requiring manual per-video reprocessing
  - Python-level sorting for mixed-source results (Qdrant + keyword) vs SQL ORDER BY for single-source endpoints — choosing sort strategy based on data source homogeneity
---

# M012: Multi-Field Composite Search & Sort Controls

**Delivered multi-token AND search across all metadata fields with partial_matches fallback, enriched Qdrant embeddings with creator/tag data, and sort controls on all list views with session-persistent preferences.**

## What Happened

M012 addressed two high-value UX gaps: search queries with multiple tokens returned irrelevant results (single ILIKE pattern matching), and list views had no user-controllable sort.

S01 (Multi-Field Composite Search) rewrote the keyword search engine from single-pattern ILIKE to a multi-token AND architecture. Each whitespace-delimited token generates OR conditions across all entity fields (title, summary, topic_category, topic_tags, creator name via JOIN). All per-token conditions are AND'd so every token must match at least one field. A partial_matches fallback triggers on multi-token queries with zero AND results — individual tokens are queried separately and top-5 results scored by coverage are returned with a muted UI treatment. Stage 6 embedding text was enriched to include creator_name and topic_tags, with batch resolution at stage start to avoid N+1. A reindex-all admin endpoint enables one-shot re-embedding after text composition changes. 19 backend tests pass including 6 new tests for multi-token AND logic. Frontend handles the new partial_matches field with defensive fallback for backward compatibility.

S02 (Sort Controls) added a sort query parameter to four backend endpoints (search, subtopic, category topics, techniques) supporting relevance/newest/oldest/alpha/creator options. Search results use Python-level sorting (mixed Qdrant + keyword sources), while single-source endpoints use SQL ORDER BY. A reusable SortDropdown component and useSortPreference hook backed by sessionStorage were integrated into SearchResults, SubTopicPage, and CreatorDetail with context-appropriate option lists and defaults. Deployed to ub01 and verified end-to-end.

## Success Criteria Results

- **Multi-token queries across all metadata fields with AND logic:** ✅ Met. keyword_search tokenizes by whitespace, generates per-token OR across title/summary/category/tags/creator, AND's all tokens. 19 tests pass including explicit multi-token cross-field scenarios.
- **Every list view exposes visible sort control with session-persisted preference:** ✅ Met. SortDropdown integrated into SearchResults (relevance/newest/oldest/alpha), SubTopicPage (alpha/newest/oldest), and CreatorDetail (newest/oldest/alpha). sessionStorage persists preference across navigation. Verified on ub01:8096.

## Definition of Done Results

- **S01 complete with summary:** ✅ S01-SUMMARY.md, S01-UAT.md, 3 task summaries present.
- **S02 complete with summary:** ✅ S02-SUMMARY.md, S02-UAT.md, 2 task summaries present.
- **All slices marked done in roadmap:** ✅ Both S01 and S02 show ✅ in M012-ROADMAP.md.
- **Cross-slice integration:** ✅ S02 depends on S01 — sort controls work on search results that use the new multi-token AND engine.

## Requirement Outcomes

- **R005 (Search-First Web UI):** Remains validated. Advanced with multi-token AND logic — composite queries like "keota snare" now return targeted results instead of broad single-pattern matches.
- **R009 (Qdrant Vector Search):** Remains validated. Advanced with enriched embedding text containing creator_name and topic_tags for broader semantic coverage.
- **R015 (30-Second Retrieval Target):** Remains active. Advanced — multi-token AND search significantly reduces result noise for specific queries, shortening time-to-answer. Still needs formal timed test for validation.

## Deviations

T02 added creator_name to technique_page Qdrant payload beyond the original plan (only key_moment was specified) — strictly additive. T01 added sort param to the category-level topic endpoint beyond the original plan, for frontend consistency.

## Follow-ups

After deploy: rebuild containers on ub01, run POST /admin/pipeline/reindex-all to re-embed all content with creator names and tags. R015 (30-Second Retrieval) still needs a formal timed user test for validation.
