Helix Search Documentation | 2025.1

# Extend Helix Swarm to use Helix Search

Standard Helix Swarm searches can be extended to search file content and changelist description by using the Helix Core Search API.

- If you make a configuration change, Helix Swarm will not use it until the Helix Swarm config cache has been deleted. For instructions on deleting the config cache, see Swarm config cache file delete.
- For more information about configuring Helix Swarm, see Configuration overview in the Helix Swarm Documentation.

Configure Helix Swarm search to use your Helix Search service with the following configuration block in the `SWARM_ROOT/data/config.php` file:

    <?php
        // this block should be a peer of 'p4'
        'search' => array(
            'p4_search_host'  => 'http://myhelixsearch.mydomain.com:1601', // optional URL to Helix Search host
            'maxlocktime'     => 5000, // 5 seconds, in milliseconds
        ),

## p4_search_host

The `p4_search_host` configurable specifies the URL of your Helix Search server. When configured, Helix Swarm issues API calls to Helix Search to take advantage of its file content and description indexing.

## maxlocktime

The `maxlocktime` key specifies the maximum amount of time, in milliseconds, that any table within the Helix Core Server should be locked while performing `fstat` command searching. Increasing this value might allow better search results at the expense of potentially blocking other queries on the Helix Core Server. Decreasing this value impacts the Helix Core Server less, but may be insufficient for returning the desired search results.

## Comment attachment thumbnail/preview and blur generation

Helix Swarm generates the blur and thumbnail/preview images for Helix Swarm comment attachments and stores them in the comment attachment depot.

To prevent Helix Swarm clashing with Helix Search thumbnail/preview and blur generation, set the Helix Core Server protections for the Helix Swarm comment attachments depot directory so only the swarm user has access to it.

Helix Swarm 2022.1 Patch 1 and later: By default, the Helix Swarm package and OVA post-installation configuration script offers to create the comment attachment depot directory as //.swarm and set the protections so only the swarm user has access to it.

For example, if the comment attachment depot directory is //.swarm, set Helix Core Server protections for //.swarm to:

list user * * -//.swarm/...

admin user swarm * //.swarm/...

super user super * //.swarm/...

This prevents Helix Search creating thumbnails/previews and blurs for files stored in the comment attachment depot directory.

### Related topics

- For instructions on configuring the Helix Swarm comment attachments depot directory, see Comment attachments.

- For instructions on setting Helix Core Server protections, see the Setting protections with p4 protect section of the Helix Core Server Administration Documentation.

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