SOLR Search API

The SOLR Search API powers VFB’s search and autocomplete functionality, providing fast text-based queries across all VFB entities including anatomical terms, neurons, datasets, publications, and more.

Note: Search and autocomplete functionality is also built into VFBconnect by default. The vfb.term() method will automatically attempt to match partial terms and provide autocomplete suggestions. See the VFBconnect documentation for programmatic access.

API Endpoint

Base URL: https://solr.virtualflybrain.org/solr/ontology/select

Note: VFB uses JSON-formatted parameter requests for complex queries.

Search Parameters

Core Search Parameters

Query Field Boosting (qf)

VFB uses sophisticated field boosting for optimal search results:

• label^110 - Primary labels get highest boost
• synonym^100 - Synonyms get high boost
• label_autosuggest - Autosuggest-optimized labels
• synonym_autosuggest - Autosuggest-optimized synonyms
• shortform_autosuggest - Autosuggest-optimized short forms

Query Expansion

VFB automatically expands search terms for better matching:

• Original term: medulla
• Expanded to: (medulla OR medulla* OR *medulla OR *medulla*)

This catches prefix, suffix, and infix matches.

Filter Queries (fq)

VFB applies specific filter queries to focus results on relevant entities:

fq=(short_form:VFB* OR short_form:FB* OR facets_annotation:DataSet OR facets_annotation:pub) AND NOT short_form:VFBc_*

This filter includes:

• VFB entities (VFB*) including anatomical individuals (VFB_*), expression patterns (VFBexp*), and extension ontology terms (VFBext*)
• FlyBase entities (FB*)
• Datasets (facets_annotation:DataSet)
• Publications (facets_annotation:pub)

And excludes:

• VFB image channel node entries (VFBc_*) - as opposed to anatomical individuals (VFB_*)

Boost Parameters (bq)

VFB uses boost queries to prioritize certain types of results:

bq=short_form:VFBexp*^10.0 short_form:VFB*^100.0 short_form:FBbt*^100.0 short_form:FBbt_00003982^2 facets_annotation:Deprecated^0.001 facets_annotation:DataSet^500.0 facets_annotation:pub^100.0

Boost Priorities:

• Expression patterns (VFBexp*): 10x boost
• VFB entities (VFB*): 100x boost
• Anatomy terms (FBbt*): 100x boost
• Adult brain (FBbt_00003982): 2x boost
• Datasets: 500x boost
• Publications: 100x boost
• Deprecated items: 0.001x (demoted)

Additional Parameters

Response Format

JSON Response Structure

{
  "responseHeader": {
    "status": 0,
    "QTime": 15,
    "params": {...}
  },
  "response": {
    "numFound": 1234,
    "start": 0,
    "docs": [
      {
        "short_form": "FBbt_00007484",
        "label": "antennal lobe",
        "synonym": ["antennal lobe"],
        "id": "http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/FBbt_00007484",
        "facets_annotation": ["Adult", "Nervous_system"],
        "unique_facets": ["adult antennal lobe", "nervous system"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Field Descriptions

Search Examples

JSON Parameter Format (VFB Standard)

VFB uses JSON-formatted parameter requests for complex queries:

GET /solr/ontology/select?json={"params":{"q":"(medulla OR medulla* OR *medulla OR *medulla*)","q.op":"OR","defType":"edismax","mm":"45%","qf":"label^110 synonym^100 label_autosuggest synonym_autosuggest shortform_autosuggest","indent":"true","fl":"short_form,label,synonym,id,facets_annotation,unique_facets","start":"0","pf":"true","fq":["(short_form:VFB* OR short_form:FB* OR facets_annotation:DataSet OR facets_annotation:pub) AND NOT short_form:VFBc_*"],"rows":"150","wt":"json","bq":"short_form:VFBexp*^10.0 short_form:VFB*^100.0 short_form:FBbt*^100.0 short_form:FBbt_00003982^2 facets_annotation:Deprecated^0.001 facets_annotation:DataSet^500.0 facets_annotation:pub^100.0"}}

URL-Encoded Parameters (Alternative)

For simpler queries, you can use traditional URL parameters:

GET /solr/ontology/select?q=medulla&fl=short_form,label,synonym,id&rows=10&wt=json

Autocomplete Query Example

The medulla autocomplete query expands to match various forms:

Query Breakdown:

• q: (medulla OR medulla* OR *medulla OR *medulla*) - Matches medulla at start, middle, or end
• defType: edismax - Extended dismax query parser for complex queries
• mm: 45% - At least 45% of query terms must match
• qf: Field boosting for optimal relevance
• fq: Filters to include relevant entities only
• bq: Boosts for prioritizing certain result types

Simple Search Examples

Basic term search

GET /solr/ontology/select?q=antennal&rows=10&wt=json&fl=short_form,label

Dataset search

GET /solr/ontology/select?q=dataset&fq=facets_annotation:DataSet&rows=20&wt=json

Publication search

GET /solr/ontology/select?q=connectome&fq=facets_annotation:pub&rows=10&wt=json

Autocomplete Usage

VFB’s autocomplete functionality uses this SOLR API with specific parameters optimized for fast, relevant suggestions:

Autocomplete Query

GET /solr/vfb_olympiad/select?q=antennal&fl=short_form,label,synonym,id,facets_annotation,unique_facets&start=0&rows=150&wt=json&pf=true&fq=(short_form:VFB*%20OR%20short_form:FB*%20OR%20facets_annotation:DataSet%20OR%20facets_annotation:pub)%20AND%20NOT%20short_form:VFBc_*&bq=short_form:VFBexp*^10.0%20short_form:VFB*^100.0%20short_form:FBbt*^100.0%20short_form:FBbt_00003982^2%20facets_annotation:Deprecated^0.001%20facets_annotation:DataSet^500.0%20facets_annotation:pub^100.0

Integration with VFB

The SOLR API is a core component of VFB’s search infrastructure:

1. Web Interface: Powers the main search box and autocomplete
2. Query Chains: Used in combination with PDB and Owlery queries
3. Result Ranking: Complex sorting logic prioritizes relevant results
4. Facet Filtering: Enables filtering by categories like “Adult”, “Larva”, etc.

Result Processing

VFB applies additional client-side processing to SOLR results:

• Sorting: Custom ranking based on match quality and entity type
• Deduplication: Removes duplicate entries
• Facet Processing: Converts facet annotations to user-friendly labels

Performance Notes

• Caching: VFB implements caching for frequently searched terms
• Pagination: Use start and rows for large result sets
• Query Optimization: Complex queries may benefit from the pf (phrase fields) parameter
• Rate Limiting: Consider implementing delays between rapid autocomplete requests

Error Handling

SOLR returns standard HTTP status codes:

• 200: Success
• 400: Bad request (malformed query)
• 500: Server error

Error responses include details in the response header.