> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://social-b97141fb-feat-user-history-moderation-detail.mintlify.site/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Search & Discovery > Add semantic and hashtag post search, community search, trending communities, content recommendations, and category browsing. **SDK v7.x** · Flutter semantic search requires `amity_sdk` 7.8.7+ · Last verified August 2026 · iOS · Android · Web · Flutter ```typescript theme={null} // 1. Semantic search for communities CommunityRepository.semanticSearchCommunities( { query: 'gaming', limit: 10 }, ({ data }) => { renderResults(data); } ); // 2a. Semantic (AI) search for posts PostRepository.semanticSearchPosts( { query: 'healthy recipes', dataTypes: ['text', 'image'], limit: 20 }, ({ data }) => { renderResults(data); } ); // 2b. Hashtag search for posts PostRepository.searchPostsByHashtag( { hashtags: ['recipe'], limit: 20 }, ({ data }) => { renderResults(data); } ); // 3. Get trending communities CommunityRepository.getTrendingCommunities( { limit: 10 }, ({ data }) => { renderTrending(data); } ); ``` Full walkthrough below ↓ **Platform note** — code samples below use TypeScript. Every method has an equivalent in the iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), and Flutter (Dart) SDKs — see the linked SDK reference in each step. One exception: hashtag post search (`searchPostsByHashtag`) is not available in the Flutter SDK. Discovery turns a closed social app into a growing platform. This guide walks through implementing semantic and hashtag search for posts, semantic search for communities, surfacing trending content, and building a category-based browsing experience. ```mermaid theme={null} graph TD A[User wants to find content] --> B{Discovery method} B -->|Search bar| C[Intelligent Search] B -->|Explore tab| D[Trending Communities] B -->|Category browse| E[Community Categories] B -->|Algorithm-driven| F[Recommended Communities] C --> G[Search posts] C --> H[Search communities] D & E & F --> I[Community cards] G & H & I --> J[User navigates to content] classDef action fill:#e1f5fe,stroke:#0288d1,color:#01579b classDef decision fill:#fff8e1,stroke:#f9a825,color:#f57f17 classDef process fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#7b1fa2,color:#4a148c classDef outcome fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#388e3c,color:#1b5e20 class A action class B decision class C,D,E,F,G,H,I process class J outcome ``` **Prerequisites**: SDK installed and authenticated. By default, search returns public communities. Semantic community search can also include discoverable private communities when `includeDiscoverablePrivateCommunity: true`; hidden private communities remain excluded. **After completing this guide you'll have:** * Semantic and hashtag post search integrated into your app's search bar * Community search with trending and recommended community lists * User-facing category browsing connected to community filtering *** ## Quick Start: Search Communities Community search is the primary discovery surface — use a semantic query with optional membership, tag, category, and discoverable-private filters: ```typescript TypeScript theme={null} import { CommunityRepository } from '@amityco/ts-sdk'; const unsubscriber = CommunityRepository.semanticSearchCommunities( { query: 'gaming', communityMembershipStatus: AmityCommunityMemberStatusFilter.ALL, }, ({ data: communities, onNextPage, hasNextPage, loading }) => { if (communities) { /* render community search results */ } }, ); ``` ```dart Flutter theme={null} final liveCollection = AmitySocialClient.newCommunityRepository() .semanticSearchCommunities( query: 'gaming', filter: AmityCommunityFilter.ALL, ) .getLiveCollection(pageSize: 20); liveCollection.getStreamController().stream.listen((communities) { // Render communities in your UI. }); await liveCollection.loadNext(); ``` Full reference → [Intelligent Search: Communities](/social-plus-sdk/social/discovery-engagement/search/intelligent-search-community) *** ## Step-by-Step Implementation Search communities with optional membership status (`all`, `member`, `notMember`), tags, discoverable-private, and category filters. Semantic results are ordered by backend relevance; use regular `getCommunities()` when you need an explicit sort order. ```typescript TypeScript theme={null} import { CommunityRepository } from '@amityco/ts-sdk'; const unsubscriber = CommunityRepository.semanticSearchCommunities( { query: 'game', communityMembershipStatus: AmityCommunityMemberStatusFilter.ALL }, ({ data: communities, onNextPage, hasNextPage, loading }) => { if (communities) { /* render community results */ } }, ); ``` ```dart Flutter theme={null} final liveCollection = AmitySocialClient.newCommunityRepository() .semanticSearchCommunities( query: 'game', filter: AmityCommunityFilter.ALL, ) .getLiveCollection(pageSize: 20); liveCollection.getStreamController().stream.listen((communities) { // Render communities in your UI. }); await liveCollection.loadNext(); ``` Full reference → [Intelligent Search: Communities](/social-plus-sdk/social/discovery-engagement/search/intelligent-search-community) Trending communities are ranked by recent activity (posts, members, engagement). Surface these on your explore page for new users. ```typescript TypeScript theme={null} import { CommunityRepository } from '@amityco/ts-sdk'; const unsubscriber = CommunityRepository.getTrendingCommunities( { limit: 5 }, ({ data: communities, loading }) => { if (communities) { /* render trending section */ } }, ); ``` Full reference → [Trending & Recommended Communities](/social-plus-sdk/social/communities-spaces/discovery/trending-and-recommended-communities) Recommended communities are personalized for the current user based on their activity and interests. Returns up to 15 communities. ```typescript TypeScript theme={null} import { CommunityRepository } from '@amityco/ts-sdk'; const unsubscriber = CommunityRepository.getRecommendedCommunities( { limit: 5, includeDiscoverablePrivateCommunity: true }, ({ data: communities, loading }) => { if (communities) { /* render recommended section */ } }, ); ``` Full reference → [Trending & Recommended Communities](/social-plus-sdk/social/communities-spaces/discovery/trending-and-recommended-communities) Organize communities into browsable categories. Query all categories, then filter communities by a selected category. ```typescript TypeScript theme={null} import { CategoryRepository } from '@amityco/ts-sdk'; const unsubscriber = CategoryRepository.getCategories( {}, ({ data: categories, loading }) => { if (categories) { /* render category filter pills */ } }, ); ``` Full reference → [Community Categories](/social-plus-sdk/social/communities-spaces/organization/community-categories) · [Query Communities](/social-plus-sdk/social/communities-spaces/discovery/query-communities) Two complementary search methods are available for posts: * **Semantic search** (`PostRepository.semanticSearchPosts`) — AI-powered natural-language search. Best for open-ended queries like "healthy breakfast ideas". * **Hashtag search** (`PostRepository.searchPostsByHashtag`) — exact hashtag matching. Best for tag-driven browsing like `#recipe`. ```typescript TypeScript theme={null} import { PostRepository } from '@amityco/ts-sdk'; const semanticSearchUnsubscriber = PostRepository.semanticSearchPosts( { query: 'healthy breakfast ideas', targetId: communityId, targetType: 'community', dataTypes: ['text', 'image'], matchingOnlyParentPost: true, limit: 20, }, ({ data: posts, onNextPage, hasNextPage, loading, error }) => { if (loading) return; if (error) { handleError(error); return; } renderResults(posts); if (hasNextPage) { onNextPage?.(); } }, ); const hashtagSearchUnsubscriber = PostRepository.searchPostsByHashtag( { targetType: 'community', hashtags: ['recipe'], dataTypes: ['image'], matchingOnlyParentPost: true, limit: 20, }, ({ data: posts, loading, error }) => { if (loading) return; if (error) { handleError(error); return; } renderResults(posts); }, ); semanticSearchUnsubscriber(); hashtagSearchUnsubscriber(); ``` ```dart Flutter theme={null} // Flutter exposes semantic post search only; hashtag search is not available. final liveCollection = AmitySocialClient.newPostRepository() .semanticSearchPosts( query: 'healthy breakfast ideas', targetType: AmityPostTargetType.COMMUNITY, targetId: communityId, postTypes: const [AmityDataType.TEXT, AmityDataType.IMAGE], matchingOnlyParentPosts: true, ) .getLiveCollection(pageSize: 20); liveCollection.getStreamController().stream.listen((posts) { // Render posts in your UI. }); await liveCollection.loadNext(); ``` Full reference → [Intelligent Search: Posts](/social-plus-sdk/social/discovery-engagement/search/intelligent-search-post) *** ## Connect to Moderation & Analytics Track search query volume and discovery patterns in **Admin Console → Analytics Dashboard → Social Insights** to understand what users are looking for and which communities are growing. → [Admin Console: Analytics](/analytics-and-moderation/console/analytics/) Create and manage community categories in the Admin Console. Categories appear in the community creation flow and in the discovery browse view. → [Admin Console: Product Management](/analytics-and-moderation/console/product-management/overview) *** ## Common Mistakes **Firing a search API call on every keystroke** — This creates excessive API calls and flickers results. Debounce the input by 300–500ms before searching. ```typescript theme={null} // ❌ Bad — search on every key search(e.target.value)} /> // ✅ Good — debounce const debouncedSearch = useMemo( () => debounce((q) => search(q), 400), [] ); debouncedSearch(e.target.value)} /> ``` **Not handling empty search results** — "No results found" is not enough. Suggest alternative queries, show trending content, or recommend popular communities to keep users engaged. **Searching without a minimum query length** — Single-character searches return too many results and waste resources. Require at least 2–3 characters before triggering a search. ## Best Practices * Add a 300ms debounce to search input before firing the query — prevents excessive API calls while the user types * Show suggested/recent searches before the user starts typing * Display skeleton placeholders while results load * Clearly differentiate post results from community results with distinct card styles * Show a "No results" empty state with suggestions if the query returns 0 results * Show trending communities prominently for logged-in users with no following history * Once a user has joined 5+ communities, replace trending with personalized recommendations * Use horizontal scrolling category pills for browsing — they take less vertical space than a list * Cache trending and recommended results for 5-10 minutes — they don't need to be real-time * Use `searchPosts()` Live Collection — this handles debounced re-querying automatically on most platforms * Limit search result sets to 20-30 items; use pagination for deeper results * Pre-load categories at app launch and cache locally — they change infrequently *** **Dive deeper**: [Discovery & Engagement API Reference](/social-plus-sdk/social/discovery-engagement/overview) has full parameter tables, method signatures, and platform-specific details for every API used in this guide. ## Next Steps Content search is working — now let users find each other with people search and suggestions. Or explore related guides: Build the communities that discovery surfaces Show content from discovered communities in a feed Notify users about trending content they'd be interested in This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.