Hi Adam,

I think you are close. When I added my own file metadata field I did like this:

                SearchClient.Instance.Conventions

                    .ForInstancesOf<UnifiedFile>()

                    .IncludeField(x => x.Summary.AuthorEmail);

Where AuthorEmail was an extension of Summary.

Have you re-index all your files after you added the convention? You could override the extension with your own by just adding a dummy parameter to yours.

public static string SearchTitle(this UnifiedFile file, bool extended)
{
    if (file.Summary.Dictionary.Contains("Title"))
    {
        return file.Summary.Dictionary["Title"].ToString();
    }
    else
    {
        return file.Name;
    }
}

And then call your extension by passing in "true" or something.  

Thanks guys - I've gone for the IncludeField and extension approach.

Extension:

        public static string TitleOrFileName(this UnifiedFile file)
        {
            if (file.Summary.Dictionary.Contains("Title"))
            {
                var title = file.Summary.Dictionary["Title"].ToString();

                if(!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(title))
                    return title;
            }
            
            return file.Name;
        }

Conventions:

            SearchClient.Instance.Conventions
                .ForInstancesOf<UnifiedFile>()
                .IncludeField(x => x.TitleOrFileName());
            
            SearchClient.Instance.Conventions.UnifiedSearchRegistry
                .ForInstanceOf<UnifiedFile>()                
                .CustomizeProjection(
                    x => x.ProjectTitleFrom<UnifiedFile>(
                        file => file.TitleOrFileName()));

Just remember that you have to use those fields then when you're rendering search hits.

Thanks Johan - in this instance, I am using a UnifiedSearchFor so I get the value through UnifiedSearchHit.SearchTitle property correctly.

However, as you say though, If I was using the other one (do we call that a typed search? i.e Client.Search<UnifiedFile>) I would need to call TitleOrFileName() as SearchTitle() would be the EpiServers extension method.

The last code you posted will not give you the right title (from SearchSummary) if you call SearchTitle for files, if that was what you wanted. Your first code was the way to go, to add a projection for the the title. But you have to re-index.

Sorry - your're right, I meant to say I am calling the UnifiedSearchHit.Title property in my code which is pulling through the correct value.