Search is a frontend view that lets visitors search JEM events using keywords and optional filters such as event type, category, venue, continent, country, city, and date range. It is useful when a site has many events and users need a more controlled way to find the right event than browsing calendars or lists.
This view is available in JEM 4.5.x for Joomla 4/5 and JEM 5.x for Joomla 6. The functional behaviour is intended to remain aligned across both release branches.
When To Use This View
- Use it when your site publishes many events across different venues, categories, countries, or event types.
- Use it when visitors need to search by keyword and refine results with structured filters.
- Use it as a discovery page for public event portals, tourism sites, schools, associations, or multi-country event listings.
- Use it together with list, calendar, category, venue, and type views to give users different navigation paths.
Basic Behaviour
| Situation | Behaviour |
|---|
| No filter is selected |
The search view does not return all events automatically. At least one search/filter condition is required. |
| Keyword is entered |
JEM searches in the selected keyword field, such as title, venue, or city. |
| Date range is entered |
JEM limits results to events matching the selected date range. |
| Country is selected |
JEM limits results to events assigned to venues in that country. |
| Category is selected |
JEM includes events from the selected category and its child categories. |
Menu Item Options
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|
| Template suffix |
Empty |
Optional suffix used to load or style a specific search table/layout variant where supported by the template. |
| Show Event Type filter |
Yes |
Shows the event type selector so users can limit results to a specific type of event. |
| Show Category filter |
Yes |
Shows the category selector. Selecting a category also includes its child categories. |
| Show Venue filter |
Yes |
Shows the venue selector. The venue list is built from venues used by published events. |
| Show Continent filter |
Yes |
Shows the continent selector. This can reduce the available country and venue options. |
| Show Country filter |
Yes |
Shows the country selector. Countries are taken from the JEM country table and from venues used by events. |
| Show Date filters |
Yes |
Shows date-from and date-to fields for date range searching. |
| Show Introtext |
No |
Displays an introduction text above the search form. |
| Introtext |
Empty |
Editor field for instructions shown before the search interface. |
| Show footer text |
No |
Displays a closing note below the search results. |
| Footer Text |
Empty |
Editor field for text shown at the bottom of the view. |
Available Search Filters
| Filter | What It Does |
|---|
| Keywords |
Searches text in the selected keyword target, such as event title, venue, or city. |
| Event Type |
Limits results to events assigned to the selected event type. |
| Category |
Limits results to events in the selected category branch. |
| Venue |
Limits results to events assigned to a specific venue. |
| Continent |
Limits countries and results to venues in the selected continent. |
| Country |
Limits results to venues with the selected country code. |
| City |
Available after selecting a country. Limits results to venues in the selected city. |
| Date From / Date To |
Limits results to the selected date range. |
Date Range Behaviour
The date filter can work in two ways depending on configuration:
| Mode | Behaviour |
|---|
| Start date matching |
Only the event start date is compared with the selected range. |
| Full event range matching |
The event range is checked using start and end dates, so multi-day events can match when any part of the event overlaps the selected range. |
Results Display
Search results use the standard JEM event list behaviour. Depending on global list settings, results can show date, title, venue, country, category, recurrence icon, featured marker, and publication state icon.
The visible columns and links follow the same global JEM settings used by other event list views. For example, if venue links are enabled globally, venue names can link to the venue page.
Access Rules
The search view only returns events that the current visitor is allowed to see. JEM applies Joomla access levels for events and categories, and removes events whose categories are not accessible to the user.
Recommended Configurations
| Scenario | Recommended Setup |
|---|
| Small local event site |
Show keyword, category, venue, and date filters. Hide continent and country if all events are in one area. |
| International event directory |
Show continent, country, city, event type, category, and date filters. |
| Venue-focused site |
Show venue, city, country, and date filters. Keep category optional. |
| Training or school site |
Show event type, category, and date filters so users can find courses, workshops, or sessions quickly. |
Related Project Notes
- Issue #2131 describes the generated JEM Frontend Menu, which is useful for exposing the Search view during setup and testing.
- Issue #2126 highlights the importance of correct frontend access handling when displaying public event results.
- Issue #2154 standardises intro and footer text options across frontend views.
Practical Example
For a public event directory, create a menu item called Search Events. Enable filters for event type, category, venue, country, and dates. Add an introtext such as:
Use this page to search events by keyword, category, venue, location, or date range. Select one or more filters and press Search to display matching events.
If your site only publishes events in one country, hide the continent filter and optionally keep the country filter hidden as well. This keeps the search form cleaner for visitors.
