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

Parameter	Description	VFB Default	Example
`q`	Main search query (supports SOLR query syntax)	Complex expansion	`(medulla OR medulla* OR medulla OR medulla*)`
`defType`	Query parser type	`edismax`	`edismax`
`mm`	Minimum match percentage for multi-term queries	`45%`	`45%`
`qf`	Query fields with boost values	`label^110 synonym^100 label_autosuggest synonym_autosuggest shortform_autosuggest`	`label^110 synonym^100...`
`fl`	Fields to return	`short_form,label,synonym,id,facets_annotation,unique_facets`	`short_form,label,synonym,id,facets_annotation,unique_facets`
`rows`	Number of results to return	`150`	`50`
`start`	Starting offset for pagination	`0`	`0`
`wt`	Response format	`json`	`json`
`indent`	Pretty-print JSON response	`true`	`true`

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

Parameter	Description	Default
`pf`	Phrase fields for exact phrase boosting	`true`
`indent`	Pretty-print JSON response	`true`

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

Field	Description
`short_form`	VFB/FlyBase short identifier
`label`	Primary display name
`synonym`	Alternative names and synonyms
`id`	Full IRI/URI identifier
`facets_annotation`	Categorization facets (e.g., “Adult”, “Nervous_system”)
`unique_facets`	Processed facet combinations for display

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:

Web Interface: Powers the main search box and autocomplete
Query Chains: Used in combination with PDB and Owlery queries
Result Ranking: Complex sorting logic prioritizes relevant results
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.