Text Search Feature – Now On MySwar

Films, songs and artists are the most important elements in the MySwar database and so these are the elements that drive the existing search functionality on MySwar. This search feature, along with the powerful Advanced Search and Browse features, serves the needs of most users on MySwar.

However, other data elements on MySwar have remained relatively inaccessible to users. Among them is the unstructured text stored in Album and Song Credits as well as in Album and Song Trivia. MySwar accommodates a finite number of standard artist credits. For music, this includes Music Director, Lyricist and Singer credits; for films, it includes Director, Producer, Actor and Writer credits. In addition to these standard credits, the database stores free-form text to capture important but often overlooked credits. These credits include the likes of Music Assistants, Arrangers, Music Producers, Song Recordists and Instrumentalists. The newly implemented Text Search feature on MySwar allows users to search through these credits.

Another data element that sets MySwar apart from other services is the Trivia associated with films and songs. Album and Song Trivia tell stories behind the making of films and songs and document other important information about them. The Text Search feature allows users to search Trivia items as well.

Any given text search can either be directed at the album level or the song level. The feature implements a keyword search, which means that if you specify two or more words, the Text Search feature looks for the presence of these words anywhere in the text.

It is important to note that the Text Search feature does not replace or extend the existing Search or Advanced Search features. It provides a new capability that did not exist on MySwar before. For example, specifying ‘Kishore Kumar’ in Text Search is not going to give his complete discography, it is only going to provide a list of albums or songs that contain ‘Kishore’ + ‘Kumar’ in its Album or Song Credits (credits other than Music Director, Lyricist, Singer) or in its Album or Song Trivia. If users want to explore Kishore Kumar’s discography, they would still use the existing search feature.

How does Text Search help users? It provides them with another way to navigate the vast ocean of Hindi film music. Here are some examples of interesting questions Text Search helps answer:

What are some films adapted from novels?