Display results by relevance in keyword search only using Low Search

Question

By default, I want my Low Search results to display with an orderby_sort of last_name|asc:

{exp:low_search:results
    collection="my_collection"
    default:orderby_sort="last_name|asc"
}

But when a keyword is present, I want the search results to be displayed by relevance.

I tried using a conditional around the orderby_sort parameter above like this:

{if low_search_keywords}orderby_sort="low_search_score|asc"{if:else}default:orderby_sort="last_name|asc"{/if}

But this does not seem to work.

Answer 1

Parameters like that won't work for various parse order reasons. Right now, it's not possible to achieve with just hard-coded params. However, you could use a hidden input field for the orderby_sort parameter in the form, and populate it with one or the other using JavaScript, based on whether the keywords field was empty or not.

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Edit: In the latest version, it should be possible to define the sort order like this: orderby="low_search_score|title" sort="desc|asc". When no keywords are given, the results should be ordered by title.