> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://algolia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# similarQuery

> A manually constructed query to find similar results based on shared attributes

export const Setting = ({type, default: defaultValue, defaultNote, scope, min, max, formerly}) => {
  const renderedDefault = defaultValue === '' ? '""' : defaultValue;
  const renderedNote = defaultNote ? `(${defaultNote})` : '';
  return <ul>
      <li><strong>Type:</strong> <code>{type}</code></li>
      <li><strong>Default:</strong> <code>{renderedDefault}</code>{renderedNote}</li>
      {min && <li><strong>Min:</strong> <code>{min}</code></li>}
      {max && <li><strong>Max:</strong> <code>{max}</code></li>}
      <li><strong>Scope:</strong> <a href="/doc/api-reference/api-parameters"><code>{scope}</code></a></li>
      {formerly && <li>
          <strong>Deprecated name:</strong> <code>{formerly}</code>
        </li>}
    </ul>;
};

<Setting type="string" default="" scope="search" />

## Usage

* Build the `similarQuery` from relevant object metadata, such as tags, categories, or keywords.
* This query isn't generated automatically.
  You must select meaningful terms manually.
  For example, a `similarQuery` for a movie could include its genre, key actors, and tags, such as:
  `Romance Comedy Gordon-Levitt NY`.

When specified, this parameter changes the search behavior:

* Sets [`queryType`](/doc/api-reference/api-parameters/queryType) to `prefixNone`—turns off [prefix matching](/doc/guides/managing-results/optimize-search-results/override-search-engine-defaults/in-depth/prefix-searching).
* Enables [`removeStopWords`](/doc/api-reference/api-parameters/removeStopWords)—removes common stop words like "the", "a", or "an".
* Sets [Words](/doc/guides/managing-results/relevance-overview/in-depth/ranking-criteria#words-if-applicable)
  as the first ranking criterion—results with more exact matches rank higher.
* Treats all remaining words as [`optionalWords`](/doc/api-reference/api-parameters/optionalWords):

  * Matches any (not all) of the words in the query (`OR` behavior).
  * Due to the broader match, you should apply filters to narrow the results.
  * Long queries may trigger specific behavior related to `optionalWords` with [four or more words](/doc/api-reference/api-parameters/optionalWords#long-queries).

## Example

### Search with `similarQuery`

The following example demonstrates the construction of a `similarQuery` from a record for the movie "Fargo":

```json theme={"system"}
{
  "title": "Fargo",
  "year": 1996,
  "director": "Joel Coen",
  "cast": [
    "Frances McDormand",
    "William H. Macy",
    "Steve Buscemi",
    "Peter Stormare",
    "Harve Presnell"
  ],
  "genres": [
    "Comedy",
    "Drama",
    "Crime"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "black-comedy",
    "americana",
    "coen-brothers",
  ]
  "objectID": "97327292",
  "budget": 7000000
}
```

From this object, use `similarQuery` to extract words from `genres`, `cast`, and `director` as a long query string.
This search returns many results because all words are optional.
To ensure you get the best results, add a [`filter`](/doc/api-reference/api-parameters/filters) on release dates within five years of Fargo's: `filter` = "year:1991 TO 2001"

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Current API clients" defaultOpen="true">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```cs C# theme={"system"}
      var response = await client.SearchSingleIndexAsync<Hit>(
        "INDEX_NAME",
        new SearchParams(
          new SearchParamsObject
          {
            Query = "",
            SimilarQuery = "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
            Filters = "year:1991 TO 2001",
          }
        )
      );
      ```

      ```dart Dart theme={"system"}
      final response = await client.searchSingleIndex(
        indexName: "INDEX_NAME",
        searchParams: SearchParamsObject(
          query: "",
          similarQuery:
              "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
          filters: "year:1991 TO 2001",
        ),
      );
      ```

      ```go Go theme={"system"}
      response, err := client.SearchSingleIndex(client.NewApiSearchSingleIndexRequest(
        "INDEX_NAME").WithSearchParams(search.SearchParamsObjectAsSearchParams(
        search.NewEmptySearchParamsObject().
          SetQuery("").
          SetSimilarQuery("Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen").
          SetFilters("year:1991 TO 2001"),
      )))
      if err != nil {
        // handle the eventual error
        panic(err)
      }
      ```

      ```java Java theme={"system"}
      SearchResponse response = client.searchSingleIndex(
        "INDEX_NAME",
        new SearchParamsObject()
          .setQuery("")
          .setSimilarQuery("Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen")
          .setFilters("year:1991 TO 2001"),
        Hit.class
      );
      ```

      ```js JavaScript theme={"system"}
      const response = await client.searchSingleIndex({
        indexName: 'indexName',
        searchParams: {
          query: '',
          similarQuery: 'Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen',
          filters: 'year:1991 TO 2001',
        },
      });
      ```

      ```kotlin Kotlin theme={"system"}
      var response =
        client.searchSingleIndex(
          indexName = "INDEX_NAME",
          searchParams =
            SearchParamsObject(
              query = "",
              similarQuery = "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
              filters = "year:1991 TO 2001",
            ),
        )
      ```

      ```php PHP theme={"system"}
      $response = $client->searchSingleIndex(
          'INDEX_NAME',
          ['query' => '',
              'similarQuery' => 'Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen',
              'filters' => 'year:1991 TO 2001',
          ],
      );
      ```

      ```python Python theme={"system"}
      response = client.search_single_index(
          index_name="INDEX_NAME",
          search_params={
              "query": "",
              "similarQuery": "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
              "filters": "year:1991 TO 2001",
          },
      )
      ```

      ```ruby Ruby theme={"system"}
      response = client.search_single_index(
        "INDEX_NAME",
        Algolia::Search::SearchParamsObject.new(
          query: "",
          similar_query: "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
          filters: "year:1991 TO 2001"
        )
      )
      ```

      ```scala Scala theme={"system"}
      val response = Await.result(
        client.searchSingleIndex(
          indexName = "INDEX_NAME",
          searchParams = Some(
            SearchParamsObject(
              query = Some(""),
              similarQuery = Some("Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen"),
              filters = Some("year:1991 TO 2001")
            )
          )
        ),
        Duration(100, "sec")
      )
      ```

      ```swift Swift theme={"system"}
      let response: SearchResponse<Hit> = try await client.searchSingleIndex(
          indexName: "INDEX_NAME",
          searchParams: SearchSearchParams.searchSearchParamsObject(SearchSearchParamsObject(
              query: "",
              similarQuery: "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
              filters: "year:1991 TO 2001"
          ))
      )
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Legacy API clients">
    <CodeGroup>
      ```cs C# theme={"system"}
      index.Search(new Query("")
      {
          SimilarQuery = "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
          Filter = "year:1991 TO 2001"
      });
      ```

      ```go Go theme={"system"}
      res, err := index.Search(
      	"",
      	opt.SimilarQuery("Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen"),
      	opt.Filters("year:1991 TO 2001"),
      )
      ```

      ```java Java theme={"system"}
      index.search(
        new Query("")
          .setSimilarQuery("Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen")
          .setFilters("year:1991 TO 2001")
      );
      ```

      ```js JavaScript theme={"system"}
      index
        .search("", {
          similarQuery:
            "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
          filters: "year:1991 TO 2001",
        })
        .then(({ hits }) => {
          console.log(hits);
        });
      ```

      ```kotlin Kotlin theme={"system"}
      val query = query("") {
          similarQuery = "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
          filter = "year:1991 TO 2001"
      }

      index.search(query)
      ```

      ```php PHP theme={"system"}
      $results = $index->search('', [
        'similarQuery' => 'Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen',
        'filters' => 'year:1991 TO 2001'
      ]);
      ```

      ```python Python theme={"system"}
      results = index.search(
          "",
          {
              "similarQuery": "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
              "filters": "year:1991 TO 2001",
          },
      )
      ```

      ```ruby Ruby theme={"system"}
      results = index.search(
        "",
        {
          similarQuery: "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen",
          filter: "year:1991 TO 2001"
        }
      )
      ```

      ```scala Scala theme={"system"}
      client.execute {
        search into "myIndex" query Query(
          query = Some(""),
          similarQuery = Some("Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen"),
          filters = Some("year:1991 TO 2001")
          )
      }
      ```

      ```swift Swift theme={"system"}
      let query = Query()
        .set(\.similarQuery, to: "Comedy Drama Crime McDormand Macy Buscemi Stormare Presnell Coen")
        .set(\.filters, to: "year:1991 TO 2001")

      index.search(query: query) { result in
        if case .success(let response) = result {
          print("Response: \(response)")
        }
      }
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>