Store image URL values in your CMS or DXP before you index content. SearchStax Site Search can render a thumbnail only when the indexed document already contains a usable image URL field. After that field is indexed, you can map it in Results Fields so thumbnails appear in search results.
This guidance applies to any Site Search ingestion method that returns image fields, including CMS or DXP connectors, crawlers, and API-based indexing. If you're using a CMS or DXP connector, see Ingesting Data with a CMS/DXP Connector.
Before You Start
Before you update image URL values, make sure you have:
- A CMS or DXP page or record type that includes an image field or a field that can provide an image URL.
- Access to the CMS or DXP admin UI.
- Access to your SearchStax Site Search App.
- Permission to reindex after you update field mappings or source data.
Step 1: Choose One Field for the Thumbnail URL
For each kind of content you index, choose one field to use for search result thumbnails. For blog or news pages, for example, you might use a thumbnail image field, while other page types use a different field such as a banner or hero image.
If a content type includes more than one image field, choose one field to supply the thumbnail value and use it consistently for that content type. It's easiest when the indexed field already contains the final URL value you want Site Search to use, instead of requiring extraction from rendered HTML.
Step 2: Make Sure the Indexed Value Is a Usable Image URL
- Confirm that the indexed value resolves to the image you want to show in search results.
- In many implementations, a full URL with protocol, domain, and path is the simplest and most reliable option.
- Some platforms expose a relative path or a derived value by default, so confirm what is actually sent in the indexed document.
- If your platform can generate the final URL value you want Site Search to use, enable that option or store the value in a dedicated field.
Site Search can use the field only if the indexed document contains a usable image URL value. After you update the source data, reindex the content and map the correct field to Thumbnail.
Step 3: Platform-Specific Guidance
Drupal
Drupal doesn't use a single standard default field specifically for image URLs. The image URL is typically derived from the file entity during indexing.
A common pattern is to start with an image field such as field_image and use the derived property field_image:entity:uri:url for indexing. Map that derived property as a String field in the index so the image URL value is available to Site Search.
Drupal may provide a relative path by default, such as /sites/default/files/text.png. After indexing, confirm that the value in the indexed document is the URL format you want to use for thumbnails.
Sitecore
In Sitecore, the native image field isn't directly indexed for this use case.
To make image thumbnails available in Site Search, use one of these approaches:
- Store the exact image URL in a single-line text field and index that field.
- Create a custom computed field that outputs the image URL and index that computed field.
After indexing, confirm that the indexed document contains the exact image URL value you want to map to Thumbnail.
Step 4: Index and Map the Field
- Confirm that the field you plan to use appears in the indexed document as an image URL value.
- Don't map a non-image field, such as a boosting or scoring field, to Thumbnail.
- Reindex the content after you update the source field. Indexing can take up to 10 minutes.
- In your Search App, go to Configurations > Basic Configurations > Results Fields.
- If the field doesn't appear, wait for indexing to finish. Then reload the schema by using the reload control next to the field dropdown on the Results Fields page.
- Map the image URL field to Thumbnail or to another result card position that fits your design.
If the field still doesn't appear after indexing finishes and you reload the schema, confirm that the source field is being indexed before you troubleshoot the UI.
For results-field mapping and preview validation, see Configuring Results Display.
Step 5: Validate in Search Preview
- Open Search Preview for the relevant Search App.
- Run a search for a known item that should include an image.
- Inspect the indexed document and confirm that a field contains the image URL value you expect.
- Confirm that the same field is mapped to Thumbnail.
- Confirm that the thumbnail or image area renders as expected.
Troubleshooting
The Thumbnail Doesn't Appear
Check whether the indexed document contains a usable image URL field. If it doesn't, update the source data in your CMS or DXP and reindex the content.
The Field Doesn't Appear in Results Fields
Wait for indexing to finish, and then reload the schema from the control next to the field dropdown on the Results Fields page. If the field still doesn't appear, confirm that the field is included in the indexed document.
The Field Contains the Wrong Value
Check the source field value in your CMS or DXP. The field mapped to Thumbnail should contain the image URL value you want Site Search to use.
The Field Is Mapped, but the Thumbnail Is Still Blank
Confirm that the same field appears in the indexed document with the expected image URL value, and then test again in Search Preview. If the field contains the right value, confirm that you've mapped that field to Thumbnail.