I copied index.php to search.php as described here http://forum.bytesforall.com/showthread.php?t=610 and it works fine. But I am left confused with two questions:

1. how to sort the search results (by a custom field)?
2. how to specify/override the number of search results returned?

the contents of my search.php is basically:

PHP Code:

<?php     /* get all options: */
# error_reporting(-1);
include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/functions/bfa_get_options.php');
global $bfa_ata;
get_header(); ?>

<?php /* If there are any posts: */
if (have_posts()) : $bfa_ata['postcount'] = 0; /* Postcount needed for option "XX first posts full posts, rest excerpts" */ ?>

//MY CODE IS HERE
            
    <?php /* END of the LOOP */
    endwhile; ?>


<?php /* END of: If there are any posts */
else : /* If there are no posts: */ ?>

<?php /* This outputs the "Not Found" content, if neither posts, pages nor attachments are available for the requested page.
This can be edited at Atahualpa Theme Options -> Style & edit the Center column */
bfa_center_content($bfa_ata['content_not_found']); ?>

<?php endif; /* END of: If there are no posts */ ?>


<?php get_footer(); ?>

Any help with this would be great. Running Atahualpa v.3.5.3 thanks....

Without seeing the code you used, it's hard to tell.

You should look up what ever function you are using and read about the options (http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/) to see if there is an 'order by' option

That's what confuses me too, I don't know the function being executed for a search. I activated the Search box in Atahualpa theme options and that's what I use to search. the only customization I have done is copy index.php and rename it to search.php, but I'm using the default search box from atahualpa theme options.

After typing something in the search box, the URL becomes: www.mysite.com/?s=test Does that look familiar to anyone? Like JD says, if I could figure out which function is being called I might be able to customize it.

see http://codex.wordpress.org/Creating_a_Search_Page

hmmm... well. i guess that counts as an answer, albeit a cryptic one. took a while to piece this together but finally here is the solution in case anyone else gets stuck on this.

copy index.php to a new file named search.php in the atahualpa theme directory.
edit it as below:

PHP Code:

<?php
/* get all options: */
# error_reporting(-1);
include (TEMPLATEPATH . '/functions/bfa_get_options.php');
global $bfa_ata;
get_header();

global $query_string;
global $paged;

$query_args = explode("&", $query_string);
$search_query = array(
                      'posts_per_page' => '50',
                      'meta_key' => 'something',
                      'orderby' => 'meta_value',
                      'order' => 'ASC'
                     );

foreach($query_args as $key => $string) 
{
    $query_split = explode("=", $string);
    $search_query[$query_split[0]] = $query_split[1];
} 
 

$search = new WP_Query($search_query);
if ($search->have_posts()) {
   $searchcount=0;
   $total_results = $search->found_posts;
   $tmp = "<div class=\"something\">Search Results (total: " . $total_results;
   if ($total_results>50) 
   {
     $tmp = $tmp . ", showing 50 per page)>";
   } else {
     $tmp = $tmp . ")"; 
   }
   echo $tmp;

   

start a <TABLE> tag or DIVs here to put the results into

<?php  
while ($search->have_posts()) : $search->the_post();
       fill up your <TABLE> here
endwhile;

end your <TABLE> or DIV


} else { /* If there are no posts: */

bfa_center_content($bfa_ata['content_not_found']);

}

bfa_center_content($bfa_ata['center_content_bottom']);
get_footer(); 

?>

took a while to figure out how to do pagination in the results too but what the heck here is the secret: http://www.kriesi.at/archives/how-to...without-plugin hope this helps someone. Setting as SOLVED