# Help with writing a search query **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [October 24, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/help-with-writing-a-search-query/153808 "2018-10-24T13:16:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ProxyMasterMerger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/proxymastermerger/32/42288_2.png) [@ProxyMasterMerger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ProxyMasterMerger)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/help-with-writing-a-search-query/153808/1 "2018-10-24T13:16:03Z")
Hello all, nooby here. I'm trying to write a search query but I'm having some problems. I have an index called Categories. It has the following fields: title, tags (which is just a big string with keywords) and total, a number which represents the total number of items I have for this category. Given search query T, I want to fetch 10 results where title/tags are T, or begin with T, or contain T. I want to sort them based on score, and then based on total. I also want to disable term frequency consideration into the score. That's the gist of it. ```auto { "index": "categories", "body": { "size": 10, "query": { "bool": { "minimum_should_match": 1, "should": [ { "query_string": { "default_field": "_all", "query": "T" } }, { "query_string": { "default_field": "_all", "query": "T*" } }, { "query_string": { "default_field": "_all", "query": "*T*" } } ], "must": [ { "range": { "total": { "gt": 0 } } } ] } }, "sort": { "_score": { "order": "desc" }, "total": { "order": "desc" } } } } ``` This query works, however I'm unable to impose the no-term frequency rule. I've tried writing constant\_score to encapsulate each of those query\_strings or the bool, but I only got exceptions. Any ideas? Also, just making sure but am I writing my query correctly, or should I write it in a different fashion? Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nik9000](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/nik9000/32/44947_2.png) [@nik9000](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/nik9000)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:04pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/help-with-writing-a-search-query/153808/2 "2018-10-24T14:04:38Z")
Please wrap your code snippets in ``` so discuss doesn't eat the formatting. > [@ProxyMasterMerger](#): > > "query\_string": { Using `query_string` for user generated queries can be a trap. When `query_string` doesn't understand some syntax it just sends back an error. I ended up working myself into a local minimal where I had a doen regexes that I ran on use queries to "prepare" them for `query_string`. Usually you are better of just using `match` and a `match_prefix` query. `constant_score` should get the job done if you just want each of the two arms of the bool query to be worth a particular amount. Wrap each of the `should` queries in `constant_score`. ---
**Author:** ![ProxyMasterMerger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/proxymastermerger/32/42288_2.png) [@ProxyMasterMerger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ProxyMasterMerger)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/help-with-writing-a-search-query/153808/3 "2018-10-24T14:25:00Z")
Alright, sorry about that. I tried to format the JSON before but I guess I didn't do it right. Anyway, I'm getting the following exception when attempting your solution: [bool] query does not support [constant\_score] I should've clarified this before but I run my queries via PHP code in a Laravel-based environment. I use elasticsearch version 6.0.1 and ruflin/elastica version 6. Not sure if this will help, but yeah... Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![nik9000](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/nik9000/32/44947_2.png) [@nik9000](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/nik9000)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/help-with-writing-a-search-query/153808/4 "2018-10-24T15:23:27Z")
You should be able to stick a `constant_score` query in the same place as have `query_string` now. You'd put the `query_string` inside the `filter` object in the `constant_score` one. That _should_ work. > [@ProxyMasterMerger](#): > > I should've clarified this before but I run my queries via PHP code in a Laravel-based environment. I use elasticsearch version 6.0.1 and ruflin/elastica version 6. Not sure if this will help, but yeah... Any ideas? I used reflin's elastica for years but I haven't worked on that project in a few years. So, if it does matter, I won't know. But it _shouldn't_ matter. Like, from the philosophical standpoint. ---
**Author:** ![ProxyMasterMerger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/proxymastermerger/32/42288_2.png) [@ProxyMasterMerger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ProxyMasterMerger)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/help-with-writing-a-search-query/153808/5 "2018-10-25T06:19:10Z")
Great! I forgot to write filter block inside the constant\_score query, that was my problem. Seems to be working as expected now, thanks for the help! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/help-with-writing-a-search-query/153808/6 "2018-11-22T06:19:11Z")
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