# Problem with highlighting in has\_child query
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [June 15, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633 "2011-06-15T20:00:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lar\_Mader](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Lar_Mader)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633/1 "2011-06-15T20:00:10Z")
I am unable to get highlighting results when querying a field of type
attachment in a child document using the has\_child query. However I
am able to get the highlighting results if I query directly against
the child document.
Is this supported, or am I doing something wrong?
The child document is of type "contentFiles" with a field called
"file" of type attachment (for pdf file processed by the mapper-
attachments). This query successfully returns highlight elements:
curl -XGET '[http://localhost:9201/foo\_acme/contentFiles/\_search](http://localhost:9201/foo_acme/contentFiles/_search)' -d
'{"query":{"field":{"file" : "Account"}},"highlight":{"fields":
{"file": {}}}}'
However when I try to query via the parent type "content" using a
has\_child query, I get the search results but I don't get the
highlight elements:
curl -XGET '[http://localhost:9201/foo\_acme/content/\_search](http://localhost:9201/foo_acme/content/_search)' -d
'{"query": {"has\_child":{"type":"contentFiles", "query":{"field":
{"file" : "Account"}},"highlight":{"fields":{"file":{}}}}}}'
I'm using elasticsearch version 0.16.2.
For completeness, here is my mapping for the contentFiles type, but I
think the mapping is ok, since my first query works:
{
"contentFiles": {
"\_source" : {
"enabled" : false
},
"\_parent": {
"type" : "content"
},
"properties" : {
"file" : {
"type" : "attachment",
"fields" : {
"file" : {"store" : "yes",
"term\_vector" : "with\_positions\_offsets"}
}
}
}
}
}
Thanks!
Lar
---
### Author:  [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633/2 "2011-06-16T21:48:12Z")
You can't do highlighting on the content of a child document when using has\_child query, that idea for that is to just match and return the parent docs, and those will be the ones that will be highlighted... .
On Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 11:00 PM, lmader wrote:
> I am unable to get highlighting results when querying a field of type
> attachment in a child document using the has\_child query. However I
> am able to get the highlighting results if I query directly against
> the child document.
>
> Is this supported, or am I doing something wrong?
>
> The child document is of type "contentFiles" with a field called
> "file" of type attachment (for pdf file processed by the mapper-
> attachments). This query successfully returns highlight elements:
>
> curl -XGET '[http://localhost:9201/foo\_acme/contentFiles/\_search](http://localhost:9201/foo_acme/contentFiles/_search)' -d
> '{"query":{"field":{"file" : "Account"}},"highlight":{"fields":
> {"file": {}}}}'
>
> However when I try to query via the parent type "content" using a
> has\_child query, I get the search results but I don't get the
> highlight elements:
>
> curl -XGET '[http://localhost:9201/foo\_acme/content/\_search](http://localhost:9201/foo_acme/content/_search)' -d
> '{"query": {"has\_child":{"type":"contentFiles", "query":{"field":
> {"file" : "Account"}},"highlight":{"fields":{"file":{}}}}}}'
>
> I'm using elasticsearch version 0.16.2.
>
> For completeness, here is my mapping for the contentFiles type, but I
> think the mapping is ok, since my first query works:
> {
> "contentFiles": {
> "\_source" : {
> "enabled" : false
> },
> "\_parent": {
> "type" : "content"
> },
> "properties" : {
> "file" : {
> "type" : "attachment",
> "fields" : {
> "file" : {"store" : "yes",
> "term\_vector" : "with\_positions\_offsets"}
> }
> }
> }
> }
> }
>
> Thanks!
> Lar
---
### Author:  [@Lar\_Mader](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Lar_Mader)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633/3 "2011-06-16T23:43:23Z")
Ok, thank you for the info!
Is this a feature that could be supported in the future? We have a
monstrous query that goes against the parent and child docs, and it
would be very convenient if it could do the highlighting in the
has\_child part as well.
Cheers,
Lar
---
### Author:  [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633/4 "2011-06-17T16:29:26Z")
Good question... . Nothing planned, mainly since implementation wise its quite heavy to do it (if implemented). Need to spend some time thinking about it properly.
On Friday, June 17, 2011 at 2:43 AM, lmader wrote:
> Ok, thank you for the info!
>
> Is this a feature that could be supported in the future? We have a
> monstrous query that goes against the parent and child docs, and it
> would be very convenient if it could do the highlighting in the
> has\_child part as well.
>
> Cheers,
> Lar
---
### Author:  [@rnc000](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/rnc000)
#### Post date: [November 16, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633/5 "2013-11-16T13:40:02Z")
Hi. Has this been implemented or is there any workaround? As my documents and subdocuments are really big, I'd really like to avoid nested objects/queries.
Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/problem-with-highlighting-in-has-child-query/4633/6 "2017-07-06T02:06:37Z")