Use the Microsoft Search API to manage layout templates for search results

You can use the Microsoft Search API in Microsoft Graph to manage layout templates for search results. A search display layout or result type is a rule that causes distinct kinds of search results to be displayed in different ways in search result pages. It consists of the following:

  • One or more characteristics or conditions to compare each search result against, such as the result source or content type of the search result.
  • A display template to use for search results that meet the conditions. The display template controls the way in which all results that meet the conditions appear and behave on a search results page.

The Microsoft Graph Search API provides a renderable response based on Adaptive Cards. By using the Adaptive Card template, clients can render different search result in different canvases.

Customers can customize their search result type in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

Request example

The following example shows how to get the display layouts or result templates for rendering the search results by setting the enableResultTemplate property to true in the request contract.

The response shows three search hits, two of them related, with the resultTemplateId 1603900360618_5XCBK2OXG, and the other one with the resultTemplateId 1603900360618_5XCBK2OXP. These IDs match with one of the keys of the two display layouts contained in the resultTemplates dictionary that's included within the response contract. Using the result template IDs, you can determine which display layout to use to render each search result.

Request

POST https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/search/query
Content-Type: application/json

{
    "requests": [
        {
            "entityTypes": [
                "externalItem"
            ],
            "contentSources": [
                "Connectors"
            ],
            "query": {
                "queryString": "*"
            },
            "resultTemplateOptions": {
                "enableResultTemplate": true
            }
        }
    ]
}

Response

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content-type: application/json

{
    "@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/$metadata#Collection(microsoft.graph.searchResponse)",
    "value": [
        {
            "searchTerms": [],
            "hitsContainers": [
                {
                    "total": 1201701,
                    "moreResultsAvailable": true,
                    "hits": [
                        {
                            "hitId": "85437765-b430-434f-a945-38eceead5b93",
                            "rank": 1,
                            "summary": "",
                            "resultTemplateId": "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXG",
                            "resource": {
                                "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.externalConnectors.externalItem",
                                "id": "B5B6E9C7-152C-4478-BCCB-CEF053F17397",
                                "Title": "[SM00186] Number of tests - Liquid",
                                "URL": "https://liquid.microsoft.com/Web/Object/Read/scanningtoolwarnings/Requirements/CodeQL.SM00186"
                            }
                        },
                        {
                            "hitId": "85437765-5430-434f-a945-38eceead5b94",
                            "rank": 2,
                            "summary": "",
                            "resultTemplateId": "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXP",
                            "resource": {
                                "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.externalConnectors.externalItem",
                                "id": "B5B6E9C7-152C-4478-BCCB-CEF053F17398",
                                "Title": "[SM00186] Number of tests - Liquid 2",
                                "URL": "https://liquid.microsoft.com/Web/Object/Read/scanningtoolwarnings/Requirements/CodeQL.SM00186"
                            }
                        },
                        {
                            "hitId": "85437765-b430-434f-a945-38eceead5b95",
                            "rank": 3,
                            "summary": "",
                            "resultTemplateId": "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXG",
                            "resource": {
                                "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.externalConnectors.externalItem",
                                "id": "B5B6E9C7-152C-4478-BCCB-CEF053F17399",
                                "Title": "[SM00186] Number of tests - Liquid 3",
                                "URL": "https://liquid.microsoft.com/Web/Object/Read/scanningtoolwarnings/Requirements/CodeQL.SM00186"
                            }
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "resultTemplates": {
                "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXG": {
                    "displayName": "Liquid-3",
                    "body": {
                        "type": "AdaptiveCard",
                        "version": "1.0",
                        "body": [
                            {
                                "type": "ColumnSet",
                                "columns": [
                                    {
                                        "type": "Column",
                                        "width": "auto",
                                        "items": [
                                            {
                                                "type": "Image",
                                                "url": "https://searchuxcdn.azureedge.net/designerapp/images/LiquidLogo.png",
                                                "horizontalAlignment": "Center",
                                                "size": "Small"
                                            }
                                        ],
                                        "horizontalAlignment": "Center"
                                    },
                                    {
                                        "type": "Column",
                                        "width": 10,
                                        "items": [
                                            {
                                                "type": "TextBlock",
                                                "text": "[{Title}]({URL})",
                                                "weight": "Bolder",
                                                "color": "Accent",
                                                "size": "Medium",
                                                "maxLines": 3
                                            },
                                            {
                                                "type": "TextBlock",
                                                "text": "{ResultSnippet}",
                                                "maxLines": 3,
                                                "wrap": true
                                            }
                                        ],
                                        "spacing": "Medium"
                                    }
                                ]
                            }
                        ],
                        "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json"
                    }
                },
                "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXP": {
                    "displayName": "Liquid-2",
                    "body": {
                        "type": "AdaptiveCard",
                        "version": "1.0",
                        "body": [
                            {
                                "type": "ColumnSet",
                                "columns": [
                                    {
                                        "type": "Column",
                                        "width": "auto",
                                        "items": [
                                            {
                                                "type": "Image",
                                                "url": "https://searchuxcdn.azureedge.net/designerapp/images/LiquidLogo.png",
                                                "horizontalAlignment": "Center",
                                                "size": "Small"
                                            }
                                        ],
                                        "horizontalAlignment": "Center"
                                    },
                                    {
                                        "type": "Column",
                                        "width": 10,
                                        "items": [
                                            {
                                                "type": "TextBlock",
                                                "text": "[{Title}]({URL})",
                                                "weight": "Bolder",
                                                "color": "Accent",
                                                "size": "Medium",
                                                "maxLines": 3
                                            },
                                            {
                                                "type": "TextBlock",
                                                "text": "{ResultSnippet}",
                                                "maxLines": 3,
                                                "wrap": true
                                            }
                                        ],
                                        "spacing": "Medium"
                                    }
                                ]
                            }
                        ],
                        "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

Web component example

The following example shows how to use Adaptive Card templating to render search results.

Important

This example uses a version of Adaptive Card templating earlier than the May 2020 release. For more details, see:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <title>Adaptive Cards Example</title>

    <script src="https://unpkg.com/markdown-it@8.4.0/dist/markdown-it.js"></script>
    <script src="https://unpkg.com/adaptivecards/dist/adaptivecards.min.js"></script>

    <script src="https://unpkg.com/adaptivecards-templating@0.1.0-alpha1/dist/adaptivecards-templating.min.js"></script>
    <script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.js"
        integrity="sha256-H+K7U5CnXl1h5ywQfKtSj8PCmoN9aaq30gDh27Xc0jk=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>

    <style type="text/css">
        #exampleDiv {
            border: solid 1px black;
        }
    </style>

    <script type="text/javascript">

       function renderCard() {
            var mockdata = this.getMockData();
            var renderTemplates = [];

            // Convert object to map
            var templateDictionary = new Map(Object.entries( mockdata.value[0].resultTemplates));

            for (let hit of mockdata.value[0].hitsContainers[0].hits) {
                renderTemplates.push(this.renderACT(hit, templateDictionary));
            }

            for(let template of renderTemplates){
                document.getElementById('exampleDiv').appendChild(template);
            }
        }

        function renderACT(hit, templateDictionary) {
            var templateId = hit.resultTemplateId;
            // Define a template payload
            var templatePayload = templateDictionary.get(templateId).body;
            var template = new ACData.Template(templatePayload);

            // Expand the template with your `$root` data object.
            // This binds it to the data and produces the final Adaptive Card payload

            console.log(hit.resource);

            // Create a data binding context, and set its $root property to the
            // data object to bind the template to
            var context = new ACData.EvaluationContext();
            context.$root = hit.resource;

            console.log(context);
            var card = template.expand(context);
            // OPTIONAL: Render the card (requires that the adaptivecards library be loaded)

            var adaptiveCard = new AdaptiveCards.AdaptiveCard();
            adaptiveCard.parse(card);
            return adaptiveCard.render();
        }

        function getMockData() {
            return {
                "@odata.context": "https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/$metadata#Collection(microsoft.graph.searchResponse)",
                "value": [
                    {
                        "searchTerms": [],
                        "hitsContainers": [
                            {
                                "total": 1201701,
                                "moreResultsAvailable": true,
                                "hits": [
                                    {
                                        "hitId": "85437765-b430-434f-a945-38eceead5b93",
                                        "rank": 1,
                                        "summary": "",
                                        "resultTemplateId": "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXG",
                                        "resource": {
                                            "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.externalConnectors.externalItem",
                                            "id": "B5B6E9C7-152C-4478-BCCB-CEF053F17397",
                                            "Title": "[SM00186] Number of tests - Liquid",
                                            "URL": "https://liquid.microsoft.com/Web/Object/Read/scanningtoolwarnings/Requirements/CodeQL.SM00186"
                                        }
                                    },
                                    {
                                        "hitId": "85437765-5430-434f-a945-38eceead5b94",
                                        "rank": 2,
                                        "summary": "",
                                        "resultTemplateId": "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXP",
                                        "resource": {
                                            "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.externalConnectors.externalItem",
                                            "id": "B5B6E9C7-152C-4478-BCCB-CEF053F17398",
                                            "Title": "[SM00186] Number of tests - Liquid 2",
                                            "URL": "https://liquid.microsoft.com/Web/Object/Read/scanningtoolwarnings/Requirements/CodeQL.SM00186"
                                        }
                                    },
                                    {
                                        "hitId": "85437765-b430-434f-a945-38eceead5b95",
                                        "rank": 3,
                                        "summary": "",
                                        "resultTemplateId": "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXG",
                                        "resource": {
                                            "@odata.type": "#microsoft.graph.externalConnectors.externalItem",
                                            "id": "B5B6E9C7-152C-4478-BCCB-CEF053F17399",
                                            "Title": "[SM00186] Number of tests - Liquid 3",
                                            "URL": "https://liquid.microsoft.com/Web/Object/Read/scanningtoolwarnings/Requirements/CodeQL.SM00186"
                                        }
                                    }
                                ]
                            }
                        ],
                        "resultTemplates": {
                            "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXG": {
                                "displayName": "Liquid-3",
                                "body": {
                                    "type": "AdaptiveCard",
                                    "version": "1.0",
                                    "body": [
                                        {
                                            "type": "ColumnSet",
                                            "columns": [
                                                {
                                                    "type": "Column",
                                                    "width": "auto",
                                                    "items": [
                                                        {
                                                            "type": "Image",
                                                            "url": "https://searchuxcdn.azureedge.net/designerapp/images/LiquidLogo.png",
                                                            "horizontalAlignment": "Center",
                                                            "size": "Small"
                                                        }
                                                    ],
                                                    "horizontalAlignment": "Center"
                                                },
                                                {
                                                    "type": "Column",
                                                    "width": 10,
                                                    "items": [
                                                        {
                                                            "type": "TextBlock",
                                                            "text": "[{Title}]({URL})",
                                                            "weight": "Bolder",
                                                            "color": "Accent",
                                                            "size": "Medium",
                                                            "maxLines": 3
                                                        },
                                                        {
                                                            "type": "TextBlock",
                                                            "text": "{ResultSnippet}",
                                                            "maxLines": 3,
                                                            "wrap": true
                                                        }
                                                    ],
                                                    "spacing": "Medium"
                                                }
                                            ]
                                        }
                                    ],
                                    "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json"
                                }
                            },
                            "1603900360618_5XCBK2OXP": {
                                "displayName": "Liquid-2",
                                "body": {
                                    "type": "AdaptiveCard",
                                    "version": "1.0",
                                    "body": [
                                        {
                                            "type": "ColumnSet",
                                            "columns": [
                                                {
                                                    "type": "Column",
                                                    "width": "auto",
                                                    "items": [
                                                        {
                                                            "type": "Image",
                                                            "url": "https://searchuxcdn.azureedge.net/designerapp/images/LiquidLogo.png",
                                                            "horizontalAlignment": "Center",
                                                            "size": "Small"
                                                        }
                                                    ],
                                                    "horizontalAlignment": "Center"
                                                },
                                                {
                                                    "type": "Column",
                                                    "width": 10,
                                                    "items": [
                                                        {
                                                            "type": "TextBlock",
                                                            "text": "[{Title}]({URL})",
                                                            "weight": "Bolder",
                                                            "color": "Accent",
                                                            "size": "Medium",
                                                            "maxLines": 3
                                                        },
                                                        {
                                                            "type": "TextBlock",
                                                            "text": "{ResultSnippet}",
                                                            "maxLines": 3,
                                                            "wrap": true
                                                        }
                                                    ],
                                                    "spacing": "Medium"
                                                }
                                            ]
                                        }
                                    ],
                                    "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                ]
            }

        }

    </script>

</head>

<body onload="renderCard()">
    <h1>Adaptive Cards Data Binding Example</h1>
    <div id="exampleDiv"></div>
</body>

</html>