In previous articles I wrote about configuring scopes in SharePoint and Search Server 2008 (Part 1 | Part 2). One additional question that I would like to explain is scopes dropwodn configuration.
Configuring Scopes
Scopes are controlled by Site Settings > Search Settings, here is the list of available options:
| Option | Result |
| Default Scope > If you choose not to use custom scopes, only current site will be selected:
|
Scopes dropdown will show this site. Advances search link is not available.
|
Custom Scopes > Before selecting custom scopes option you will need to create a search site to display the results.  |
With this option selected, scopes dropdown now shows a list of scopes defined for this site.
|
hich option would you recommend?
I would definitely go for custom scopes because custom search center (with tabs) gives much better end-user experience. (Custom scopes feature is only available with SharePoint Standard or better)
Search dropdown does not display any scopes
The list of scopes that will be displayed in Scopes drop-down can be configured at Search Settings > Search scopes page. Scopes defined in Search Dropdown group will be displayed in the dropdown show above. In case you are missing that group you will need to recreate it.
