How do I add my app to the semantic index

To add your app to the semantic index, you can follow these steps:

1. Donate Searchable Content: Start by donating searchable content to Spotlight. This involves creating CSSearchableItem instances for the content you want to index. Each item should have a unique identifier and an attribute set that describes the content.

   let attributeSet = CSSearchableItemAttributeSet(itemContentType: kUTTypeText as String)
   attributeSet.title = "Journal Entry Title"
   attributeSet.contentDescription = "Description of the journal entry"
   
   let item = CSSearchableItem(uniqueIdentifier: "unique-id", domainIdentifier: "com.example.journal", attributeSet: attributeSet)
   

2. Index the Items: Use the CSSearchableIndex to index these items. You can batch index items to improve performance.

   let searchableIndex = CSSearchableIndex.default()
   searchableIndex.indexSearchableItems([item]) { error in
       if let error = error {
           print("Indexing error: \(error.localizedDescription)")
       } else {
           print("Search item successfully indexed!")
       }
   }
   

3. Use the IndexedEntity Protocol: If your app uses app entities, you can conform to the IndexedEntity protocol to make these entities searchable. This allows you to leverage the new semantic search capabilities.

   struct Trail: IndexedEntity {
       var id: String
       var name: String
       var description: String
       
       var searchableItem: CSSearchableItem {
           let attributeSet = CSSearchableItemAttributeSet(itemContentType: kUTTypeText as String)
           attributeSet.title = name
           attributeSet.contentDescription = description
           
           return CSSearchableItem(uniqueIdentifier: id, domainIdentifier: "com.example.trails", attributeSet: attributeSet)
       }
   }
   

4. Handle Reindexing Requests: Implement an index delegate extension to handle reindexing requests from Spotlight. This ensures that your app can update the index as needed.

   class IndexDelegate: NSObject, CSSearchableIndexDelegate {
       func searchableIndex(_ searchableIndex: CSSearchableIndex, reindexAllSearchableItemsWithAcknowledgementHandler acknowledgementHandler: @escaping () -> Void) {
           // Reindex all items
           acknowledgementHandler()
       }
       
       func searchableIndex(_ searchableIndex: CSSearchableIndex, reindexSearchableItemsWithIdentifiers identifiers: [String], acknowledgementHandler: @escaping () -> Void) {
           // Reindex specific items
           acknowledgementHandler()
       }
   }
   

For a detailed walkthrough, you can refer to the session Support semantic search with Core Spotlight.

Relevant Sessions

1. Support semantic search with Core Spotlight
2. What’s new in App Intents
3. Bring your app to Siri