I have a potential client that wants to use the same type of search feature as is used at http://www.petswelcome.com/. The Search by Route and the Find Vacation Rentals. I said that this can be done (as it is on this site) but I don’t write my own JavaScript or jQuery. Is it possible to find something free out there and tweak it for what the client would need?
Search is really not a JavaScript operation. It requires a server-side script (like PHP) linked to a database. To be much use, it really needs to be built with the site from scratch, I’d say, though I guess a programmer could whip up something separately. Normally you’d build such a site around a CMS, which would include a search facility.
In terms of getting this for free, forget it. That’s the wrong attitude. If this is worth having, it’s worth paying for. If you want some kind of free alternative, just incorporate Google search into the site, though it’s just a single search box.
I could be totally wrong about all this, but my experience so far suggests what I’ve said above.
Thank you, Ralph. It could be that I need to decline this job then since I don’t know how to do this. I am sure that I could probably find someone here that could help me with it, but I am not sure how much they would want to implement it. I did give a quote and did state that depending on the complexity, it could be more. Which forum should I turn to to see if someone on here can write this for me? There will be a database since this will be on WordPress so the client can take this over, but I am not sure if a separate DB needs to be used for this. This is going way beyond my capabilities but my contract does allow for outsourcing if I need to.
The PHP forum might be a good place to ask about this, although these forums aren’t the place to ask for services as such. I’d recommend finding a developer in your area to work with, as you then will strike up a relationship that will be useful for other jobs as well.