This example has been tested using MSIE 5.0
Using a $$SearchTemplateDefault, place the $$ViewBody field positioned a bit down the page. Below this as HTML include the following:
<DIV style="top:100; left:50; position: absolute; ">
<script>document.write('Your search returned ')</script>
<script>document.write((document.links.length - 3))</script>
<script>document.write(' documents. ')</script></DIV>
The <DIV> tag positions the text "Your search returned x documents." ABOVE the documents returned (which is more readable if a long list of documents is returned). The actual code needs to be below the $$ViewBody so as to be able to count all of the documents (as links).
In this example, I have three hyperlinks used for navigation on the page. By subtracting 3 from the document.links.length value, I return the correct number of documents.
We can also enhance the text by using the QUERY_STRING to display the searched-for text or use an "if" statement to display "document" instead of "documents" if only one document is returned.
The <div> tag is also useful for positioning elements (such as graphics) flush with the left/top instead of using the HTMLHead to set margin values for the entire page which can cause headaches for text display.
This was first published in January 2001