In one of our SharePoint 2013 sites, we have a choice type site column (TypeContrat) in a library. Some of the choices contain apostrophes because we write in French.

When we use the managed property (TypeContrat:"achat d'actions") to search for a choice that contains an apostrophe, we dont find all the files.

After some research and getting help from https://sp2013searchtool.codeplex.com/ I discovered that we find the files with French content but we dont find files with English content.

The DetectedLanguage property is French or English according to the language of the file content.

Then I discovered another thing. At the top of the search result page, there is a drop down menu Preference for results in French / English (after I added the choices in My preferences). When I switch to English, I can see the missing search results (the English files).

Lets verify: is the apostrophe influencing the search or only the language preference? If I try a search with a choice without an apostrophe (TypeContrat:Immobilier), English or French all the files show in the search results.

Conclusion: Curious combination, when French is set as preferred language and when there is an apostrophe in the managed metadata, only files with French content (DetectedLanguage) display in search results. Which might be explained that SharePoint is not able to parse text with an apostrophe when the language is English. However, in our situation, the metadata is in French and the file content in English.

Is it possible to bypass the language detection?
Is it possible to have a neutral preference for language?
Or do you have another suggestion?

Hi,

Per my knowledge, the language preference selected in the search results page means that the keyword typed in the search box is in the language selected in language preference.

For example, if you select English as the language preference and search for achat d'actions, then SharePoint will consider the word achat d'actions as English words, and it will search results which exactly match in this word as it does not understand the word.

I recommend to set the preference language to French and then just search with achat d'actions to see how it works.

Best regards,

Victoria

It' easier to understand with an exemple.

You can experience the phenomenon easily. 1) Add files with French and English content in a library. 2) Add a choice column containing choices with and without apostrophes. 3) Try searches directly in the library search box.

See the next message for the remaining screen shots.

This behavior occurs with choice, lookup, managed metadata columns. Ive seen it in SharePoint 2013 on premise and Office 365.

• Edited by KM KTNN 17 hours 40 minutes ago

This behavior occurs with choice, lookup, managed metadata columns. Ive seen it in SharePoint 2013 on premise and Office 365.

• Edited by KM KTNN Friday, April 24, 2015 1:55 PM

This behavior occurs with choice, lookup, managed metadata columns. Ive seen it in SharePoint 2013 on premise and Office 365.

• Edited by KM KTNN Friday, April 24, 2015 1:55 PM

Hello,
 
Thank you for your question.

We are currently looking into this issue and will give you an update as soon as possible.
 
Thank you for your understanding and support.

Best regards,

Victoria

We opened a ticket with Microsoft. The workarounds are as follow:

- Avoid apostrophes in metadata
- Use the Refinement panel with the managed property
- Check 'complete matching' in the managed property
- Influence the language detection http://blogs.msdn.com/b/nicolasu/archive/2014/04/17/sp2013-how-to-influence-the-language-detection-at-the-document-item-level.aspx
- Add the language in user search preferences and use the language pull down menu on the search page, you can see one language files at a time
- Create search with pulldown menus http://www.eliostruyf.com/part-4-create-dropdown-search-refiner-control/

No comments.

• Marked as answer by KM KTNN 17 hours 12 minutes ago