An Empty-Search Recovery Map for Part Numbers With Hyphens
A buyer types AB-1200-X and gets no results, though the catalogue lists AB1200X. Another buyer types AB 1200 X. Both are probably after the same part, but "probably" is the danger. If search quietly rewrites the query and shows a near match, the buyer may order the wrong part. This article proposes a recovery map that helps without silently changing what was requested. It is a conditional design proposal; all examples are hypothetical.
Principle: recover, then confirm
A good fallback separates two acts: finding candidates and deciding they are the same part. The first can be automatic. The second should be visible to the buyer. When the exact query returns nothing, the page should say so, then show what was tried.
Normalization worksheet
For each catalogue, fill this out before building anything.
| Question | Your decision |
|---|---|
| Which separators may be ignored (hyphen, space, slash, dot)? | List explicitly |
| Is letter case significant? | Yes or no |
| Are O and 0, or I and 1, ever confusable in your numbering? | Decide whether to suggest, never to merge |
| Do any distinct parts differ only by a separator? | Check the catalogue |
| Are there leading zeros or suffixes that matter? | List them |
The fourth question decides everything. If two real parts could collapse to the same normalized string, automatic merging is unsafe and every match needs confirmation.
The recovery ladder
- Exact match on the typed string. If found, show it.
- Match after removing separators from both sides. If exactly one part matches, show it as a suggestion: "No exact match for AB-1200-X. Did you mean AB1200X?" Display the catalogue form clearly and require a click.
- If several parts match after normalization, list them all with their full catalogue numbers and a distinguishing detail, with no pre-selection.
- If nothing matches, say so and offer a prefix search or contact route. Do not guess a nearest number.
Branching choices
If your worksheet shows no distinct parts collapse together, step 2 can present a single suggestion prominently. If some do collapse, treat step 2 as step 3 for those. If the buyer is on a basket or reorder page rather than search, be stricter, because a wrong swap there has a direct effect. Decide whether suggestions on those pages should be available at all.
Confirmation text pattern
Show the requested string and the suggested string together, both in full, and make the original recoverable. Avoid wording like "Showing results for" followed by the changed string, which can read as already decided. Prefer a question the buyer answers.
Hypothetical worked example
A catalogue lists AB1200X and AB1200-XL. A buyer types AB-1200-X. Exact match fails. Removing separators yields AB1200X, which matches one part, but the worksheet notes that AB1200XL, once normalized, differs only by one letter, so a typo risk exists. The page shows: "No exact match for AB-1200-X. Closest listed number: AB1200X." It also shows AB1200-XL under "Other similar numbers", with a one-line detail for each. The buyer picks one. The query is not overwritten in the search box.
Stop conditions
Stop automatic suggestion for any pair of parts that your worksheet shows can collide. Stop and review if a suggestion would ever add or remove a character that is not a listed separator. Do not extend normalization to fuzzy spelling correction without a separate review, since that changes what was requested.
Acceptance checks
Consider the design ready when:
- Every test query with a separator difference produces either a confirmed suggestion or a list, never a silent substitution.
- The typed query remains visible and editable.
- The catalogue form of every suggested number appears in full.
- Colliding pairs from the worksheet are always listed together.
- A no-match result produces a clear empty state, not a nearest guess.
- Basket and reorder pages follow the stricter rule you chose.
Keep the worksheet with the search configuration and update it whenever new part numbering is introduced.