Lovable·Fixdatabaseintermediate

Search Feature Not Working in Lovable App

Quick Answer

Lovable may generate client-side filtering (slow for large datasets) or use exact match queries instead of full-text search. Start with "Implement proper search" before making broader code changes.

You're in the right place if...

!Search returns no results
!Search is extremely slow
!Partial text search doesn't work

Why this happens

Lovable may generate client-side filtering (slow for large datasets) or use exact match queries instead of full-text search.

Fix

Implement proper search

Tell Lovable to use Supabase's search capabilities:

Copy this prompt

The search feature is not working correctly. Please implement proper search using Supabase full-text search:
1. Add a search index to the relevant table
2. Use Supabase .textSearch() or .ilike() for the query
3. Add debounce (300ms) to the search input
4. Show loading state while searching
5. Show 'No results' when empty

Prevent this next time

When your app needs search, specify 'server-side search using Supabase .ilike() with debouncing' in your prompt.

Frequently Asked Questions

.ilike() does simple pattern matching (LIKE). .textSearch() uses PostgreSQL full-text search with ranking. Use .ilike() for small datasets, .textSearch() for large ones.

Server (Supabase) for datasets over 100 items. Client-side filtering is fine for small lists.