To make it easier to format results with multiple hits per topic I would like to propose the following additional parameters: topicheader, topicseparator topicfooter and footer. Search results would then output these parameters in the following order:

<header>
   <topicheader>
      <format>
      <separator>
      <format>
      <separator>
      .
      .
      <format>
   <topicfooter>
   <topicseparator>
   <topicheader>
      <format>
      <separator>
      <format>
   <topicfooter>
   <topicseparator>
   .
   .
   .
   <topicfooter>
<footer>

The naming and use of separator and topicseparator is choosen for backwards compatibility with current usage.

It would be useful to have the extra variables:

• $count - the number of hits in a topic. It would not be valid in header, topicseperator or footer
• $totalcount - the total number of hits (valid in all parameters)

-- SamHasler - 05 Nov 2003