ElasticSearch: inner_hits and hightlight_query

A good question looks like highlight-query is not supported withing the inner-hits if it in a query context.Not sure why this is so most probably is a bug.

A workaround is to wrap the highlighting nested query in the final highlightquery. However it would require the original nested query to be the filter:Example workaround for the highlighting in the OP is shown below :

put test/docs/1{  "doctext": "I will do a presentation. I talk about lions and show images of zebras. I hope it will be fun.",  "sentences": [    {      "text": "I will do a presentation."    },    {      "text": "I talk about lions and show images of zebras."    },    {      "text": "I hope it will be fun for lions"    }  ]}post test/_search{   "query": {      "bool": {         "should": [            {               "match": {                  "doctext": "zebras"               }            },            {               "nested": {                  "path": "sentences",                  "query": {                     "match": {                        "sentences.text": "zebras"                     }                  },                  "inner_hits": {                     "highlight": {                        "fields": {                           "sentences.text": {}                        }                     }                  }               }            }         ]      }   },   "_source": false,   "highlight": {      "fields": {         "*": {            "highlight_query": {               "bool": {                  "should": [                     {                        "match": {                           "doctext": "lions"                        }                     },                     {                        "nested": {                           "path": "sentences",                           "query": {                              "filtered": {                                 "query": {                                    "match": {                                       "sentences.text": "lions"                                    }                                 },                                 "filter": {                                    "query": {                                       "match": {                                          "sentences.text": "zebras"                                       }                                    }                                 }                              }                           },                           "inner_hits": {                              "highlight": {                                 "fields": {                                    "sentences.text": {}                                 }                              }                           }                        }                     }                  ]               }            }         }      }   }}

Result:

{   "took": 1,   "timed_out": false,   "_shards": {      "total": 1,      "successful": 1,      "failed": 0   },   "hits": {      "total": 1,      "max_score": 0.6360315,      "hits": [         {            "_index": "test",            "_type": "docs",            "_id": "1",            "_score": 0.6360315,            "highlight": {               "doctext": [                  "I will do a presentation. I talk about <em>lions</em> and show images of zebras. I hope it will be fun."               ]            },            "inner_hits": {               "sentences": {                  "hits": {                     "total": 1,                     "max_score": 0.40240064,                     "hits": [                        {                           "_index": "test",                           "_type": "docs",                           "_id": "1",                           "_nested": {                              "field": "sentences",                              "offset": 1                           },                           "_score": 0.40240064,                           "_source": {                              "text": "I talk about lions and show images of zebras."                           },                           "highlight": {                              "sentences.text": [                                 "I talk about <em>lions</em> and show images of zebras."                              ]                           }                        }                     ]                  }               }            }         }      ]   }}