Modifying Structured Search Queries on Online Social Networks

One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

• receive, from a client system of a first user of an online social network, a query input comprising one or more n-grams;
• send, to the client system of the first user, instructions for presenting one or more suggested modifications for the query input, each suggested modification comprising references to one or more objects associated with the online social network;
• receive, from the client system of the first user, an indication of a selection of one of the suggested modifications;
• parse, using a context-free grammar model, the query input and the selected suggested modification to generate an executable query command, wherein the context-free grammar model comprising a plurality of grammars, each grammar comprising one or more non-terminal tokens and one or more query tokens, each grammar being an ordered sub-tree adjoining one or more other grammars via a non-terminal token, and wherein the query command corresponds to a particular grammar of the plurality of grammars;
• and
• send, to the client system of the first user, instructions for presenting one or more search results corresponding to the query command.

A system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and a memory coupled to the processors comprising instructions executable by the processors, the processors operable when executing the instructions to:
• receive, from a client system of a first user of an online social network, a query input comprising one or more n-grams;
• send, to the client system of the first user, instructions for presenting one or more suggested modifications for the query input, each suggested modification comprising references to one or more objects associated with the online social network;
• receive, from the client system of the first user, an indication of a selection of one of the suggested modifications;
• parse, using a context-free grammar model, the query input and the selected suggested modification to generate an executable query command, wherein the context-free grammar model comprising a plurality of grammars, each grammar comprising one or more non-terminal tokens and one or more query tokens, each grammar being an ordered sub-tree adjoining one or more other grammars via a non-terminal token, and wherein the query command corresponds to a particular grammar of the plurality of grammars;
• and
• send, to the client system of the first user, instructions for presenting one or more search results corresponding to the query command.