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Managing Synonyms

Managing Synonyms

AVAILABLE TO: Administrators only

In the Pulse dashboard, the Administration > Settings menu command is available to members of the Administrators group. This gives administrators the ability to create synonyms to enhance the search capabilities of the Flare search engine.

Closedworking with synonyms

You can enhance the Flare search engine by creating a synonym file for interchangeable words. This gives the Flare search engine to ability to return results that include a similar word, when a user enters a particular word. For example, when a user searches for "hound," the synonym file tells the Flare search engine to also return results that include the synonym "dog."

When integrated with Pulse, the Flare search engine will search both the Flare topic files and the embedded Pulse discussion forms.

There are two ways to create a synonym file to enhance the search capabilities for your Flare output:

  • Using the Flare Synonym Editor You can create synonyms directly in the Flare user interface. See the Flare online Help.
  • Use the Synonyms Feature in Pulse Members of the Administrators group can add synonyms to Pulse. If desired, you can also export the synonym file from Pulse and import it into the desired Flare project as described below.
Closedadding synonyms in pulse

You can add two types of synonyms in Pulse: A directional synonym or a synonym group.

Closedhow to add a directional synonym

A directional synonym is a word that can only be queried in a single direction. For example, a query for the word "dog" would find results that include the synonym "poodle." However, because the synonym only works in one direction, a query for "poodle" would not find results for "dog."

  1. Log in to the Pulse dashboard using an account that is a member of the Administrators group.See Logging In to Pulse.
  2. Select Administration > Settings. The Settings page opens.

  1. In the Settings page, click Synonyms. The Synonyms page opens. By default, the Directional tab is active in this page.

  2. Select the Directional tab.
  3. From the Community drop-down list, select the desired Flare community.
  4. In the Directional tab, click NewA new, blank row for data entry is shown.

  5. In the entry fields, do the following:

    1. In the Word field, type the desired word. For example, type dog.

    2. In the Synonym field, type the synonym to include in search results when end users search for the corresponding word. For example, type pup.

      Important: When adding synonyms, the word and synonym must be a single word. The synonym feature does not support phrases, punctuation, or languages.

      Important: Synonyms are case-sensitive.

  6. (Optional) You can place a checkmark in the Stem box. This gives the search engine the ability to include all forms of the word in the search. For example, a search for "dog" will include "dogs."
  7. Click Save Changes. A confirmation message appears when the save is successful.In order for your changes to take effect, you must republish your Flare output.
Closedhow to add a synonym group

Add a synonym group to perform queries for identical synonyms. An identical synonym is a word that can be queried in two directions. For example, a query for the "dog" would find results that include identical synonyms such as "hound" and "canine." A search for "canine" or "hound" would include the identical synonym "dog."

  1. Log in to the Pulse dashboard using an account that is a member of the Administrators group.See Logging In to Pulse.
  2. Select Administration > Settings. The Settings page opens.
  1. In the Settings page, click Synonyms. The Synonyms page opens. By default, the Directional tab is active in this page.
  2. From the Community drop-down list, select the desired Flare community.
  3. Select the Groups tab, then click New.A new, blank row for data entry is shown.

  4. In the Group field, type the word followed by the equal (=) symbol, and then type a list of synonyms. You must separate each synonym with a comma. For example, type: dog=canine,doggy,doggie,hound,pooch,pup,puppy.

  5. (Optional) You can place a checkmark in the Stem box. This gives the search engine the ability to include all forms of the word in the search. For example, a search for "dog" will include "dogs."
  6. Click Save Changes. A confirmation message appears when the save is successful.
Closedmanaging synonyms

You can delete, export, copy, and overwrite synonyms.

Closedhow to delete a directional synonym
  1. Log in to the Pulse dashboard using an account that is a member of the Administrators group.See Logging In to Pulse.
  2. Select Administration > Settings. The Settings page opens.
  1. In the Settings page, click Synonyms. The Synonyms page opens. By default, the Directional tab is active in this page.
  2. Select the Directional tab.
  3. Next to the synonym that you want to remove, click Delete. This immediately removes the synonym from the list.
  4. When you are finished, click Save Changes
Closedhow to delete a synonym group
  1. Log in to the Pulse dashboard using an account that is a member of the Administrators group.See Logging In to Pulse.
  2. Select Administration > Settings. The Settings page opens.
  1. In the Settings page, click Synonyms. The Synonyms page opens. By default, the Directional tab is active in this page.
  2. Select the Groups tab.
  3. Next to the synonym group that you want to remove, click Delete. This immediately removes the synonym group from the list.
  4. When you are finished, click Save Changes
Closedexporting a synonym file from pulse

If you want to use the same synonyms that you created for Pulse in a search of the Flare output, you can export the synonym file from Pulse. Then copy it into your Flare project.

  1. Log in to the Pulse dashboard using an account that is a member of the Administrators group.See Logging In to Pulse.
  2. Select Administration > Settings. The Settings page opens.
  3. In the Settings page, click Synonyms. The Synonyms page opens. By default, the Directional tab is active in this page.
  4. Click the Export (.mcsyns) link at the bottom of the page. This downloads a copy of the synonyms file to your computer. The next step is to copy the synonym file to the Flare project.The downloaded file is saved in the MCSYNS file format, so you can import it into your Flare project. If you are not able to download the file, check your browser's download settings.
Closedcopying a synonym file to a flare project
  1. Add or make changes to the synonyms in Pulse.
  2. Export the synonym file from Pulse.
  3. Ensure that the Flare project where you plan to copy the file is closed.

  4. Double-click the synonym file to open it. This starts the Flare program.If the Flare project where you are planning to copy the file is open, an error message appears to inform you the desired Flare project is already open in another instance. Close the open Flare project and then open the synonym file again.

  5. In the Copy to Project dialog, select the project where you want to copy the synonym file. Then click Copy.The program copies the file to the selected project and places it in the \Project\Advanced folder in the Flare project. It also opens the file in the Synonyms Editor.

  6. In the Synonyms Editor, ensure that your synonyms appear. In this example, we added a synonym group.

  7. Click to save your work.
Closedoverwriting a synonym file in flare
  1. Make changes to the synonyms in Pulse.
  2. Export the updated synonym file from Pulse.

  3. Ensure the file that you exported has the exact same file name as the synonym file in the Flare project. You may need to rename this file to match.

  4. Ensure that the Flare project where you plan to copy the file is closed.

  5. Double-click the synonym file to open it. This starts the Flare program.

    Important: If the Flare project where you are planning to copy the file is open, an error message appears to inform you the desired Flare project is already open in another instance. Close the open Flare project and then open the synonym file again.

  6. In the Copy to Project dialog, select the project where you want to copy the synonym file. Then click Copy.

    The program copies the file to the selected project and places it in the \Project\Advanced folder in the Flare project. The program also opens the file in the Synonyms Editor.

    When Flare recognizes that a target file with the same file name exists, the Copy File dialog appears.

  7. In the Copy File dialog, make sure that the appropriate source file and target file names appear. Then click Overwrite.
  8. In the Synonyms Editor, ensure that your updated synonyms appear.
  9. Click to save your work.