As a way of helping the user search for index entries by using synonyms, IPF provides the index-synonym tag (:isyn.). This tag requires the root= attribute. With these, you can specify synonyms that will be associated with primary index entries. The :i1. tags for these primary entries require a roots=' ' attribute that associates the entry with the synonyms.

For example, assume you have the following entries in your file:

:isyn root=copy.
copy copying duplicate duplicating
:isyn root=folder.
folder folders document documents
:i1 roots='copy folder'.
copying a document

The roots=' ' attribute of the :i1. tag associates "copying a document" with the synonyms of the root= attributes of the two :isyn. tags.

Now if a user, when requesting a search of the index, specifies any of the words in either of the two :isyn. entries, the search results will include all :i1. entries that contain the specified word, as well as any :i1. entries that have been associated with the word by a roots= attribute.

For example, the user enters "duplicating" in a search request. When the search is completed, one of the entries in the search results window is:

copying a document