The control file contains synonym list definitions in a synonyms: statement. For example, the following is a control file named colors.ctl:
$control: 1
synonyms:
{
list: "red, ruby, scarlet, fuchsia,\
magenta"
list: "electric blue <or> azure"
/keys = "lapis"
}
$$
The synonyms: statement includes:
list: keywords that specify the start of a synonym list. The synonyms in the list are either in query form or in a list of words or phrases separated by commas.
Each list: can optionally have a /keys modifier that specifies one or more keys separated by commas. In the example above, no keys are specified in the first “list”. This means the list is found when the thesaurus is queried for the word “red,” “ruby,” “scarlet,” “fuchsia,” or “magenta.” The second “list” uses the /keys modifier to specify one key. This means the words or phrases in the list will satisfy a query only when you specify <thesaurus>lapis.
If you use emacs to build a synonym
list and any of your lists go beyond one line, turn off auto-fill mode.
If you separate your list into multiple lines, include a backslash
(\) at the end of each line so that the lines are treated
as one list.
For more complex examples of control files, see the Verity Web site.
