Zing indexes punctuation as part of some words

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read

    • Zing indexes some punctuation marks as part of some words to improve search results for common search terms.

    Table 1. Punctuation indexed as part of a word
    Punctuation Indexed to find Search behavior
    Ampersands [&] Company names Zing locates terms containing punctuation characters that are common in company names: ampersands (&), plus signs (+), or hyphens (-).

    For example, a search for H&R Block locates exact matches to the search term.
    Apostrophes ['] Proper names Zing ignores trailing possessives and retains most others to find company names.

    For example, a search for O'Reilly's locates matches to O'Reilly and O'Reilly's.
    Hyphens [-] Company names Zing locates terms containing punctuation characters that are common in company names: ampersands (&), plus signs (+), or hyphens (-).

    For example, a search for Coca-Cola locates exact matches to the search term.
    Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD-10-987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Numbers [123] Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD10987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Record numbers Zing locates record numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must start with a recognized record number prefix.

    For example, a search for INT1234567 locates exact matches to the Incident record.
    Periods [.] Acronyms Zing locates acronyms whether they are separated by periods or not.

    For example, a search for u.s.a. locates matches to usa or u.s.a.. Note that wildcard searches may affect acronym handling.

    In another example, a search for u.s.* may yield better results than a search for u.s*.
    Host names Zing locates sequences of letters and numbers separated only by periods.

    For example, a search for en.myhost123.com locates exact matches to the search term.
    IP addresses Zing locates numbers that follow a typical IPv4 address pattern.

    For example, a search for 10.0.0.1 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD.10.987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Plus signs [+] Company names Zing locates terms containing punctuation characters that are common in company names: ampersands (&), plus signs (+), or hyphens (-).

    For example, a search for Google+ locates exact matches to the search term.
    Underscores [_] Product numbers Zing locates product numbers that follow a typical pattern. To meet this pattern, search terms must contain frequent numbers and only include underscores (_), hyphens (-), or periods for punctuation.

    For example, a search for PROD_10_987 locates exact matches to the search term.
    Note:
    The punctuation handling described here doesn't affect wildcard and boolean operators. These operators provide separate Zing functions.