--- title: "Thesaurus Fields" canonical: "https://support.soutron.net/space/HG/3278731/Thesaurus%20Fields" format: markdown --- In order to improve the quality of the metadata in a record, it is common to create a thesaurus of terms to provide a controlled vocabulary for End Users to consult when searching. Soutron has the facility for multiple thesauri to be created and for a thesaurus of terms to be loaded from a previously created thesaurus. When a field is being created any of the thesauri that have been created can be assigned to the field so that terms are available to add as metadata into a record.  A Thesaurus field provides validation and control over words and phrases added as metadata into a record to improve the Search functionality available to an End User. A thesaurus incorporates relationships between terms to create a hierarchy of terms, which helps the End User find materials more easily. A term is an entry which can be set to be Top Level in the hierarchy, and other records can be associated with it using Broader Term, Narrower Term, Related Term relationships. Terms can also be described that are not the "preferred" term. This is useful when using acronyms to ensure that the correct form is used.   When adding metadata to a record, either select an existing term from the thesaurus or create a new term. The [access permissions](https://soutron.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/HG/pages/3278418) set by the System Administrator determine the extent of the functionality available.  There are two ways to insert thesaurus terms into a record: - [Type directly](#Manual_entry) into the field box - Use the [Thesaurus lookup](#Thesaurus_lookup) Thesaurus fields appear on the edit screen as follows: ![image](media://3d99fbea-172a-4c91-840d-e4ea711950d0) Note that all Thesaurus fields can accept multiple entries. --- # Manual entry  Start typing directly into the input box. After the first three characters have been typed, a drop down box will appear giving suggestions of words (terms) that match the letters typed. ![image](media://1a1b8708-393b-4f60-99b4-70a20279ab68) The cursor can be moved to highlight a suggested term: press Enter or click **Add** to add that term to the record. Text can be entered in upper or lower case. If the term exists in the thesaurus it can be selected and added into the Thesaurus field. When the term is initially added it will appear as it has been typed. When the record is saved, the system will then show the term in the correct case/ format. Select the term using the Tab key on the keyboard. Be careful to do this otherwise the system will try to create a new term using the letters that you have typed. This behaviour is more likely to happen in Internet Explorer than Firefox. Use the mouse to select to avoid this behaviour. ![image](media://0c1c4707-f811-43de-8ea1-47543283c4f7)   > ℹ️ The suggested terms are "top level", "preferred" terms. Many more terms which are applicable may exist in the hierarchy of terms within a thesaurus - see thesaurus lookup below.   If there is no suggested list of terms, the option is presented to add the term to both the Thesaurus and the record. Cclick **Add** next to the field entry to confirm the choice of operation. . The following screen appears: ![image](media://44e60fc0-3dcf-4079-8910-f7eb9aaa82d9) Click **OK** to add the entry to both the thesaurus and the record. The cursor remains in the Thesaurus field so another term can be added. Continue typing without having to click back into the field. # Thesaurus Lookup Use the Thesaurus Lookup option to browse terms in context and select to add into the record. This is particularly useful for Subject thesaurus fields.  To select and insert one or more terms into the record, click **Thesaurus** underneath the field. (The text can be amended in **Resource String Translations**)  The Thesaurus window will open and display the terms in either **Alphabetical View** in A - Z list format or **Hierarchical View**, which shows the Top Level and nested terms which can be browsed. ![image](media://cfee522d-90d5-4846-b20a-6a2f23f12ae0)   > ℹ️ Note that not all views appear for every thesaurus, depending on how it has been configured.   There are three ways to select an existing thesaurus term: - **In the Hierarchy view**, click on the term that to add to the record. Add more than one term by highlighting multiple terms. Click the **>** button to move the selected terms into the right hand box. - **In the Alphabetical view**, click on the **+** symbol next to the letter that the term to select begins with. The display will show the terms. Click on the required term to highlight. Select more than one term. Click the **>** button to move the selected terms into the right hand box. - **In the Search box**, enter the name of the term and press return or click **Search.** The term(s) matching will be shown. Click the term to highlight. Click on the **>** button to move the selected term(s) into the right hand box. To search for more than one term use the OR operator, eg French or English or German. ## Changing the order of the terms To change the order of terms, select a term in the right hand box and use the up and down arrows to move it. ## Removing terms from the selection To remove a term, double click on the term in the right hand box. It will be removed from the selection area. To remove all the terms in the selection area, click "<<". All terms in the selection area will be removed. ## Finishing the process Once all the terms yhave been selected from the thesaurus and placed in the right hand box, click **Apply and Close** at the bottom of the window to return to the record data entry. The terms you selected now appear in the appropriate field, separated by semi-colons. ![image](media://e8c4d24c-da0a-40d5-9430-b76e4ac5fc88)   Alternatively, to cancel and return to the record *without* adding the terms, click **Close** at the bottom of the window. The Thesaurus box closes without the terms being added to the record. # Deleting thesaurus terms from the field To delete all terms from the Thesaurus field, click **Remove all terms**. The following confirmation message appears: ![image](media://1adc2389-d4b6-497a-ba7e-21ff78654891) Click **OK** to continue with the deletion.   > ℹ️ Note To delete individual terms from a Thesaurus field, it is necessary to do so using the Thesaurus Lookup function. --- **[Experiencing problems with adding records and data entry? See the ](#)**[**Troubleshooting Guide**](https://soutron.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/HG/pages/3278467)**.**