# Index Nonalphanumeric Characters for Retrieval

To ensure that a nonalphanumeric character is available for querying, specify it in the `TangibleCharacters` configuration parameter.

For example, the following table describes the query matching for when `TangibleCharacters=?!`.

Indexed string | Query terms matched
--- | ---
`help!` | help! Queries do not match documents that contain the same word without the exclamation mark.

NOTE: You cannot specify spaces, returns, and tabs as `TangibleCharacters`.

To ensure that Content indexes numbers with decimals or commas together as a single term for querying, specify both characters in the `NumberPunctuation` configuration parameter.

Content treats characters that you set as `NumberPunctuation` as `TangibleCharacters` when they occur in terms with a number on both sides.

For example, the following table describes the query matching for when `NumberPunctuation=.,`.

Indexed string | Query terms matched
--- | ---
`815,290.50` | 815,290.50
`73.8A` | 73.8A
`738.` | 738 (number punctuation does not apply.

NOTE: These results can vary depending on your `IndexNumbers` configuration parameter setting.

When you configure a character in `NumberPunctuation` and another tokenization parameter, such as `HyphenChars`, `TangibleCharacters`, or `AugmentSeparators`, Content processes the parameters in order of precedence. For example, `TangibleCharacters` takes priority over `NumberPunctuation`, so if you configure the period in both parameters, you get the same results as if you only configured it in `TangibleCharacters`.

For more information about the order in which Content applies different tokenization configurations, refer to IDOL Expert.

When a configured `NumberPunctuation` character occurs in a value where it does not have a number on each side, the processing depends only on your other configuration. For example, the following table describes query matching for the value `25.R` in various configurations. This value does not activate `NumberPunctuation`, because there is a number on only one side of the period.

If the period (.) is configured as | Query terms matched
--- | ---
non-separator (default) | 25R
`HyphenChars` | 25, R, and 25R
`TangibleCharacters` | 25.R
`AugmentSeparators` | 25 and R.

Related Topics

- Configure the Number Index Process

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