how to do relative (lateral) search

[backpacklondon.com]

Hi there,

Does anybody out there know how to do a relative type lateral search like what occurs at altavista.com for example.

Basically, if someone types in a search term (like cars) I'd like to query a database of keywords that looks for related matches. e.g.

SELECT word FROM search_terms WHERE MATCH (word) AGAINST ('cars*' IN BOOLEAN MODE)

This will nicely deliver some related matches (e.g. rental cars, classic cars etc)

But, what about more lateral words (e.g. other modes of transport such as bikes or public transport).

Would this require a thesaraus or something?

Many thanks if you can assist.

Regards,

Jason

[bobbymac]

Well, it would need a long table (or set of tables) with lots of many-to-many relationships associating each word with other words in the table. Which is basically a thesaurus. Perhaps there is one available to purchase, or, one day when you have some spare time ...