Creating An Index

[Guest]

I have just completed writing a book using MS Word 2001.
My platform is iBook OS 9.2.2.

I wish to create an index for my manuscript, but the instructions under
HELP get me nowhere.

Can you please help me with a clear list of commands that would
enable me build my index?

Thank you very much.

 

[Beth Rosengard]

I suggest you download Clive Huggan's "Bend Word to Your Will". You'll find
it listed here: www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/WordMac/index.htm

Beth Rosengard
Mac MVP

 

[Atlant G. Schmidt]

The basic scheme of things is that you include certain hidden
tags in the text (index tags, which I believe look like
{XE:index term} and then run a pass through the document to
build the index.

If the document is small, you can insert the tags manually
(using some darned menu or other).

But if the document is large, you probably want to make a
"concordance file". That's a list of terms-to-be-indexed along
with the index keywords that should be used, e.g.,

Word Word
Microsoft Word Word
MS/Word Word
Tabs Tabs
Tab Tabs

The Word help topic on "create a concordance file" is pretty
useful.

Atlant

 

[Clive Huggan]

Sorry for the delay with this response, if anyone is still watching -- I've
been away.

I don't cover creating an index in "Bend Word to your Will" -- I usually
recommend http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Numbering/CreateIndex.htm

I always index on a Saved As copy. I also create a temporary new blank
document, reduce it to minimum size and park on it various types of index
notations (e.g., "See ...." entries, or 2nd-level entries) so I can drag or
paste them where I want on the document I'm indexing.

I put my index fields as independent paragraphs before the paragraph in
which the term occurs, because all my work ends up going into Quark XPress
and I find it easier to shake down any erroneous entries (e.g. space
included / excluded) when the index entry is outside the paragraph
concerned. With that in mind, I also keep an entry on this temporary
document which is the field entry devoid of the indexed term. I copy it,
paste it into the place at which I want an indexed term, then Option-drag
the words I want to index into the field entry -- the term ends up taking on
the hidden text attribute. This is far quicker than creating the fields from
scratch.

There are probably better experts available -- I'm not expert because I only
index one publication a year, for a long-term client to whom I can't bear to
say no!!

--Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
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