Using the INDEX in WORD

[MeadADM2]

I'd appreciate some help with creating an index for a long WORD
document.

I created a concordance file.
I created an index at the end of my document (which consists of a 60-
page table).
I checked to see if the index codes had been entered into my document
(they had).
I noticed some errors in the index and wanted to correct them.
Since it would take too long to go to each entry (of which there are
hundreds), I decided to DELETE
the index.
I selected the index (although it highlighted it in black instead of
the regular blue), and then I pressed
the DELETE key.
The index disappeared from my document.

NOW COMES THE PROBLEM:
I tried several times to rebuild the index, but it would never appear
where I had clicked (or anywhere else for that matter.

I tried to find instructions on how to DELETE the index codes from my
document and start over with the basic text, but could find nothing.

I would have to have to go through all the pages and delete each
individual coded entry.

HOW CAN I SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!
I'll look forward to some help from a real WORD GURU! Thanks!
Dennis

 

[peterthebag]

Hi,
is this office 2004?

I'm not sure I've seen this problem myself. However. you could try
selecting "show all" from the view menu, it may be that there is some
filed code "debris" about the place. if there is delete it and
reinsert your index. Does that work?

Peter

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Dennis -

First, I sincerely hope you have a backup of this file. Word - PC or Mac -
is known to be a bit fragile when it comes to long running tables...
Especially if rows have been allowed to split across page breaks. Your
difficulty in regenerating an index suggests that you may already be dealing
with an unstable document and if the corruption gets worse you may lose it
all... I don't mean to be an alarmist, but "forewarned is forearmed"

The question - other than what version of Word & OS - is whether you want to
remove *all* index codes or just _some_ of them. The process is basically
the same but specifics will vary a bit depending on version. What follows
assumes Word 2004 on a Mac:

1) Make sure you have the non-printing characters (¶) displayed,

2) Shift+Command+H to launch Find & Replace,

3) In the Find What: box type ^d

4) Leave the Replace With: box blank

If you're certain those are the only codes in your doc & you want to remove
them all, click Replace All, otherwise click Find Next & Replace one-by-one.

Once you have the fields removed I'd strongly suggest that you copy all but
the last ¶ in the doc, paste to a new blank doc & save in a safe location.
Hold onto that as a "clean" copy in case something does happen to your
working copy. It further might be a good idea to make a second copy from
that & use one of them as your working copy rather than continuing to work
in the current file.

You may also get a great deal of useful information from the following
downloadable file:

http://word.mvps.org/Mac/Bend/BendWordToYourWill.html

as well as the info you'll find here along with its related links:

http://word.mvps.org/faqs/tblsfldsfms/FastTables.htm

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Dennis:

Well, I am a Word MVP, I hope that will suffice for expertise I do
Indexing as part of what I do for a living. I never use Concordance Files
for indexes, they make more work than they save.

My main suggestions are here:
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/formatting/Createindex.htm

When working with a Concordance File, you must REMOVE all existing index
tags from the document before changes to the concordance file will stick

The concordance file "adds" index tags. If some existing tags are wrong,
you need to remove them then re-run the concordance to re-add all tags.

To remove index tags, use the Find/Replace. Search for "^d XE" without the
quotes. Replace with nothing.

Read the web article I sent you to, then come back here and I will be happy
to talk you through the finer points.

Cheers

I'd appreciate some help with creating an index for a long WORD
document.

I created a concordance file.
I created an index at the end of my document (which consists of a 60-
page table).
I checked to see if the index codes had been entered into my document
(they had).
I noticed some errors in the index and wanted to correct them.
Since it would take too long to go to each entry (of which there are
hundreds), I decided to DELETE
the index.
I selected the index (although it highlighted it in black instead of
the regular blue), and then I pressed
the DELETE key.
The index disappeared from my document.

NOW COMES THE PROBLEM:
I tried several times to rebuild the index, but it would never appear
where I had clicked (or anywhere else for that matter.

I tried to find instructions on how to DELETE the index codes from my
document and start over with the basic text, but could find nothing.

I would have to have to go through all the pages and delete each
individual coded entry.

HOW CAN I SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!
I'll look forward to some help from a real WORD GURU! Thanks!
Dennis

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[studioprime]

Hi Dennis:

Well, I am a Word MVP, I hope that will suffice for expertise I do
Indexing as part of what I do for a living. I never use Concordance Files
for indexes, they make more work than they save.

My main suggestions are here:http://word.mvps.org/faqs/formatting/Createindex.htm

When working with a Concordance File, you must REMOVE all existing index
tags from the document before changes to the concordance file will stick

The concordance file "adds" index tags. If some existing tags are wrong,
you need to remove them then re-run the concordance to re-add all tags.

To remove index tags, use the Find/Replace. Search for "^d XE" without the
quotes. Replace with nothing.

Read the web article I sent you to, then come back here and I will be happy
to talk you through the finer points.

Cheers








--
Don't wait for your answer, click here:http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltdhttp://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

Thank you so much for this link that article was wonderful John McGhie
you have blessed my life and saved and ignorant soul hours and days of
work!

 

[studioprime]

Hi Dennis:

Well, I am a Word MVP, I hope that will suffice for expertise I do
Indexing as part of what I do for a living. I never use Concordance Files
for indexes, they make more work than they save.

My main suggestions are here:http://word.mvps.org/faqs/formatting/Createindex.htm

When working with a Concordance File, you must REMOVE all existing index
tags from the document before changes to the concordance file will stick

The concordance file "adds" index tags. If some existing tags are wrong,
you need to remove them then re-run the concordance to re-add all tags.

To remove index tags, use the Find/Replace. Search for "^d XE" without the
quotes. Replace with nothing.

Read the web article I sent you to, then come back here and I will be happy
to talk you through the finer points.

Cheers








--
Don't wait for your answer, click here:http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltdhttp://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

Thank you so much for this link that article was wonderful John
McGhie, you have saved me hours and days with your article. I love it
when smart people like you post to the internet and share wisdom and
experience. This index is a daunting task and I didn't know where to
start. I paid $30 to VTC just to watch some videos but still was left
hanging about the detail that you covered!

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Dennis:

Thanks. Yeah, everyone thinks Indexing is rocket-science.

It's not: but it IS a Black Art

Also on the website you will find a pointer under recommended books to G.
Norman Knight's book "Indexing, the art of..."

If you can find a copy, grab it. It will save you another half a lifetime
I was fortunate enough to do Norman's course on the subject.

It's so simple when you learn from an expert

Cheers

Thank you so much for this link that article was wonderful John
McGhie, you have saved me hours and days with your article. I love it
when smart people like you post to the internet and share wisdom and
experience. This index is a daunting task and I didn't know where to
start. I paid $30 to VTC just to watch some videos but still was left
hanging about the detail that you covered!

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Phillip Jones]

Thank you so much for this link that article was wonderful John
McGhie, you have saved me hours and days with your article. I love it
when smart people like you post to the internet and share wisdom and
experience. This index is a daunting task and I didn't know where to
start. I paid $30 to VTC just to watch some videos but still was left
hanging about the detail that you covered!

Don't brag on him so much!

His head will get so big he won't be able to go through any doors!

Seriously he is a pretty good guy.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Phillip:

Right now it's my BELLY that is causing that particular problem

I'm still exploring The People's Republic of China. My travelling companion
is a gastronomic sin looking for a plate to happen on.

One of the Chinese hotels we stayed in the day before yesterday was ‹ shall
we say ‹- "compact", and I had trouble fitting through the door of the
shower

The food here is so good and so cheap I do not understand why the entire
Chinese nation is not obese

Cheers

Don't brag on him so much!

His head will get so big he won't be able to go through any doors!

Seriously he is a pretty good guy.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Phillip Jones]

Hey John,

I'm Portly to say the least myself. The small Bathrooms is not exclusive
to China. (I can actually see why they wouldn't need big ones over
there, most even that live there probably don't weigh over 150 pounds
soaking wet.)

I went to a convention put on by the Association I belong to. It was
held in Williamsburg, Va. In order for me to get into the bathroom and
close the door, I had to get in the bathtub , close the door, then sit
on the can. My knees were only about 3 inches away from the wall and the
"can was attached to the Wall directly in front of the wall my knees
almost touched.

It would have done China nd Japan Proud for space saving. And it was a
Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Hi Phillip:

Right now it's my BELLY that is causing that particular problem

I'm still exploring The People's Republic of China. My travelling companion
is a gastronomic sin looking for a plate to happen on.

One of the Chinese hotels we stayed in the day before yesterday was ‹ shall
we say ‹- "compact", and I had trouble fitting through the door of the
shower

The food here is so good and so cheap I do not understand why the entire
Chinese nation is not obese

Cheers

--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phillip M. Jones, CET |LIFE MEMBER: VPEA ETA-I, NESDA, ISCET, Sterling
616 Liberty Street |Who's Who. PHONE:276-632-5045, FAX:276-632-0868
Martinsville Va 24112 |[email protected], ICQ11269732, AIM pjonescet
------------------------------------------------------------------------

If it's "fixed", don't "break it"!

mailto[email protected]

<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/90th_Birthday/index.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Fulcher/default.html>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Harris/default.htm>
<http://www.kimbanet.com/~pjones/Jones/default.htm>

<http://www.vpea.org>

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Phillip:

Oh, yeah, I know those hotels

I have to be careful in Japan. Unless you specify "Western Style" hotel
room, you end up having to put the suitcase under the bed to close the door
to the room.

I have not found that in China. Even the cheap hotel we stayed in one night
when we couldn't get a seat on the train turned out to be quite liveable for
a fat blob like me

The hotel I am in today (in the industrial town of Guzhen, for about $140 a
night) would easily match a 5-star American hotel.

Cheers

Hey John,

I'm Portly to say the least myself. The small Bathrooms is not exclusive
to China. (I can actually see why they wouldn't need big ones over
there, most even that live there probably don't weigh over 150 pounds
soaking wet.)

I went to a convention put on by the Association I belong to. It was
held in Williamsburg, Va. In order for me to get into the bathroom and
close the door, I had to get in the bathtub , close the door, then sit
on the can. My knees were only about 3 inches away from the wall and the
"can was attached to the Wall directly in front of the wall my knees
almost touched.

It would have done China nd Japan Proud for space saving. And it was a
Crowne Plaza Hotel.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]