Re: Indexes

[Don M Chaffee <dchaffee -at- WORLD -dot- STD -dot- COM>]

Steve Fouts <sfouts -at- ellison -dot- sc -dot- ti -dot- com> writes:

>Don M Chaffee writes:
>|}
>|} So I should pay more for software that produces bad indexes faster?
>|} Software still can't compile an index worth printing. Only people can.
>|}

>Right you are, Don. However, the index that Interleaf provides is dependant
>on embedded index tags. That is, this is no KWIC or KWOC type index. The tag
>contains the primary, secondary, and tertiary headers as designed by the
>indexer, and the tool provides me with a formatted list of the tags and the
>page number (or range of pages) that they appear on. My original post merely
>reflected that once I have invested all this time in embedding the tags, I
>can do a simple index on a single book, of a master index on a multi-volume
>set with equal ease.

>Now I am not really interested in a protracted discussion of the pros and
>cons of author provided vs. professional indexer provided indexes, since
>it is not an option for me to hire an indexer, even if I thought it was
>the right thing to do. (but maybe others on the list are?)

>The tool allows me to create an index as I am creating the manuscript, and
>(this is the biggy) regenerate the index immediately should I change the
>pagination for any reason. Now this index is only as good as I am at indexing,
>and after taking Mr. Larry Bonura's short course, I must say I am only fair
>by comparison (I'm not worthy!) But this tool makes a passable index
>financially feasable in this change it today, get it out the door tomorrow
>world.

Steve:

Point made. I do flame about this. Your solution is optimal, because it
means the author is accepting the onus of providing the hypertext links.
(After all, what is a back-of-the-book index but the original hypertext?)
Properly done, your method will take nearly as long to generate the tags
as it did to write the original manuscript. Possibly longer.

Another option, and one which I offer many of my clients (who have come
to realize that the index to a User's Guide can be a valuable marketing
tool) is to create an index the old-fashioned way, which results in the
superior index only a mind can create, and then reverse-engineer the
index into the text via the tags. This allows for repagination. It also
makes updating the index easier.

Indexes, like on-line helps with context-sensitivity, are far more
important than people realize, and are difficult to construct properly.
But I think you know that.

Thanks for the brief interlude.

Don