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Peter T. Daniels
Apr 24, 2017, 11:53:10 AM4/24/17
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"Word2013 Bible" has one paragraph on creating multiple indexes in a Word file (using the
switch \fa, \fb, etc., in each index entry). It doesn't say what happens when you
insert the index -- do the indexes come out in the a, b, c, order of the switches? Can
they be reordered within the Index Field?
But more important: Was this an innovation later than Word2007, or will it work in the older version?
No reference I have on Word2007 mentions such a thing (I don't have Bible), but none
of them are at all helpful on anything involving fields.
switch \fa, \fb, etc., in each index entry). It doesn't say what happens when you
insert the index -- do the indexes come out in the a, b, c, order of the switches? Can
they be reordered within the Index Field?
But more important: Was this an innovation later than Word2007, or will it work in the older version?
No reference I have on Word2007 mentions such a thing (I don't have Bible), but none
of them are at all helpful on anything involving fields.
Peter T. Daniels
Apr 25, 2017, 3:19:07 PM4/25/17
to
Follow-up:
The Word2007 list of Field Codes does indeed list "\f" for creating multiple
indexes, but there are no instructions on how to use them.
Experiment 1: Mark some Index Entries and insert \fa, \fb, \fc, \fd in the
first few. Click "Insert Index." It inserts an index holding every index
entry.
Display the field code and add \fa to the code. It doesn't pick out the \fa
index entries.
Experiment failed.
Experiment II:
Mark some Index Entries and insert the \f-codes in all of them. Click "Insert
Index." It claims "No index entries found." Display field code and insert \fa
and Update Field. It makes an index containing just the \fa entries.
Experiment succeeded.
(I didn't check whether the \ switches need to be in alphabetical order -- the
Index field automatically includes \c for number of columns and \z for language.
I put the \fa after the \c and didn't try putting it first.)
The Word2007 list of Field Codes does indeed list "\f" for creating multiple
indexes, but there are no instructions on how to use them.
Experiment 1: Mark some Index Entries and insert \fa, \fb, \fc, \fd in the
first few. Click "Insert Index." It inserts an index holding every index
entry.
Display the field code and add \fa to the code. It doesn't pick out the \fa
index entries.
Experiment failed.
Experiment II:
Mark some Index Entries and insert the \f-codes in all of them. Click "Insert
Index." It claims "No index entries found." Display field code and insert \fa
and Update Field. It makes an index containing just the \fa entries.
Experiment succeeded.
(I didn't check whether the \ switches need to be in alphabetical order -- the
Index field automatically includes \c for number of columns and \z for language.
I put the \fa after the \c and didn't try putting it first.)
robert....@gmail.com
May 4, 2017, 11:49:13 AM5/4/17
to
Hi Peter
On Monday, April 24, 2017 at 5:53:10 PM UTC+2, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> But more important: Was this an innovation later than Word2007, or will it work in the older version?
If memory serves me right, that stuff is very old (Word 97 at least).
Very old --> no "new" documentation ... ;-)
Greetinx
Robert
On Monday, April 24, 2017 at 5:53:10 PM UTC+2, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> But more important: Was this an innovation later than Word2007, or will it work in the older version?
Very old --> no "new" documentation ... ;-)
Greetinx
Robert
Peter T. Daniels
May 4, 2017, 12:18:51 PM5/4/17
to
More like ... no documentation at all.
Not long ago I found my Word 2.0 (for Mac, I assume) materials, and the structure
of Index entries hasn't changed in essence since then; but it didn't have the
multiple indexes \f capacity yet.
I _know_ that the documentation for Word 5 included a full list of field codes
and how to use them (in language people other than computer geeks can understand),
because I used it extensively, less than ten years ago, when I needed to construct
complicated linguistics formulas with nested braces and brackets and such,
sometimes many lines high, and got so I could just type them right off and not
need to do much cleaning-up afterward. And now I cannot find that book.
Indexes in Word2007:
Turns out that if you have multiple indexes with \fa, \fb, etc., then any
Index entry that has no \f switch will be picked up by an Index Field that also
has no \f switch in it.
While this looks like it means you can use unswitched entries to make the longest
of the indexes (a Subject Index, for instance), you shouldn't do that -- because
by insserting an Index Field without an \f you can catch Index entries where
you forgot to add an \f switch and immediately correct them. (It doesn't help
when you accidentally enter the wrong switch, though.)
Not long ago I found my Word 2.0 (for Mac, I assume) materials, and the structure
of Index entries hasn't changed in essence since then; but it didn't have the
multiple indexes \f capacity yet.
I _know_ that the documentation for Word 5 included a full list of field codes
and how to use them (in language people other than computer geeks can understand),
because I used it extensively, less than ten years ago, when I needed to construct
complicated linguistics formulas with nested braces and brackets and such,
sometimes many lines high, and got so I could just type them right off and not
need to do much cleaning-up afterward. And now I cannot find that book.
Indexes in Word2007:
Turns out that if you have multiple indexes with \fa, \fb, etc., then any
Index entry that has no \f switch will be picked up by an Index Field that also
has no \f switch in it.
While this looks like it means you can use unswitched entries to make the longest
of the indexes (a Subject Index, for instance), you shouldn't do that -- because
by insserting an Index Field without an \f you can catch Index entries where
you forgot to add an \f switch and immediately correct them. (It doesn't help
when you accidentally enter the wrong switch, though.)
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