Indexing with Word

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Creating indexes in Word is an interactive process that is part hands-on and part automatic. You create a Word index in three basic stages:

1. Mark index entries in your document (or create a concordance file, which allows you to mark index entries automatically).

2. Choose Insert, Reference, Index And Tables, and then click the Index tab to set indexing options, which control the way the index is placed and formatted in your document.

3. Word then sorts all the index entries in alphabetical order, adds the page numbers, and deletes any repeated entries. Figure 22-1 shows an example of a completed index.

   
   Figure 22-1: Word alphabetizes your entries, subordinates subentries, and adds alphabetic headings.

When Word compiles your index, the program inserts codes that mark the beginning and end of a topic and lists the page numbers on which the topics appear. Word marks each entry with the code XE, but the codes are hidden. You can display the hidden codes by clicking Show/Hide on the Standard toolbar.

Tip 

Use a concordance file to add entries automatically  If there are terms you're sure to include in your index, you can create them in a concordance file. Word will use the file to quickly mark the index entries you want. For more about creating a concordance file, see "AutoMarking Entries with a Concordance File,".

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