Creating Index Entries in FrameMaker
An index lists the terms and topics discussed in a document and the page or pages on which they appear. An online index provides the user with a point-and-click resource for quickly navigating online content.
ePublisher uses the same native index entry features used in source documents to create a printed index to create an online index. If you include index entries in your source documents, ePublisher detects the index entries and uses the index entries to create an online index in your generated output.
Adobe FrameMaker inserts index entries as Index markers. To create index entries in an Adobe FrameMaker source document, insert Index markers into your Adobe FrameMaker source document. ePublisher then uses the Index markers to create an online index when you generate output.
Before you insert index entries, verify with the Stationery designer that your Stationery is configured to support online index generation. By default, ePublisher enables online index generate for output, but this functionality can be disabled in your Stationery by the Stationery designer. Also confirm that your output format supports online index creation.
Talk with the Stationery designer and other writers about the standard location and method you should use when you insert Index markers into your Adobe FrameMaker source documents. For example, some writers prefer to insert index entries into topic headings, while other writers prefer to insert index entries on the first line of the paragraph that contains the indexed term or terms. Some writers prefer to create one Index marker for each term, while other writers prefer to create one Index marker and then type all index terms associated with a paragraph into one Index marker.
The following procedure provides an example of how to inset index entries in Adobe FrameMaker source documents using unstructured Adobe FrameMaker 7.2. Steps for inserting index entries in Adobe FrameMaker may be different in other versions of Adobe FrameMaker.
To insert an index entry in an Adobe FrameMaker source document
1. In your Adobe FrameMaker source document, insert your cursor in the location where you want to create an index entry.
2. On the Special menu, click Marker.
3. In the Marker Type field, select Index from the drop-down list.
4. In the Marker Text field, type the text you want to specify for the index entry.
Note: Following are some common ways writers can create index entries in Adobe FrameMaker. For more information about creating index entries, see the Adobe FrameMaker Help.
If you want to specify multiple index entries in the marker, separate each index entry with a semicolon (;) character.
For example, type index; table of contents; headings; footers
If you want to create a subentry, separate the primary and secondary entry with a colon (:).
For example, type index:creating; index:generating;
If you want to create See references, insert the entry but use the
<$nopage>
command to suppress the page number.
For example, type document, See source document <$nopage>
If you want to create see references with the word See italicized, use a character tag inside the Index marker and the
<Default Para Font>
tag to turn off the character tagging.
For example, type document, <Emphasis>See <Default Para Font>source documents<$nopage>
If you want to create See also references, use alternate text that specifies how Adobe FrameMaker sorts the see also reference.
For example, type document, <Emphasis>See also<Default Para Font>source documents<$nopage>[document:aa]
The text in brackets at the end of the entry controls where Adobe FrameMaker displays the text in the entry. In this example, the aa
text ensures Adobe FrameMaker displays the entry as the first subentry under document.
5. Click New Marker.
6. After you insert you index entries, save your Adobe FrameMaker source document.
8. In Output Explorer, verify ePublisher created the index correctly by clicking on the page or tab that displays the index and then clicking on the index entries. For more information about viewing output files in Output Explorer, see
Viewing Output in Output Explorer.
Last modified date: 06/11/2024