Master Index for Multiple Word Files-SUMMARY

[Sharon Key <sharon -at- dra -dot- com>]

I received a number of responses, but only two seemed to get to the heart of
the matter.  Here they are.

Sharon Key
Data Research Associates
St. Louis, MO  USA
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You can create a master index in a document (or an index in each file that
contains index entries for all documents) by using the RD field.  You would
insert an RD statement after your Index field for each document.  The syntax
is:  {RD "c:\fullpath\doc name.doc"}.  Be sure to include the quotation
marks. However, just doing this will give you an index which does not
distinguish which document the page number is referring to.

So you will need to do is figure out a way to differentiate the different
documents in the index.  What I did was to define the page numbers for each
manual to be specific to that manual.  For example, I used U-53 for page
number 53 in the Users' Guide and G-53 for page 53 in the Getting Started
manual.

This was done through the following steps (for each document to be included
in the index):

1.  Manually define a coding system to differentiate the documents.
2.  In a hidden line of text in the very beginning of the document (before
the page numbers start), define (and apply) a heading style that is not used
elsewhere in the document.  When defining the style, make it a numbered list
style, and define the numbering to be the code for the document (i.e. G).
3.  Format your page numbers (Format Page Number option from the
headers/footers toolbar), select Include Chapter Number and specify that
each chapter started with heading style defined in step 2.
4. Now, your page numbers should look something like G-53 (assuming your
document code is G).
5. Do this for all 15 documents, using a different code for each document.
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You can use RD fields to tell Word to include a
remote document in its indexing efforts. The
problem is that the resulting index wouldn't show
which manual or document the entry came from. It
will just show the page number.

I've tried to come up with a workable way to
accomplish your master index, but I simply can't.
If you DO get an answer I'd love to know it.

THE RD PART

Here's how the RD fields work... I suggest you try
it out to get a feel for it before you go on.

Create an index document -- this is a regular old
document, but it's the one in which you'll hold
your master index.

At the front of the index document, insert an RD
(remote document) field for each file you want to
include in the index. This field does nothing more
than tell Word to include the named document in
its indexing efforts.

RD fields are hidden text, so you won't see them
unless you're showing your marks. They'll look
something like this:

{ RD "c:\\manual1\\chapter1.doc" }
{ RD "c:\\manual1\\chapter2.doc" }
{ RD "c:\\manual2\\chapter1.doc" }
etc.

You can't just type this in, you have to use
Insert > Field, select RD, and type in the
filename. It's probably easier to insert a dummy
field, duplicate it as needed, then paste in the
actual paths as you go.

When you specify a document as the argument of an
RD field, you'll probably want to enclose the
filename in quotes, use an absolute path, and
substitute double slashes for single slashes.

Create the index field as you normally would.
Every time you update the index field, Word opens
the remote documents and finds the index entries
therein.

THE HORRIBLE PART

Stop here. Every idea I came up with will kill
you, or at least shorten your life.

How WILL the user know which manual to look in?
The best deal I've seen in Master Indexes is to
have little three-letter abbreviations for each
manual, and present these in the body of the index
as if they were page number prefixes.

Great. How do we get them there?

Method 1: Create a separate index for each manual.
Use Replace to put the little abbreviation in
front of each page number. Manually collate the
fifteen  indexes into one. OUCH.

Method 2: Create a working copy of every manual in
your entire library. Delve deeply into Word's SEQ
fields and use them to create brand new page
number prefixes that include the spiffy
abbreviation WITHOUT disturbing the original
pagination. (I'm actually typing this with a
straight face.)

Method 3:

1. Create an index for volume one.

2. Unlink the index field, use Replace to add the
abbreviation, save as Doc1.

3. Create an index for volumes one and two.

4. Unlink the index field, use Replace to add the
abbreviation for volume 2 to all page numbers,
save as Doc2.

5. Use Tools > Track Changes > Compare Documents
to compare Doc2 to Doc1.

6. Accept the new insertions as valid volume 2
entries. Reject the changes to the old volume 1
entries.

7. Do this over and over, adding one more volume
each time, until you've got all fifteen.

See what I mean? None of these is really workable.