Re: [docbook-apps] Indexing.

["Bob Stayton" <bobs@sagehill.net>]

Regarding the (continued) label for long index entries that break across a column, 
I've implemented that feature for a client in XEP using its extension property 
rx:table-omit-initial-header, in a manner similar to that feature for repeating table 
titles across page breaks.  In this case, each primary indexterm is placed in a 
one-column table.  I think the XSL 1.1 retrieve-table-marker feature could probably do 
the same thing without resorting to an extension, but I've not tried it.

Bob Stayton
Sagehill Enterprises
bobs@sagehill.net


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "davep" <davep@dpawson.co.uk>
To: <docbook-apps@lists.oasis-open.org>
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2012 12:10 AM
Subject: Re: [docbook-apps] Indexing.


> On 06/05/12 22:45, John W. Shipman wrote:
> > There are certain very specific fetishes I have about indexing
> > that I see violated quite often.
>
> !Not sure you should be talking about your fetishes in public John!!
>
>
> > The index to the "Guide to LaTeX" by Helmut Kopka has an example
> > of a horrible flaw that severely compromises its usefulness:
> > if a major topic is continued over a page break, the major
> > topic is NOT repeated on the continuation column.
>
> ?? Continuation column?
>
> topic     page 4  -   5
> Is the '5' the continuation column?
>
> > Think about how you use an index: you depend on the top words
> > of each column to be in alphabetical order. But on page
> > 584 of Kopka's book, the entire column is a continuation of
> > major topic "package", but the first entry is "amsmath".
> > So you think you're in the "a" section of the index, but you're
> > actually in the "p" section!
>
> I think I interpret your 'continuation column' as meaning
> the part of the back of the book index which happens to have
> a page break in the middle of a main entry? Is that right?
>
> > It should look like this, but in many books I don't see a
> > line like the first one:
> >
> > package (continued)
> > amsmath, 191, 269-270
> > amsopn, ...
>
>
> a) I don't think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that we'd
> see the first line in a db output? Happens with table headers
> but indexes? I.e. we'd only see
>    amsmath, 191, 269-270
>    amsopn, ...
> Where the reader has to infer the sub-topic from the indent?
>
> > An obvious application for marks.
>
> Yes.
>
> > My next suggestion may slightly increase the page count, so I
> > never mentioned it back in the day when dead trees were the
> > only route to publication. However, the increase is small,
> > and inexcusable if you expect most people will e-read your
> > book.
> >
> > As an example, the discussion of the amsmath package should
> > have two entries:
> >
> > amsmath package, 372
> > packages, 366
> > amsmath, 372
> >
> > In general, if an indexable phrase has more than one important
> > word, it should appear in the index under each of those words.
>
> +1 with your example. Covered in the book I'm reading, though
> the author cations on making it an iron rule. Again the reader
> comes first.
>
>
> > I can't give you any useful suggestions on current tools. Back
> > in the day I just invented a file format for entering all the
> > indexable references and then wrote my own software in C to
> > generate the index in TeX. This approach assumes that the
> > page numbers are all cast in stone, which was fine because
> > in my cases the rest of the book had all been put to bed.
>
> Which is the case the author talks about (quite endlessly in fact)
> but not so in my case. I'm thinking I may be able to have a two
> swipe go at it, but that's for the future.
>
> Thanks John.
>
>
>
>
> regards
>
> --
> Dave Pawson
> XSLT XSL-FO FAQ.
> http://www.dpawson.co.uk
>
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