I have a very long document and some of the text are captions, some are in italics and some ordinary text. When I highlight the different types it adds to the index fine. Except that when the index forms I get different cases in the index! There is no /b switch or whatever and I have no intention of going through 400 odd pages looking for every entry anyway. So how can I get word to ignore all styles or cases or bold to make the index. (without editing fields please).



many thanks

Most likely, the problem results from your many XE fields being formatted in a variety of ways. This is especially likely if you're:
• using text in the 'problem' format for the initial index entry when using the 'mark all' option; or
• marking the index entries individually rather than by using the 'mark all' option.

Regardless, you can apply the same formatting to all of them by:
1. Creating an 'Index' character Style with the desired font characteristics; then
2. Using Find/Replace to apply that character Style to the XE fields, using -
Find = ^d XE
Replace = ^&
with the 'Index' Style specified for the replacement.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

That was just a test. I am going to start from scratch - how do I do it from scratch without editing afterwards. Surely I should be able to format it before I start Thanks

As indicated in my previous reply, you can use the 'mark all' indexing option. Just make sure the content you select for the initial index entry is in the format you want it to appear as.

Alternatively, you could create the Index using a concordance file. That way, the format of the index entries will be as defined in the concordance file.

The Index concordance document is essentially a two-column table in which the texts to be indexed are in the first column and the form of the Index entries are in the second column. Done properly, the process is effective, straightforward, and efficient. However, for a cautionary note on what can happen if you're indiscriminate about what you index this way, see: https://wordmvp.com/FAQs/Formatting/CreateIndex.htm

Once the entries are marked, see: https://support.office.com/en-us/art...2-cda9d14bf073

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

Concordance Indexes
I implore you not to waste your time with a Concordance Index for most publications. It results in a huge pile of rubbish that is of very little use to the reader. And it takes nearly as long to make as it does to generate an index properly.

ah well that's what your link says and I had read it before. Look like the usual Microsoft rubbish. ok when its straightforward but for anything e;se you're screwed. I'll just have to miss out the bold and italic ones and use ordinary text

The content in the link is merely a cautionary note about what can happen if you don't do the job properly and use an inappropriate concordance file. As already stated, used properly, the process is effective, straightforward, and efficient.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]