Solved Automating a Word Document Index

[iang5184]

Hi Everyone,

I'd be very grateful if someone would let me know if it is possible to "automate" an index in a Word 2007 document please.

By this I mean that any user, having selected a Title or Subject in the Index, can somehow click the adjacent page number, and be whisked away to that page immediately.

I realise there is a "Go To Page" function in Word, but the potential readers of this document have virtually no Word skills at all.

Many thanks,

Ian

 

[paul1149]

I think you want to create a Table of Contents. I don't have Word in front of me, but it may be under Insert / Table. There are options to make it clickable, or ctrl-clickable. Usually it is keyed to Heading Styles, but you can key it to anything, including manual entries.

 

[GEWB]

No way to automate an index in MS Word. You could use a concordance file but you may want to rethink your documentation delivery. If you distributed documents as HTML based then use a program like RoboHelp or Flare - both can create indices (which you could then hyperlink as internal bookmarks).

Regards,
GEWB

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Click on Word Help (the little blue dot on the upper right with the question mark in it), type in Table of Contents, then hit Enter. It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents.

 

[iang5184]

No way to automate an index in MS Word. You could use a concordance file but you may want to rethink your documentation delivery. If you distributed documents as HTML based then use a program like RoboHelp or Flare - both can create indices (which you could then hyperlink as internal bookmarks).

Regards,
GEWB

Hi GEWB,

Thanks for the suggestion about Robo etc., but at £950.00 plus it is not even an option.

Thanks,

Ian

 

[iang5184]

I think you want to create a Table of Contents. I don't have Word in front of me, but it may be under Insert / Table. There are options to make it clickable, or ctrl-clickable. Usually it is keyed to Heading Styles, but you can key it to anything, including manual entries.

Hi Paul 1149,

Thanks for your response but, just as in the case of an Index, the TOC would not provide a facility for automatically transferring to a specific page following a topic selection.

Regards,

Ian

 

[iang5184]

Click on Word Help (the little blue dot on the upper right with the question mark in it), type in Table of Contents, then hit Enter. It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents.

Hi Lady Fitzgerald, and thanks for your response.

Unfortunately, as with an Index, a TOC does not provide for automatic transfer to the chosen subject/title.

Regards,

Ian

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Click on Word Help (the little blue dot on the upper right with the question mark in it), type in Table of Contents, then hit Enter. It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents.

Hi Lady Fitzgerald, and thanks for your response.

Unfortunately, as with an Index, a TOC does not provide for automatic transfer to the chosen subject/title.

Regards,

Ian

Did you read what I told you to read? This sounds like what you want:

Online document For a document that readers will read online in Word, you can format the entries in the table of contents as hyperlinks, so that readers can go to a heading by clicking its entry in the table of contents.

 

[paul1149]

You are not reading my or LF's responses here very carefully.

 

[iang5184]

Click on Word Help (the little blue dot on the upper right with the question mark in it), type in Table of Contents, then hit Enter. It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents.

Hi Lady Fitzgerald, and thanks for your response.

Unfortunately, as with an Index, a TOC does not provide for automatic transfer to the chosen subject/title.

Regards,

Ian

Did you read what I told you to read? This sounds like what you want:

Online document For a document that readers will read online in Word, you can format the entries in the table of contents as hyperlinks, so that readers can go to a heading by clicking its entry in the table of contents.

Hi Lady Fitzgerald,

Thank you. I do understand that virtually anything online is capable of utilising hyperlinks, but the document(s) in question will not be available on-line.

Had the targeted recipient(s) the ability to browse on-line in this way, the use of the already existing "Go to page number" option in Word would have been a ready made solution.

Thank you anyway,

Ian

 

[iang5184]

You are not reading my or LF's responses here very carefully.

I do actually read everything that is suggested, but deal with only that which is applicable.

My reply to Lady Fitzgerald is --

Thank you. I do understand that virtually anything online is capable of utilising hyperlinks, but the document(s) in question will not be available on-line.

Had the targeted recipient(s) the ability to browse on-line in this way, the use of the already existing "Go to page number" option in Word would have been a ready made solution.

Ian

 

[paul1149]

Hyperlinks in Word can point to headings, bookmarks, or anything else within the same document or other documents. Online/offline need not have anything to do with it.

 

[iang5184]

Hi Paul 1149,

You are absolutely correct.
I have just done a search on the Net and it produced --
Create a hyperlink to a location in the current document or Web page

To link to a location in a document or Web page that you created in Word, you must mark the hyperlink location or destination and then add the link to it.

So I shall go and study that --- it could be THE answer to my problem.

Very many thanks for that.

Ian

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Sigh! Again, did you read all of what I told you to read? Hyperlinks in a document can redirect to a header within the document, not just an internet URL. By online, the directions are referring to reading the document on a computer from a file, not from a printed piece of paper or a website, something you might realize if you would just RTFM. Until you do, you're on your own.

 

[iang5184]

Well Lady Fitzgerald,
May I just draw your attention to the definition of Online?
Online = By means of the Internet or other computer network. ---- Anything being read on a local computer is deemed "Offline".
My "search" was for "Offline" solutions and not "Online".
In light of that, please do NOT criticise me for having discarded the "Online" aspect of your posts, particularly as you were SO emphatic in pointing me to "Online" matters by ------ "It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents." and "Online document For a document that readers will read online in Word, you can format the entries in the table of contents as hyperlinks, so that readers can go to a heading by clicking its entry in the table of contents." --- I did NOT want to create ONLINE, and the readers would NOT be doing so ONLINE either.
Thank you for your suggestions though.
Paul1149 has produced excellent information which, at this stage, appears likely to be the solution.

Ian

 

[iang5184]

Thank You

Hyperlinks in Word can point to headings, bookmarks, or anything else within the same document or other documents. Online/offline need not have anything to do with it.

Hi Paul1149,

I have had a bit of a play around with your suggestion, and am now 95% convinced that it is the right solution for this matter.

Many thanks for your efforts in providing it. I am very grateful.

Kind regards,

Ian

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Well Lady Fitzgerald,
May I just draw your attention to the definition of Online?
Online = By means of the Internet or other computer network. ---- Anything being read on a local computer is deemed "Offline".
My "search" was for "Offline" solutions and not "Online".
In light of that, please do NOT criticise me for having discarded the "Online" aspect of your posts, particularly as you were SO emphatic in pointing me to "Online" matters by ------ "It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents." and "Online document For a document that readers will read online in Word, you can format the entries in the table of contents as hyperlinks, so that readers can go to a heading by clicking its entry in the table of contents." --- I did NOT want to create ONLINE, and the readers would NOT be doing so ONLINE either.
Thank you for your suggestions though.
Paul1149 has produced excellent information which, at this stage, appears likely to be the solution.

Ian

That was Word's definition of online I quoted, not mine or yours, something you would have understood had you actually thoroughly read what I told you to read, not just the excerpt I posted. It would have told you exactly, only with more detail, what Paul has been telling you.

 

[iang5184]

Well Lady Fitzgerald,
May I just draw your attention to the definition of Online?
Online = By means of the Internet or other computer network. ---- Anything being read on a local computer is deemed "Offline".
My "search" was for "Offline" solutions and not "Online".
In light of that, please do NOT criticise me for having discarded the "Online" aspect of your posts, particularly as you were SO emphatic in pointing me to "Online" matters by ------ "It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents." and "Online document For a document that readers will read online in Word, you can format the entries in the table of contents as hyperlinks, so that readers can go to a heading by clicking its entry in the table of contents." --- I did NOT want to create ONLINE, and the readers would NOT be doing so ONLINE either.
Thank you for your suggestions though.
Paul1149 has produced excellent information which, at this stage, appears likely to be the solution.

Ian

That was Word's definition of online I quoted, not mine or yours, something you would have understood had you actually thoroughly read what I told you to read, not just the excerpt I posted. It would have told you exactly, only with more detail, what Paul has been telling you.

Lady Fitzgerald,
Having been educated and trained to use selective sustained attention in such
circumstances, the word "Online" immediately introduced a barrier to the continuance
of my investigation of the article you suggested.
Paul, on the other hand, was very much more precise in his detailing, even to the
point of confirming the unimportance of the "Offline/Online" tag -- which is why I
chose his recommended path over that of your own.
By the way, neither Word nor Microsoft are in a position to "define" a word, and I certainly would not be so presumptuous as to make the attempt.
We are all governed by the relevance of our respective country's language, and the Internationally accepted definitions contained within those languages.
Regards,
Ian

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Well Lady Fitzgerald,
May I just draw your attention to the definition of Online?
Online = By means of the Internet or other computer network. ---- Anything being read on a local computer is deemed "Offline".
My "search" was for "Offline" solutions and not "Online".
In light of that, please do NOT criticise me for having discarded the "Online" aspect of your posts, particularly as you were SO emphatic in pointing me to "Online" matters by ------ "It's bit lengthy to read but what you will want to create is an Online Document Table of Contents." and "Online document For a document that readers will read online in Word, you can format the entries in the table of contents as hyperlinks, so that readers can go to a heading by clicking its entry in the table of contents." --- I did NOT want to create ONLINE, and the readers would NOT be doing so ONLINE either.
Thank you for your suggestions though.
Paul1149 has produced excellent information which, at this stage, appears likely to be the solution.

Ian

That was Word's definition of online I quoted, not mine or yours, something you would have understood had you actually thoroughly read what I told you to read, not just the excerpt I posted. It would have told you exactly, only with more detail, what Paul has been telling you.

Lady Fitzgerald,
Having been educated and trained to use selective sustained attention in such
circumstances, the word "Online" immediately introduced a barrier to the continuance
of my investigation of the article you suggested.
Paul, on the other hand, was very much more precise in his detailing, even to the
point of confirming the unimportance of the "Offline/Online" tag -- which is why I
chose his recommended path over that of your own.
By the way, neither Word nor Microsoft are in a position to "define" a word, and I certainly would not be so presumptuous as to make the attempt.
We are all governed by the relevance of our respective country's language, and the Internationally accepted definitions contained within those languages.
Regards,
Ian

Curious. Paul's path and "mine" (actually Microsoft's) are the same and I don't really care which "path" you choose. My issue is with your immediate assumption that something is different from what it actually is without having taken the time to see what it actually was, then blaming it on semantics. The Microsoft Help reference I directed you too was actually quite detailed on how to achieve what you wanted. Don't worry, though, I won't ever waste your time trying to help you again.

 

[iang5184]

Lady Fitzgerald,

If you look at Paul1149’s initial response, you will see it was a fleeting and speculative reference to the possibility that TOC might offer a solution.
He did not in fact provide any “path” to follow.

He later provided a positive statement that Hyperlinks COULD point to headings, bookmarks etc., within a Word document, and this positivity ruled out the need for the following of any “investigative” paths.

As TOC information and functionality is contained in the References Section of Word, and Hyperlink is in “Insert”, I fail to see on what basis you feel your respective “Paths” were shared in any way..

Regarding your accusation of my blaming semantics for not following your suggested “path”, I can only assume you have never practiced selective sustained attention.

As an example -- If you were searching for information on the colour white, your natural reaction would be to avoid everything referring to black. A perfectly normal reaction in the circumstances, would you not agree?

That approach is the one I took with things containing “Online”in the responses to my enquiry.

However, I can tell you that any investigation of articles containing references to the colour black would ultimately have offered up information showing a relationship with white and other colours. Just as I have no doubt my delving through the Help section of Word would eventually have brought me first to TOC, and then perhaps have branched off to discover Hyperlinks.

Following the more positive route, rather than the speculative one, is surely a much speedier and sensible action to take?

Please do not consider you have wasted my time with your responses. I greatly appreciated your efforts in the matter.
Who knows, it might be me offering a potential solution to one of your problems next time.

Regards,

Ian