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J
Joe-New-to-ID
Inspiring
February 20, 2023
Answered

Index | Don't Want Index Title | How to Trick or Eliminate?

  • February 20, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 976 views

I'm generating a two-column index for my book. On the page where the index begins, I already have an index title paragraph style established for it to be uniform with the rest of the book's chapter headings. Therefore, I don't want to be forced by InDesign to use an index title. However, when I generate or update the index, I seem to have no option but to accept one. I can name it anything I want, but I don't want one at all. How do I trick InDesign to not have an index title? This matters since the two columns result in unevenness. See the attachment.

 

What I'm doing now to get the two columns to be even---as much as possible---is to create a paragraph style for the index title and shrink the font size to its lowest level of "0.1 pt". (It won't accept "0.0 pt".) I then input two blank spaces for the index title as filler. It's imperfect and barley discernable relative to the adjacent column, but still an unprofessional visual annoyance. Again, see the attachment.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Barb Binder

Hi @Joe-New-to-ID:

 

What I love about the generated files like a table of contents or an index is that I can just update them after edits and don't have to mess with anything.

 

If the two paragraphs don't line up naturally — and it depends on the font that you're using, I had to look to find one that didn't line up — you could adjust the baseline on the index section titles, and then increase the spacing below to accommodate and redefine the style. 

 

~Barb

 

 

Edit: When I was out there hunting for a font to re-create this situation, James typed up a similar approach with the baseline shift. 😊

2 replies

Barb Binder
Community Expert
Barb BinderCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
February 20, 2023

Hi @Joe-New-to-ID:

 

What I love about the generated files like a table of contents or an index is that I can just update them after edits and don't have to mess with anything.

 

If the two paragraphs don't line up naturally — and it depends on the font that you're using, I had to look to find one that didn't line up — you could adjust the baseline on the index section titles, and then increase the spacing below to accommodate and redefine the style. 

 

~Barb

 

 

Edit: When I was out there hunting for a font to re-create this situation, James typed up a similar approach with the baseline shift. 😊

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    James Gifford—NitroPress
    James Gifford—NitroPress
    Legend
    February 20, 2023

    What I love about the generated files like a table of contents or an index is that I can just update them after edits and don't have to mess with anything.

     

    Well, of course. But some of the automated features lack flexibility. I'd bet a third of the well-focused questions we get here are about some variation of disabling a "helpful" feature element without having to do it manually and on each iteration.

     

    A checkbox to disable the titles on TOCs, Indexes etc. would be nice. But I've usually found a workaround for them, elegance and automaticity be darned. 🙂

     

    James Gifford—NitroPress
    James Gifford—NitroPress
    Legend
    February 20, 2023

    I use similar tricks for TOCs, but other than leaving the title box empty, your trick of making the text "pseudo invisible" is all I've found.

     

    Two suggestions:

     

    First, just delete the Index Title after generation. Not automatic but I suppose it could be scripted.

     

    Second, apply 'span columns' to the title style, so that both/all columns are pushed down that same slight amount. You could further adjust from there (apply a few points of baseline shift up, color the text None or white (Paper), etc. Setting the leading of the title paragraph to zero might close up space, too, but might cause other problems with columns.

     

    J
    Joe-New-to-IDAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 20, 2023

    James:

     

    I used your first suggestion in combination with Barb's. I deleted the index title after index generation, then created a paragraph style for Index Section Head "A" and another for Index Section Head "B-Z". The "Spacing Before" for "A" is set to 0 in, and the "Space Before" for "B-Z" is set to 0.125 in. Thank you. My burden is to just ensure that I check for index title deletion upon index finalization. Thank you.

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