RH 2020: any way to easily rebuild the index?

I upgraded this from RH 2019, and the page numbers were correct in it. While I moved a few topics, the bigger change was setting up chapters to place topics in, to better organize the readers viewing, facilitate reader navigation. The RH 2019 index worked flawlessly, but from looking at a project PDF published from RH 2019, it used topic names not page numbers. That would be an OK index option for publishing in RH 2020 (topic names where each index term appears), but does not seem to be the default in RH 2020. RH 2020 autogenerates the index with page numbers (out of ascending order for page numbers), not topic names. No matter how I add keywords to an index term in RH 2020, the UI sorts them alphabetically, so I end up with topic corresponding page numbers sorted by their topic's alphabetical order rather than sorted by ascending page numbers.

For example, I tried to move the keyword topic names in an entry. They move but then snap back to their alphabetical pre-moved position. So, if I moved them and they stayed moved, that would work.

Not sure given the underlying RH script/code how to fix this, because it over-rides any attempted solutions I have tried. For example, it would also work if there was a tick box option to display index keyword topic locations by topic name instead of page number, or, of course, if the index had an option to display the term's keywords by their topic's ascending page order.

Ignore the last question as I understand the Index page number order in the PDF is not linked to the TOC. I am still exchanging emails but my understanding if I have followed correctly is that it is based on the order of the topics linked to the keyword as set out in the Index panel.

Bear in mind I have gone back to check what I have been told so there could be a misunderstanding. What I have to ask is are you sure the page numbers were correct to start with and this only happened after you moved things around in the TOC. From what I understand, that should not make any difference.

Have been moving chapters and topics around to better organize a book. When I checked a published PDF, the index pages are now out of order (for example, for an index term: 256, 25,190, 20, 22, 26, 80, 15,...).

Looking at just Addiction are you saying that originally the page numbers were correct, then you moved them around in RoboHelp's TOC and generated again, now you get what you have shown?

If not, please clarify?

Thank you Peter.

I was just going to drop a note to Adobe RH, but will hold off, wait until you hear back from your enquiry.

Stephen

To me it seems logical that the page numbers should be in order. They clearly do not but I can't think of a good reason so I have made enquiries. Until I get a reply, there's nothing more I can add.

At first I thought that this out-of-order issue may be caused by the out-of-order items being part of front- or back-matter. But further investigation shows that entries in the main body of the chapters and topics are also out-of-order. What it does correspond to is topic name alphabetical order. So, I tried to change this order in an index entry, but, even when moved up or down, it reverts to alphabetical even though these are not ascending by page number. Moving doesn't stay moved into correct ascending (by page number) order.

screenshot of index entry COVID-19 (see also previous screenshot in posting above).

Preface is page 4 and so in ascending page order should appear first.

If this can be reproduced, verified, it would need to be fixed so that the index is built using ascending page numbers (or atleast an option for this). What do you think?

Hmm! I am trying to find out what dictates the order. I will get back to you as soon as I hear back.

Screenshot for Index from published PDF attached. (If you need a different screenshot, let me know.)

The index terms are whatever you created and they are linked to topics. Moving chapters and books does nothing to the index, that is nothing to do with the TOC, topic titles and file names. You must have changed something besides just moving them around in the TOC.

Can you show a screenshot of where things are messed up?