FrameMaker 8: Possible to combine same-page index entries?

[jaggedpeak]

Is there a way in FrameMaker to have multiple identical index entries on a single page ‘collapse’ into a single entry?

For example, if I have  a document that includes index entries for “Adams, John” on pages 13 and 14, the index shows “Adams, John, 13, 14”. If I then do some edits that cause the second entry to appear on the same page as the first entry (for example, by not including some conditional text), the index shows “Adams, John, 13, 13”.

Other than removing the second index marker, is there a way to have the index generate as “Adams, John, 13”?

Thanks!

[Guest]

With multiple entries on the same page sounds like you haven't updated the book after the edits. Once you update the book (and of course be sure to specify that the index should be regenerated) then the multiple entries should collapse into a single entry.   This is assuming, of course, that there isn't any subtle difference between the two entries that might preclude them being collapsed, such as multiple spaces or slightly different spelling, etc.

[jaggedpeak]

That's what I thought should work. However... it's not doing it 😞

Just to be sure, I threw a new index entry onto the same page, slightly different spelling.

From the book file, selected Edit > Update Book. In the Generate list, included my index.

Selected Update.

No errors reported.

New index shows my new (bogus) marker as a separate index entry.

The original two markers still show as "Adams, John, 13, 13".

Too strange.

(Of course, I'm getting used to strangeness. I have two other problems driving me crazy: a table xref format (<blue>Table on<default font>page n) that appears all in blue *sometimes* (have to cut and paste the actual table to make that work), and the Frame interface document tabs not working (book with 20 document tabs - click a tab or select book entry and it doesn't give the document focus, have to use the tab scroll arrows to access. ARRGHH)

[Guest · Accepted solution]

Were the index entries added within FM, or were they imported along with text from another app (e.g. Word)?

If you want to get really forensic about it, I'd save the file as MIF and then us the freebie MIFBrowse

http://www.grahamwideman.com/gw/tech/framemaker/mifbrowse.htm

to look at each entry (if you haven't yet looked at MIF it can be a bit "dense" to digest, but the best thing is to first search for a reasonably unique word that might be just prior to the entries and then move downward through the display until you find the index entries).

Or, if time's paramount, I'd just delete the entries, Save, then recreate them, being extremely careful that there aren't any differences in them, and update.

Another lesser possibility might be if the index's reference page has been inadvertently damaged -- you might try adding a brand new index to the book, and see if it generates correctly.

Edit: about the other issues, please post separate forum threads ("topics") for each one, otherwise it's hard for everybody to offer advice if multiple problems are being addressed in a single thread.  And, it always helps if you specify exactly what version of FM you're using (from Help > About, the "pxxx" numbers) and your platform + service pack level, too, it helps avoid lots of confusion.

Sheila

Message was edited by: Sheila

[jaggedpeak]

Didn't try MIF, but added a new index and YES! it works. Too weird.

(As for the other problems, yes, I'll raise them in separate posts -- I had mentioned them there because all of my problems seem to have arisen at about the same time. Very different problems, but in my long-ago coding days, I learned that the oddest things could sometimes be connected 🙂

Thanks very much!

[jaggedpeak]

Problem was in reference page entry for IndexIOM. Some weirdness had been added to the template (local to our docs) that caused the problem. *NOT* a FrameMaker problem.

Thanks for all the help.

[Guest]

And thank you for giving us the info on your resolution, a good contribution to the forum's "collective knowledgebase"

Sheila