InDesign CC 2020 - Index Doesn't Update After Adding New Entryies

[Chris Panny]

Windows 10 64 bit, InDesign CC 2020

So I'm watching a great training video by Terry White called How to Create an Index and Cross References in Adobe InDesign CC. He ppoints out that after an index is created and placed into the document, you can go back and add new entries and then simply update the existing index to reflect any new entries. Specifically, he says to click the Generate Index command (Index panel). This opens the Generate Index window, click Ok and the index should update. When I try this, nothing happens. InDesign just generates a new index to place as you can see in the screenshot. Any ideas on why this isn't working?

[Barb Binder]

Enable the Replace Existing Index checkbox in the Generate Index dialog box.

~Barb

[Chris Panny]

Hi, thanks for your reply! Mine is greyed out. 

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Click on the existing index and try again.

If that still doesn't work, I would delete the current index and create a new one with that loaded text cursor that you showed us in the first screenshot. Then make an edit and try replacing existing index again.

~Barb

[Chris Panny · Accepted solution]

I figured out what's going on with this. When the index is generated, InDesign puts it in its own text frame. If I add new entries and then update the index, the Replace Existing Index is not greyed out. However, if I flow this text frame into the rest of the document, add a new entry and then open the Generate Index window, the feature becomes greyed out. I'm not sure I like the behavior of this, but this is how it's working by design.