Inserting Index Keywords

You can open a topic or snippet and use the top area of the Index window pane to insert index keywords and subkeywords into that file. The major benefit of this method is that it lets you place index markers at specific places in a topic or snippet, as opposed to the very beginning of the file. While this method allows you the most control, it takes more time than the other methods. There are a few different ways to insert an index keyword into a topic or snippet, and each has its own advantages.

Drag-and-Drop Method

Use this method to quickly insert an index keyword that already exists.

  • Advantage It is extremely fast.
  • Disadvantage The index keyword that you want to insert must already exist. This means you must first insert the index keyword into a topic using one of the other methods.

How to Insert an Index Keyword Using the Drag-and-Drop Method

  1. Open the document or topic.
  2. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:

    • Ribbon Select View > Index Window.

    • Keyboard Shortcut Press F9.

  3. In the bottom (explorer) area of the Index window pane, click the index keyword and drag it to the location in the topic or snippet where you want to insert it. As you drag the keyword into the topic or snippet, a vertical red bar acts as a guide to help you place the keyword.

    The index keyword is displayed within a marker in front of the word where you added it (as long as markers are turned on).

  4. Click Save the active file. to save your work.

    When you build your final output, the keyword is included in the index that end users see. If end users select the keyword in the index, they are pointed to any topic(s) where that keyword was inserted.

Quick Term Method

Use this method to quickly insert the first word located after your cursor as an index keyword.

  • Advantage It is extremely fast.
  • Disadvantage It is not the method to use if you want to customize your phrase, use a variable, or add a second-level keyword. The word located immediately after the cursor is exactly what will be displayed in the index.

How to Insert an Index Keyword Using the Quick Term Method

  1. Open the document or topic.
  2. Click before or on the word that you want to insert as an index keyword.
  3. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:
    • Ribbon Select Insert > Keyword.
    • Keyboard Shortcut Press F10 on your keyboard.

    The index keyword is displayed within a marker in front of the word where you added it (as long as markers are turned on).

  4. Click Save the active file. to save your work.

Index Window Pane Method

Use this method to enter a keyword in the Index window pane.

  • Advantage It lets you customize the wording of the phrase in the index, or even use a variable. It also lets you add a second-level index keyword.
  • Disadvantage It is not quite as fast as the other methods.

How to Insert an Index Keyword Using the Index Window Pane Method

  1. Open the document or topic.
  2. Click at the location in the topic or snippet where want to insert an index keyword.
  3. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:

    • Ribbon Select View > Index Entry Window.

    • Keyboard Shortcut Press F9 on your keyboard.

    The Index window pane opens.

  4. Click in an empty field in the Terms column.
  5. Type the index keyword as you want it to appear in the index.

    If you want to add a second level to the keyword, type a colon after the first term, and then type the second term.

    Example If you type Software:MadCap Contributor, the term "Software" appears at the first level of the index, and the term "MadCap Contributor" appears as a subentry under "Software."

    Note If you want to add a keyword that begins with a colon, you need to type a backwards slash \ first, followed by the colon and then the term (e.g., \:My keyword). If you want to add a subkeyword that starts with a colon, you can do the same, although you still need to include the original colon that indicates it is a subkeyword (e.g., My keyword:\:mysubkeyword).

  6. Press ENTER.

    The index keyword is displayed within a marker in front of the word where you added it (as long as markers are turned on).

  7. Click Save the active file. to save your work.

Index Entry Mode Method

Use this method to accomplish the same thing as the Index window pane method. The difference is that, with this method, you do not need to move your cursor from the topic or snippet to the Index window pane. You simply click at the spot in the text where you want to insert the keyword and start typing. The words you type are added directly into the Index window pane. This is a good method to use if you plan to do a lot of indexing all at once, without performing any other tasks in the topic or snippet.

  • Advantage It is extremely fast and lets you customize phrasing and add second-level keywords.
  • Disadvantage It is not the best method to use if you want to perform indexing while also adding other content and formatting to topics or snippets.

How to Insert an Index Keyword Using the Index Entry Mode Method

  1. Open the document or topic.

  2. In the local toolbar of the XML Editor click . The cursor changes, displaying a small boxed "i" next to it.

  3. Click at the place in your topic where you want to add an index keyword.

  4. Type the phrase that you want to add as the index keyword.

    As you start typing, the Index window pane opens (if it was not previously opened), and the phrase is added to the first empty field under the Terms column.

    If you want to add a second level to the keyword, type a colon after the first term, and then type the second term.

    Example If you type Software:MadCap Contributor, the term "Software" appears at the first level of the index, and the term "MadCap Contributor" appears as a subentry under "Software."

    Note If you want to add a keyword that begins with a colon, you need to type a backwards slash \ first, followed by the colon and then the term (e.g., \:My keyword). If you want to add a subkeyword that starts with a colon, you can do the same, although you still need to include the original colon that indicates it is a subkeyword (e.g., My keyword:\:mysubkeyword).

  5. Press ENTER. The index keyword is displayed within a marker in front of the word where you added it (as long as markers are turned on).

  6. If you want to add more index keywords in the topic, repeat Steps 3-5.

  7. Click Save the active file. to save your work.

What’s Noteworthy?

Note If you want to turn off the index entry mode and return to regular editing, click again.

Note This feature is not supported for MadCap Lingo review package (LIREV) files.