Why no index is new WotC books? *Update: Received "official" answer... kinda...*

[cybertalus]

Maybe I'm remembering the wrong program, but doesn't MS Word have a built in indexing tool? Not a "find every instance of the word 'magic'" kind, but one where you can tag specific instances of words for inclusion in the index?

With such a tool I'd think it could be an author's responsibility to do the primary tagging, an editor's to fine tune the tagging, and then someone else's to generate the index from the tags once the final layout had been achieved.

 

[Raloc]

I hadn't even thought of that but I imagine such a thing exists. If not, it should. That'd be even better than what I was thinking of. You might even make a program that indexes every word in a document, then trims the document of all garbage words (common English first, then a list of common terms, etc.).

 

[Buttercup]

Maybe I'm remembering the wrong program, but doesn't MS Word have a built in indexing tool?

Why yes, yes it does. Creating an index is not expensive or time intensive. Here's a segment of the help file from Word:

An index lists the terms and topics discussed in a document, along with the pages they appear on. To create an index, you mark the index entries (index entry: A field code that marks specific text for inclusion in an index. When you mark text as an index entry, Microsoft Word inserts an XE (Index Entry) field formatted as hidden text.) in your document and then build the index. Once you mark an index entry, Microsoft Word adds a special XE (Index Entry) field (field: A set of codes that instructs Microsoft Word to insert text, graphics, page numbers, and other material into a document automatically. For example, the DATE field inserts the current date.) to your document:

You can create an index entry:

• For an individual word, phrase, or symbol.
• For a topic that spans a range of pages.
• That refers to another entry, such as “Transportation. See Bicycles.”

After you've marked all the index entries, you choose an index design and build the finished index. Word then collects the index entries, sorts them alphabetically, references their page numbers, finds and removes duplicate entries from the same page, and displays the index in the document.

So if WotC is claiming that indicees are too expensive, they're full of it.

 

[reveal]

I wrote to WotC's customer service department. Hopefully I'll get the "official" answer.

 

[cybertalus]

The best possible excuse I can see for building an index being too expensive is if they break each chapter of a book into a seperate file. I had to build an index once for an employee manual that was broken up that way, and it made a straightforward process into a real pian. (This was probably where I remembered MS Word's indexing feature from, since I've never used Word at home.)

Anyhow, Reveal, I'd be very curious to hear what they say.

 

[Raloc]

They could always merge the documents when they need to do the index. Unless of course Word doesn't update the entries when changes are made. Also, it may be that developers marking the entries as they go is distracting (I think I would find it so if I were writing creatively).

 

[Duncan Haldane]

In my opinion the WotC product I know which most needs an index is the Greyhawk Gazeteer. Try to find a city if you don't know what country it's in...

 

[Starglim]

Frostburn seriously needs one.

 

[Campbell]

While indexing a Word document might be relatively easy, many professional desktop publishing suites do not include indexing functionality. I'm assuming that WotC uses a desktop publishing suite, since professional desktop publishing software is almost neccesarry in order to format text and graphical elements in printer-ready form.

 

[Malic]

Really, in this day and age, if a good index can be downloaded and put inside your book (I haven't actually seen these indices Keith Baker has put up), the index in the print edition might be less crucial than it once was.

Still, I'd definitely rather have an index.

An online index might be a useful supplement, but really if I'm paying $80 (AUS) for a book with high production values (artwork, paper, binding) I don't want to have to print out some scungy A4 to keep with it, just so I can find what I need.

Add another vote for bringing back the index!