TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Indexing Tools From:Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- FS -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Thu, 2 Oct 1997 15:06:44 +0800
Hi Marni -
I like IXgen.
Pros:
- it's terrific for editing index entries for correctness and consistency
- you can quickly generate index entries from selected keywords and
paragraph tags (though I'm wary of this 'feature'; if you want to
produce good indexes and not just fast indexes, automarking is a
powerful servant but an evil master)
- it's not expensive
- FSA's technical support is good
Cons:
- I find the interface a bit clunky and roundabout
You can get a demo licence from FSA and try IXgen out for a month.
Other good resources (some have already been mentioned):
- the ASI Web page
- the INDEX-L listserv
- 'Indexing Books', by Nancy Mulvany
- Lori Lathrop, a techwhirler who often answers indexing questions
here. She also runs training courses which I hear are very good.
Professional indexers appear to use either CINDEX or MACREX. These are
much more poweful and flexible than any indexing module you'll find in
a WP or DTP package. From memory the Mulvany book discusses the
advantages of dedicated indexing software over bundled add-ons. Both
these packages create standalone indexes (i.e. in a separate text
file) so they don't create index tags in a Frame document.
Good luck. Write if you have more questions.
Regards
---
Stuart Burnfield
Functional Software Pty Ltd mailto:slb -at- fs -dot- com -dot- au
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
