There also could be several instances of a species, or of the word, ‘hybrid’.

jwc

Yes if I understand you correctly, that is exactly what I am trying to create, indents included.

Yes, that is correct.

OK, thanks, have eliminated Martin’s script from my scripts folder.

After reading the content of the above link, I have concluded that it does not address my needs, which do not require altering the formatting of text within any given index entry. I only want to format the index entry to begin with. That should be the default, text format of my document.

What I found, however, on first indexing my document, was that no formatting whatever had been applied.

On attempting to RE-generate the index after receiving your further guidance, I performed the following steps, in order:

— Generate new index (replace old) based on first-level topics (genus);
— Regenerate index (without replacing old) based on first, second-level topics (species);
— Regenerate index (without replacing old) based on second, second-level topics (hybrid);

That seems to have succeeded, but the index appears not to be generated, i.e., there is no “preview balloon” content at the mouse cursor, as there was in my earlier attempts to generate the index, which succeeded, but resulted an unformatted, incomplete set of entries in the index.

I’ll continue to investigate/pursue this, but wanted to provide this update in case you can find a way to improve/adjust the workflow.

Peter,

I successfully loaded index_from_charstyles.jsx into my document, and ran it with mixed results (about which more later). Have now added your old script, IndexFmCharStyle.js. Running that now.

Ths ‘incomplete’ posting is an update to an earlier one in which I reported a difficulty that had since been resolved. More to follow.

Peter,

Yes, your work looks like it (1) will be very useful, and (2) is either an extension of or a predecessor to the script that I posted about 7 am this morning, 05-04. I also note the same name (Martin Fischer) in your references as well as in that of Obi Wan at 9 am this morning, 05-04. Looks like we are talking about the same basic implementation. I just downloaded the script, thanks.

Question remains: how and where does one run the script from within inDesign? Probably a ‘Run’ button somewhere? Forgive me, have a LOT on my plate, juggling priorities, etc.

I just read Randy’s comments of 03.v.02017. Randy, thanks for your careful responses, but why I’m ‘less than satisfied’ is because I would much prefer a script-based solution that would simply scoop up all items of a given (set of) style(s), and place those as entries and subentries in my index, after all images have been entered and captions created.

After further searching my archives, I uncovered a script used my first book “Atlanta’s Orchids”, apparently successfully, which resulted in a two-tiered index of what is called, in botanical jargon, ‘genus’ and ‘species’.

However, I (1) did not take good enough notes on what I did in the first book, (2) have an awful memory, and (3) have no idea how to implement that in my next and subsequent books.

A typical caption reads ‘ A – Phalaenopsis equestris, Atlanta Botanical Garden’, where only the first and second words after ‘A – ‘, which are the genus and species in this case, are to be indexed. I have defined separate character styles for genus and species, and am hoping for a script-based solution to implement this.

Randy, again please forgive me if I misread your responses on the inDesign forum, but they appeared, to me at least, to be pointed to the formatting of index entries themselves, rather than to the process of indexing text entries from the book.

Would appreciate advice from any of you about how best to implement the above in my next book(s), or better yet, place it into a template that works across all books.

Here is the script,just recovered from my archives:

// IndexFromCharacterStyle_z_CS4.jsx
//
// ggf. mit Zoom auf fehlerhafte Fundstelle
//
var myErr = mySucc = 0;
var myList = “”;
var doc = app.activeDocument
var myCharacterStyle = myDisplayDialog(doc);
app.changeTextPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
app.findTextPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;

app.findTextPreferences.appliedCharacterStyle = myCharacterStyle;
var _index = ( doc.indexes.length == 0 )
? doc.indexes.add()
: doc.indexes.firstItem();
f = doc.findText()
for( oneEntry = f.length-1; oneEntry > -1; oneEntry– ) {
var _topic = null;
_topic = _index.topics.itemByName( f[oneEntry].contents );
if (_topic == null) {
try {
_topic = _index.topics.add( f[oneEntry].contents );
}
catch(e) {
selectIt(f[oneEntry]);
}
}
try {
_topic.pageReferences.add( f[oneEntry], PageReferenceType.currentPage ) ;
mySucc++;
}
catch(e) {
myList += f[oneEntry].contents + “\r” ;
myErr++;
}
}

alert( “Das Ergebnis:\r” + mySucc + ” x erfolgreich\r” + myErr + ” x versagt:\r———–\r” + myList );

function myDisplayDialog(doc){
var myFieldWidth = 120;

var myCharStyles = doc.characterStyles.everyItem().name;

var myDialog = app.dialogs.add({name:”Index-Begriffe”});
with(myDialog.dialogColumns.add()){
with(dialogRows.add()){
with(dialogColumns.add()){
staticTexts.add({staticLabel:”Zeichenformat:”, minWidth:myFieldWidth});
}
with(dialogColumns.add()){
var mySourceDropdown = dropdowns.add({stringList:myCharStyles, selectedIndex:myCharStyles.length-1});
}
}
}
var myResult = myDialog.show();
if(myResult == true){
var theCharStyle =myCharStyles[mySourceDropdown.selectedIndex];
myDialog.destroy();
}
else{
myDialog.destroy()
exit();
}
return theCharStyle;
}

function selectIt( theObj )
{
var myZoom = 400;
app.select(theObj,SelectionOptions.replaceWith);
app.activeWindow.zoomPercentage = myZoom;

// Option zum Abbruch, falls innerhalb einer Schleife aufgerufen
var myChoice = confirm (‘Fundstelle fehlerhaft!\rWeiter?’ );
if (myChoice == false)
exit();
return app.selection[0];
}

Skript ist lauff?§hig in:
InDesign Version CS3
InDesign Version CS4
InDesign Version CS5