Edit Concordance File
Create or edit a list of words to include in an Alphabetical Index. A concordance file lists words that should be referenced in an alphabetical index, together with the page number(s) where they appear in the document.
You can use the Find All button on the Find & Replace dialogue box to highlight all places where a word appears, then open the Insert Index Entry dialogue box to add that word and places to the alphabetical index. However, if you need the same set of alphabetical indexes in multiple documents, the concordance file allows you to enter every word just once, then use the list many times.
The default filter for creating or opening concordance files is *.sdi. However, the file format of the concordance file is plain text.
To access the Edit Concordance File dialogue box:
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Choose Insert - Table of Contents and Index - Table of Contents, Index or Bibliography - Type.
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In the Type box, select "Alphabetical Index".
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In the Options area, mark the Concordance file check box.
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Click the File button, and then choose New or Edit.
A concordance file contains the following fields:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Search term | "Search term" refers to the index entry that you want to mark in the document. |
| Alternative entry | "Alternative entry" refers to the index entry that you want to appear in the index. |
| 1st and 2nd Keys | The 1st and 2nd Keys are parent index entries. The "Search term" or the "Alternative entry" appears as a subentry under the 1st and 2nd Keys. |
| Comment | Add a comment line above the entry. Commented lines start with #. |
| Match case | "Match case" means that upper-case and lower-case letters are considered. |
| Word only | "Word only" searches for the term as a single word. |
To enable the "Match case" or "Word only" options, click in the corresponding cell, and then mark the check box.
To create a concordance file without the Edit Concordance File dialogue box:
Use the following format guidelines when you create a concordance file:
- Each entry in the concordance file is on a separate line.
- Commented lines start with #.
- Use the following format for the entries:
Search term;Alternative entry;1st key;2nd key;Match case;Word only
The entries "Match case" and "Word only" are interpreted as "No" or FALSE if they are empty or zero (0). All other contents are interpreted as "Yes" or TRUE.
Example
For example, to include the word "London" in your alphabetical index under the "Cities" entry, enter the following line in the concordance file:
Boston;Boston;Cities;;0;0
This also finds "London" if it is written in lower-case letters.
To include the "Westminster" district in London under the "Cities" entry, enter the following line:
Beacon Hill;Boston;Cities;