indexing: easy way to edit?

[livetoski]

I'd like to be able to edit the text of the index items in the explorer window. How fast and nice that would be as a way of getting rid of the mistakes of the past. Too good to be true?

Tell me if I am missing something.

I have had problems with functionality dropping out of flare, files and projects becoming corrupted and I am not sure if what I am seeing is the real deal. What is see is that I *cannot* edit my index items in the explorer window.

Linda

[LTinker68]

Are you looking at the Index Explorer pane or the Index Entry pane? The Index Explorer pane is a static pane that shows the index entries and the topics that have that index entry. You can drag an index entry from the Index Explorer to a topic, but you can't add index entries to the Index Explorer pane. You can add index terms to the Index Entry pane, but it only displays the index terms in the current topic -- it doesn't list all the index terms in the project.

You open the Index Explorer pane by going to View > Index Explorer. You open the Index Entry pane by going to Tools > Index > Index Entry Window (or by pressing F9).

Personally I think the two panes should be combined. I think you should be able to add a new index entry or select an already existing index entry in the project. But at the moment, you have to switch between the panes.

[livetoski]

Hi Lisa,

I have both the index pane and the index explorer open. What I would like to do is edit the index entry name in the explorer panel, regardless of the topic I am working in. I am working in an index that was created eons ago, in another incarnation of the product and I'd like to be able to change the way things are indexed and edit the goofy stuff in the explorer pane, where I can see it all, instead of going in to each topic to edit it.

I also find the Index Entry pane very finicky. I have to wait after I click or click more than once to edit an entry, although occasionally I get in with one click. I am not sure why this happens. Any idea?

[LTinker68]

I am working in an index that was created eons ago, in another incarnation of the product and I'd like to be able to change the way things are indexed and edit the goofy stuff in the explorer pane, where I can see it all, instead of going in to each topic to edit it.

That's the way I think it should work, too, but at the moment, it doesn't. So you have to go to each topic and change the index entry in that topic. If you want the behavior to change, then submit a feature request to http://www.madcapsoftware.com/bugs/submit.aspx.

I also find the Index Entry pane very finicky. I have to wait after I click or click more than once to edit an entry, although occasionally I get in with one click. I am not sure why this happens. Any idea?

I have the show tags option enabled that shows the index entries in their positions in the topic and I think I usually just double-click on that entry and it opens the Index Entry pane with the index text highlighted. But I don't have Flare running at the moment, so I'm not positive that that's how I do. It's one of those things you do so often that you forget the steps and just do it automatically. But try double-clicking on the index entry in the topic, if you have that option enabled.

[livetoski]

Clicking once to insert the cursor on the left of the index entry seems to work to open the index terms in the index pane.

I am referring to a weird thing that happens within the Index Entry pane. For example, Friday was sooo slooow, as I would click under Terms in the term I wanted to edit or add to, and I would have to wait, or click a second time to get some action, and then a third time to enter a term. Very aggravating.

Starting up this morning, Flare seemed all rested and ready to go. I was able to click once and edit or add. Gradually, it's slowed down again. I have cleaned the build. It takes several clicks to get back into the topic. I close and open the project. Close and open Flare. Any idea what else to do?

It's very aggravating. Like most technical writers I have nerve and muscle problems from working at a key board and mouse all day at a frantic pace and all the extra clicks that the Flare UI causes are a very real pain.

[LTinker68]

There have been issues reported in the past about problems with making too many modifications to the index. I believe in the past it's crashed or appeared to lock up or caused an exception error. In those cases, I believe shutting down Flare and reopening it has gotten past the error/problem. That might help if you notice the program getting slower as you work with the index.

But definitely submit a bug report to MadCap.

[livetoski]

Well the joke is on me, thinking I'd be able to index easily in Flare. I did log a bug just now, because it's getting weirder and weirder. Thanks for the support, Lisa.

[wclass]

Something extra to check ...
You can have timing problems if the index mode is turned on. And I have heard the concept entry mode causes similar problems. There are flags on the menu at:
Tools > Options > WYSIWYG panel, that let you get a warning if either of these modes is turned on,
or you can check yourself on the Tools > Index or Tools > Concepts menu options.

I have to admit that I struggled with the Index in Flare, and have resorted to adding entries using a text editor. And yes, I reported my problems, but I think it was over a year ago now. One thing I'd like is to be able to see at a glance (ie a list) what terms have been indexed for a particular topic.