Re: [icon-users] Cross references and automatic bookmarks / index
- From: Matthew Phillips <spam2011m@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: icon-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 25 May 2012 22:32:28 +0100
In message <52957af24fm.gerbracht@xxxxxxxxxx>
on 25 May 2012 Michael Gerbracht wrote:
> I just had a quick look on the new cross references feature which I missed
> in the past for some documents I prepared. I have two suggestions which
> would make the feature even more interesting I think:
>
> 1. Is there a way to create bookmarks automatically, e.g. to add all
> heading as bookmarks automatically with just one click? Maybe by choosing
> up to which level the bookmarks should be added (only chapter heading,
> chapter + section, all headings...)
This would be very useful! Seconded. Most of our cross-references in the
Impact manual, which is created using EasiWriter, are to chapters, sections
or sub-sections. As we have created more and more bookmarks the names and
references have got ever more confusing. Being able to choose from any of
the sections, shown with its current number and title, would be very helpful.
> 2. Would it be possible to extend the "Save contents" feature in a way that
> a content with automatic crossreferences is saved? Because the contents
> also needs to be changed everytime the document is changed. Ok, TechWriter
> already offers the possibility to save it automatically, but often I need
> to make manual changes to it in order to look more perfect. But I have to
> do that again every time I create a new version for the document. So I
> wonder if it would be possible to include at least the page number maybe
> even better the heading text + autonumbering in the content? I understand
> that you could use the cross reference feature even now but for a large
> document this is a lot of work.
We have had users asking for the index entries to be clickable in the PDF
version of the manual, which would be an immense amount of work if done
manually. I'm not quite so worried about the contents personally. But one
immediate enhancement would be if the index and contents saving, which
currently produces a tab-based text file, could be altered to produce HTML or
something which could convey styles.
Here's what we do every time we create a new edition of the Impact manual.
We had to write up the notes to save working out how to do it every time:
Index generation
Delete contents of existing Index chapter (select Chapter body and delete).
Save->Index: drop the file into the empty Index chapter.
Manually break it up into sections (highlight each bit - note you don't
need to reach the right hand end of the final line - then apply Index section
style by pressing Ctrl-Shift-F2 Ctrl-F9).
Contents generation
Save->Contents: at "top level": drop onto Zap.
In Zap do replace of :[space]\t with :[space]
In Zap do replace of \t[space] with \t
Do this several times.
Delete contents of existing Contents chapter (select Chapter body and
delete).
Drop into Contents chapter. Remove Contents and Index sections if listed.
Break up into sections applying Index section style in same way as you did
for the Index.
If we could have a format which "just worked" when dropped back into
EasiWriter that would be wonderful! It might even give me the extra time
needed to test my software before the next show ;-)
--
Matthew Phillips
Durham
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