[scribus-dev] makeindex etc.

[john Culleton]

On Fri, 04 Jul 2014 10:24:54 -0400
Gregory Pittman <gpittman at iglou.com> wrote:

> On 07/04/2014 02:51 AM, Craig Bradney wrote:
> >>
> >> on debian i don't think i can install
> >> makeindex without installing the full latex.
> >> i don't think that you can download it for
> >> windows or os x, either
> >>
> >> but having had a look at the makeindex
> >> project page, it seems indeed possible to
> >> use it as a standalone software... i guess
> >> that we would have to add it to the scribus
> >> sources, then...
> >>
> >> or expect the user to install the full latex
> >> package...
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > 
> > Agree. I don't think we'll ever want to
> > depend on that monster. 
> > 
> > I'm sure we can write our own indexing code,
> > but using the idea from latex.
> > 
> From what I could tell, makeindex is dependent
> on inserting markup into your document, which
> to me seems almost like having to do the index
> manually in a sense.
> 
> Greg
> 
> 


A stand alone program is a stand alone program.
The makeindex manual describes using it with TeX
but also with groff.  It does not require the
entire TeX suite.

I am frankly surprised that so many 
assume that the whole TeX suite needs to be
downloaded. My tyro.tcl program runs without any
other software except makeindex and a parameter
file called alpha.ist. Of course tcl/tk is
required also.

Makeindex is a command line program, dependent
only on an input file of \indexentry statements as
described in my paper and optionally a control
file like my alpha.ist which regulates the output
format.
 
Usually the \indexentry statements are generated
by embedded statements in a DTP host language like
TeX or Groff. But they can be created by a totally
independent front end, like my tyro.tcl program. 

Today I put the following versions of makeindex
on my website:
http://wexfordpress.com/makeindex (64 bit version)
http://wexfordpress.com/makeindex.exe

The linux version of makeindex occupies 136960
bytes.
The Windows version of makeindex occupies 77824
bytes. This is probably the 32 bit version.

The first form of makeindex works with Linux (any
64 bit version) and probably with OS X as well,
although I cannot verify that since I don't have
OS X. For the worry-warts there is a 32 bit
version of linux makeindex that I will track down
when needed.


There are two ways to create an index, embedded
and non-embedded. For those who prefer a
non-embedded version of an index I have already
offered the program tyro.tcl as phase 1. For a
semi-embedded version my phase 2 paper describes
the add-ons needed to Scribus to create an index
as the author composes the document. The only
change to existing code is to provide an icon or
menu item to activate the popup screen.
Everything else is add-on code to process the
screen, call Makeindex, and retrieve the
finished index (another icon?) at the end of the
book. 

I don't know whether a Scribus window can be
constructed to accept a word that is
highlighted and pasted but that will
simplify things. My standalone tyro.tcl program
allows one to highlight a word in the document and
paste it into the appropriate text window.

Phase2 is deliberately designed to be easy to
implement. Phase 3 will be a true embedded
method  where one can highlight a term and
use a keystroke combination to process the single
item. But I still suggest using the existing
processing engine makeindex. To duplicate it in 
new code will require hundreds of man-hours of
writing and testing code. There is no need to
reinvent the wheel in new and untested code.
 
The core indexing process is more difficult than
it appears. I deliberately did not go into the
details of actually creating the index, including
See and See also items, automatically
establishing page ranges, sorting Caps as if they
were lower case, using either letter or word
sorting and so on.

Makeindex takes care of all this already.

I will look into the scripting capability of
Scribus. Perhaps I can create Phase 2 as a
script, perhaps not. 


-- 
John Culleton
Wexford Press
Free list of books for self-publishers:
http://wexfordpress.net/shortlist.html
PDF e-book: "Create Book Covers with Scribus"
available at
http://www.booklocker.com/books/4055.html