Re: [Groff] Creating an index with mom

[Denis M. Wilson]

Writing index stuff was quite a lot of work, but worth the effort as
I've used it quite frequently.

Here's my remarks.

1. I used makeindex, which comes with the TeXLive package.

2. It uses a style file, and there are examples in the man page.

3. My macros use .write so troff cannot be used in safer mode. In
addition .sy is used to invoke makeindex. If the troff command were
wrapped in a shell script .write and .sy could be avoided, but the
output would be to stderr and would require disentangling from error
messages. 

4. The macros split into two parts: generating the index data and
formatting the output of makeindex.

5. Unlike cross references or table of content, indexing does not need
a second or third pass.

6. I wrote the macros using the -markup package: two-column; symbol
headings using the header commands of that package.

7. I posted previously in this group. See
    http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2012-09/msg00070.html

Denis

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
6. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
6. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
6. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
6. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
6. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
6. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
6. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
r. I wrote the mwcros unsingm thecs

On Tue, 22 Apr 2014 13:31:01 -0400
Peter Schaffter <address@hidden> wrote:

> Blake --
> 
> Sorry to take so long to respond.  Easter and all that.
> 
> On Sat, Apr 19, 2014, Blake McBride wrote:
> > I would absolutely prefer to have a one-size-fits-all index ability
> > within mom rather than no real ability at all.  Also, IMO, once a
> > one-size-fits-all index is added, I am sure format controls will
> > increasingly slip in and over time and ultimately lead to a very
> > powerful indexing ability.  We just need to start with a basic
> > ability first.  IMO, this would be a very powerful addition to
> > mom's already existing TOC ability.
> > 
> > Has anything been done along these lines?
> 
> Quick answer: no.  Main reason: time. :)
> 
> The subject of indexing in mom first came up about a decade ago
> at an OCLUG talk I gave.  I spent some time afterwards with a
> very knowledgeable archivist/librarian--name escapes me--who made
> me aware that indexing is both a science and an art.  In almost
> no other area of document design are expressive formatting and
> content so closely linked.  I agreed with him that full indexing
> capabilities would be a feather in mom's cap, but concluded then,
> as now, that it would take months of committed work to iron out the
> bugs.  Still haven't managed to buy myself that chunk of time.
> 
> I have an aversion to LISP so xindy is out (someone once remarked
> that LISP stands for Lost In Superfluous Parentheses), and I'm not
> well-versed about makeindex.  However, I'm thinking that if Denis
> has got indexing working with makeindex, perhaps the best route to
> go with mom would be to adapt the indexing facilities from -markup.
> 
> Denis, if you have any thoughts on this, I'd welcome them.
> 


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