How to Add an Index to Your Book
An index lists the topics of your book and where each one appears. You mark the words in your text, and the Index section builds the list for you: page numbers in print, links in the e-book.
How the index works
You build your index in the Index panel, which opens on the right while you work in your text.
| In the Index panel | Means |
|---|---|
| Topic | A heading in your index: a name, a place, a subject. |
| Reference | A place in your text filed under a topic. It prints as a page number. In your text, its words get a green dashed underline. |
| Mention | Words that match a topic but aren’t filed under it yet. They get an amber underline. |
The underlines show only while the Index panel is open, so your text reads clean the rest of the time. To keep them on, open Index options (the settings button beside Add topics) and turn on Show index helpers at all times.
Topics and references belong to your whole book. How the index looks in print is set on the Index section’s settings page.
Where to find the Index panel
| Open it from | How |
|---|---|
| Edit Styles | Choose Index, under Index. |
| The Edit menu | Choose Index…. |
| The keyboard | Press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+XCtrl+Shift+X with nothing selected. |
| The Command Palette | Press Ctrl/Cmd+P⌘ Cmd+PCtrl+P and type Index. |
| Selected words | Open More actions and choose Add to Index. This also indexes the words. |
| The Index section | Click Open Index panel at the top of its settings page. |
How to mark words for your index
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Select the words: a name, a place, a term.
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Press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+XCtrl+Shift+X, or open More actions above the words and choose Add to Index. While the Index panel is open, the menu over your words also has an Index button.
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In the box that opens, file a name under the surname, add every other place your book uses the words, or click Done.
| In the box | To |
|---|---|
| Indexed as | Shows the topic the words went under: one whose name or other spellings match, or a new topic named after them. |
| File as | File a name under the surname: Darby Graham becomes Graham, Darby. Your text’s words still match it. |
| Add all N more | File every other place your book uses those words under the same topic. |
| Change | Pick another topic, or type a name to make one. |
| Done | Close the box. |
While the Index panel is open, click an indexed word to see its topics.
| On an indexed word | To |
|---|---|
| The star | Make this reference the topic’s main discussion: its page number prints in bold. |
| The arrow | Open the topic’s page in the Index panel. |
| The × | Remove this reference. The words stay in your text. |
| Also file under… | File the same words under a second topic too. |
Words in a caption, a footnote or an endnote are indexed in their own window: select them there and click Index, or press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+XCtrl+Shift+X.
How to index or skip a mention
A mention is a place where a topic’s words appear without a reference yet. Click one to decide.
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Click a word with an amber underline. A box names the topic it mentions.
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Click Index to file it under that topic, or Not a mention when the words mean something else there.
Not a mention sets the words aside for good: Lacuna never offers them again.
How to review every mention at once
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In the Index panel, find Needs attention at the top and click Review beside N mentions are not indexed yet.
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Look through the list: every mention, under its topic, checked. Click a row to see it in your text.
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Uncheck any you want to skip, or click Not a mention on one that means something else.
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Click Index all N.
Unchecked mentions are skipped until you reopen the book or change their paragraph.
How to add the Index section
Your index prints where your Index section is. Until you add one, Needs attention asks.
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Open the Index panel and find Needs attention at the top.
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Click Yes beside You do not have an index section. Or click Add New Section(s) at the bottom of the sidebar and choose Back Matter › Index.
The Index section goes at the end of your book and opens on its settings page.
The Index section has no text to type: Lacuna builds its list from your references every time you preview or export. An Index outside every volume lists your whole book. To give each volume of a box set its own, see index one volume.
How your index looks in print, e-books and Word
In your print-ready PDF, each topic prints with its page numbers. E-books have no fixed pages, so each reference is a numbered link (1, 2, 3) that jumps to its place. In Word, it is Word’s own index, which adds the page numbers when Word updates it. More on each, and every setting: Style Your Index.
Questions
How do I add an index to my book?
Add an Index section, then mark your topics: select the words and press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+XCtrl+Shift+X. The list builds itself, with page numbers in your print-ready PDF and links in your EPUB.
Why are words in my text underlined in amber?
They match a topic in your index but aren’t filed under it yet. Click one to index it or set it aside, or review them all. Green dashed words are already indexed.
Why does my index have no page numbers in the preview?
You’re in Print - Single Section (Fast), which lays out one section at a time. Choose Print - Whole Book (Slower) to see them. Your print-ready PDF always has them.
Can I type my index by hand?
No. The Index section has no text of its own: it prints the list Lacuna builds from the words you mark.