InDesign

Create a list of topics for an index

You can create or import a list of topics to use as a starting point when creating index entries. Later, when you add entries to the index, you can select topics from the topic list (instead of typing them each time) to ensure that information is indexed consistently throughout your document or book.

You create and edit a topic list using the Index panel in Topic mode. Note that Topic mode displays topics only; to preview index entries, with their associated page numbers and cross-references, use Reference mode instead.

Index panel in Reference mode (left) and Topic mode (right)

Topics in the topic list appear in the Index Entry dialog box as well. To create an index entry, simply select a topic and then associate it with a page or cross-reference. Unused topics (those without page or cross-references) are excluded when you generate an index.

Creating a topic list before you add index entries is optional. Each time you create an index entry, its topic is automatically added to the topic list for future use.

Add topics to the topics list

  1. Choose Window > Type & Tables > Index to display the Index panel.
  2. Select Topic.
  3. Choose New Topic from the Index panel menu or click the Create New Index Entry icon at the bottom of the panel.
  4. Do one of the following:

    • Under Topic Levels, type the topic name (for example, animals) in the first box. To create a subtopic, type a name (cats) in the second box. In this example, “cats” is indented under “animals.” To create a subtopic under the subtopic, type a name (Calicos) in the third box, and so on.

    • Select an existing topic. Enter subtopics in the second, third, and fourth boxes.

  5. Click Add to add the topic, which will now appear in the New Topic dialog box as well as the Index panel.
  6. Click Done when you’ve finished adding topics.
To delete a topic that you’ve just added, click Done, select the topic in the Index panel, and then click the Delete Selected Entry button.

Import topics from another InDesign document

  1. Choose Import Topics in the Index panel menu.
  2. Select the document containing the index topics you want to import, and then click Open.

Edit an index topic

Use the Index panel to edit entries before or after you generate an index. If you make changes to the index story itself, these changes will be lost when you regenerate the index.

  1. Open a document containing the index topics.
  2. In the Index panel, select Topic.
  3. In the preview area, double-click a topic to edit.
  4. Edit the topic as desired, and then click OK.