Matrix Games Forums

Hi all,

Semi OT: Seeking help with "indexing" of the updated PDF manual (for WitE - I am in charge for it since release few years ago)...


As you guys might know I am in charge of updated WitE manual. During WitE development I was in charge of BETA WitE manual after initial work by Rafael and I defined the basic layout and TOC until professional native English speaker took over for release version.

After WitE release I took over once more and produced updated (i.e. "live") WitE manual that comes out with every new WitE patch (BETA or release).


The most recent WitE is v1.07.03 and with it I implemented bookmarks into WitE updated PDF manual. They are automatically opened on the left side when PDF is started just as it was with original (i.e. professional) WitE e-book manual.

What is still missing and I still don't know how to implement is the "indexing"... the tools I have (I have Adobe Pro at work) don't allow that...

Does anyone here, possibly, knows how to do it with some 3rd party add-ons?


Thanks for help in advance and sorry for this semi OT but I think that we are all one big community and such "cross overs" are not "no no"... [:)]


Leo "Apollo11"

I assume you are saying you don't have Adobe at home. Adobe includes the ability to generate a document index though I haven't tried it myself.

Edit: Looks like Acrobat creates a searchable but invisible index intended for Adobe Reader's search function. Your best bet for a visible index would be the utility below unless you have access to the manual in the original text format in which case the text editor may have index creation functions.

A quick internet search shows there are several 3rd party index generator utilities such as "PDF Index Generator" (http://www.pdfindexgenerator.com/) but I cannot find any utilities which are free.

I hope this helps.

You might want to search www.download.com for free software.

Plenty of utilities to index and search your pdf collections but utilities to create an index at the end of a single file seem a bit thinner on the ground.

I found a freeware utility Index Generator which creates and saves an document index to a separate file (MSWord, .pdf or .rtf format). You will need a separate program to append this index file to the original pdf document.

Hope this helps,

Hi all,

Thanks for suggestions guys - much appreciated! [:)]


BTW, I do have, of course, the WinWord file I work with and from which I create the PDF manual!

This is extended version (by me) of original manual + original pictures created by professional Manual writer for 2By3 and then send to Matrix (Matrix creates the final manual themselves)...


I will try some of the suggestions here ASAP!


Leo "Apollo11"

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

BTW, I do have, of course, the WinWord file I work with and from which I create the PDF manual!

In that case, MSWord has built in indexing functions. See How do I generate an index in Word? or similar articles. Google is your friend.

ORIGINAL: Reg

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Apollo11

BTW, I do have, of course, the WinWord file I work with and from which I create the PDF manual!

In that case, MSWord has built in indexing functions. See How do I generate an index in Word? or similar articles. Google is your friend.

I know of that document but when I tried it the index wasn't "jumpable" in PDF IIRC (i.e. in PDF you can't click on page number generated by index and jump to that page - I created whole WitE updated manual "jumpable" so that every link with section number is fully clickable)...


Leo "Apollo11"

Another suggestion I saw was to index documents before conversion to pdf was Adobe InDesign.

InDesign is Adobe's desktop publisher and can be integrated into the Acrobat suite of programs to create pdf documents. Unfortunately it is not cheap.

I have a copy of Acrobat suite on my daughters PC so I can see if it does the job. Unfortunately I am not familiar with it and I don't have much spare time to learn a new program so I will only test the indexing function if it will help you. (It's quite a daunting suite of programs for the uninitiated...)

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Reg

Another suggestion I saw was to index documents before conversion to pdf was Adobe InDesign.

InDesign is Adobe's desktop publisher and can be integrated into the Acrobat suite of programs to create pdf documents. Unfortunately it is not cheap.

I have a copy of Acrobat suite on my daughters PC so I can see if it does the job. Unfortunately I am not familiar with it and I don't have much spare time to learn a new program so I will only test the indexing function if it will help you. (It's quite a daunting suite of programs for the uninitiated...)

Thanks - great suggestion (which i completely forgot about)! [:D]

I only have Adobe Acrobat at work but my colleague (graphics artist) uses full Adobe Suite (we have CS5 license). I just asked him about this but he never tried it (i.e. there was never any need for such task) - his primary tools are Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign and he mostly works with picture stuff for publishing (posters, calendars, picture books etc.)...

I will look into documentation and figure it out (and create index on his workstation)! [:)]

Leo "Apollo11"

Does this look like what you are after???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFnEeKr3xfw

At time 14:50 it shows how to enable hyperlinks in the document index.

ORIGINAL: Apollo11
...
After WitE release I took over once more and produced updated (i.e. "live") WitE manual that comes out with every new WitE patch (BETA or release).
...

WHAT?!?! How come we don't get an updated manual with every new patch? I know there are lots of patches and unofficial on top of it, but still... I feel neglected. [:(][:(][;)]

ORIGINAL: Mistmatz

ORIGINAL: Apollo11
...
After WitE release I took over once more and produced updated (i.e. "live") WitE manual that comes out with every new WitE patch (BETA or release).
...

WHAT?!?! How come we don't get an updated manual with every new patch? I know there are lots of patches and unofficial on top of it, but still... I feel neglected. [:(][:(][;)]

Are you volunteering?? [:D]

[size=-2](The job is guaranteed to earn everyones eternal gratitude and comes with the usual fringe benefits - generous non-salary, dancing girls, reserved car park, etc.... [;)])[/size]