How to add a alfabetical index to the master index?

[BenEngbers]

I have a master document and several sub-documents.
The master-doc starts with a text-item. Following is a index.
Index-items are based on regular Heading n styles. 2 text-items - only containing a hard page-insert - are used to ensure that each chapter starts on a odd-numbered page.
The last item in the index is a alfabetical index. It is this item that gives me problems.

The default alfabetical index comes with a default paragraph style (the Dutch name is “Indexkop”) and looks like this: 4. Alfabetische index. The ‘4.’ can be removed by placing the cursor just before the ‘A’ and pressing the backspace.
I can add the Alfabetical index to the master index by adding extra styles on the first tab of the ‘edit index’ menu but the alfabetical index still shows up as 4. Alfabetische index.

How can I add the alfabetical index without having the counter?

Ben

[ajlittoz]

Please edit your question (don’t start a conversation, this is useless and clutters the topic) to better describe how you style your document(s).

Are you using built-in Heading n styles for your headings?

If your chapters, say level-1 headings, are to start systematically on an odd page, it is better to customise the Text Flow tab of Heading 1 paragraph style definition to force a page break “before” to page style Right Page. Insertion of a blank page is automatically managed. This is better than a manual break because any edit is taken into account while you could have to explicitly erase your manual break after an edit.

If the alphabetical index heading comes with a number, you surely have tampered paragraph styles or added a direct formatting somewhere which is inherited by all subsequent paragraphs.

The best thing you can do is to attach a sample file. You should be able to reproduce the mishap in 1- or 2-page standard document (don’t bother with master + subs).

[BenEngbers]

At your suggestion, I checked the paragraph style. And indeed a numbering style had been added. After removing that style the alfabetical index shows as intended.

[ajlittoz]

As a second thought, you may have a faulty numbering with your chapters. The symptom is the “continuous” numbering of Alphabetical Index.

You mention you inadvertently added a list style (you call it “numbering style”) to the index heading paragraph. As the chapter numbering counter is protected and can’t be added to any “common” style/paragraph, this means you numbered your headings as a list.

This is wrong as you potentially create a conflict between chapter and list numbering. You may also end up with weird numbering due to the various reset possibilities or the use of a list between heading.

Heading should be styled with Heading n family. Their numbering is triggered with Tools>Chapter Numbering. Don’t use any other list style! Notably, don’t use the bullet/number toolbar button(s) to add numbers. This is the surest way to create a mess.

[BenEngbers]

Your guess was correct, I indeed added a heading n style to the alfabetical index heading paragraph. After removing that heading n style and adding the alfabetic index to the main index, that index was created as expected.

Ben
PS. While drafting the question, I noticed again that some terms in English and Dutch use the same word but have different meanings. That makes it difficult to properly formulate the question. Is there also a page where the translations of the terms used can be found?

[ajlittoz]

The comment below is completely off topic according to AskLO goal, but I think it’s worth mentioning to illustrate how humble we should behave when asking or answering.


Vocabulary is the most crucial point in any help site, all the more in international environment. Unfortunately, I think there is no clear definition for terms.

A first difficulty is in the core source of LO itself. Sometimes the English name for a feature is either badly chosen (e.g. list style which in fact only controls the sequence counter and its appearance) or quite obscure (an “uncommon” word belonging to traditional typography; e.g. registration which has now been changed for “page line-spacing” and is no better than previously, losing its significance for those who knew).

Still in English, you may find similarities in words covering really different things, e.g. heading for block title – where “title” is reserved for book title – and header for both the area above main text and the contents of this header area.

These conventional terms are translated in your locale but translators are not always professional typographers and they may use incorrect or biased words. Yourself may have a diverging opinion about the effective word.

When you have a problem, you must guess-translate back into English and I must read through the lines, given my culture, my language and my centres of interest, to grasp the best understanding.

And the same difficulties arise when I answer because English is not my native language.

[ajlittoz]

I don’t see the relation between multiple installations and your question about alphabetical index.

It would surely be better to start a new topic with all relevant background.