How to format an Index and set tab space in two columns

[LSemmens]

I am relatively new to LibreOffice having years of experience with M$ Office. I am running LibreOffice

Version: 6.0.1.1 (x64)

Build ID: 60bfb1526849283ce2491346ed2aa51c465abfe6

CPU threads: 2; OS: Windows 10.0;
UI render: default; Locale: en-AU (en_AU); Calc: group

My attempts at creating a 2 Column index in writer have inconsistent results I have flagged my index entries througout the document and initially all worked as intended with the format of the index as’ intended

e.g.
Name of index entry…27 | Name of other entry…42

I found one entry for some reason formatted as CAPS. I deleted said entry in the document and re-inserted it. So far, So good. HOWEVER… on refreshing the index all the entries are shown in the correct order, however the page number is now formatted as and Index 2 style and the page number is pushed to the RHS of the page, NOT the column. Why the page number is relegated to a secondary entry AND why it is formatted as a page entry and not a column entry is beyond me. I’ve tried manually setting the styles for the index to force the tab as 9cm Right Justified have no effect. The index entry is set as the primary entry whilst the page number is set as a secondary entry (hence a second line).

There must be some setting somewhere that is being flagged, but I have NO IDEA what, or where. HELP???
Thanks, in advance.

[LSemmens]

I’ve just discovered that if I delete the index entry in the main document and re-create it that the formatting goes back as it should. The only changes made from when the document was created and working correctly was a file save, close down writer, and move the document to my file server and re-open it some 24 hours later.

[ajlittoz]

By chance, did you save it in native format (.odt) or some external format like .doc or .docs?

[LSemmens]

I was about to edit my previous answer to that. You are correct, it was saved as a docx file because I still have M$ machines that I use. Saving as odt does not appear to have the issue. So it is a solution, of sorts. Is there any way to show the underlying code that creates the index entry e.g. in Word it would be in the form of a field code {INDEX /i, “Blah Blah” } or the like. In Writer, all it seems to do is highlight the indexed word.

[ajlittoz]

Collaborative work is a real issue without satisfactory solution. As a rule of thumb, always save native and export only final version in foreign format (this is true for any application, not only LO). By the way, M$ Word understands ODF since at least 2009. Of course, don’t expect 100% compatibility.

AFAIK there is no “index field code”. There was an “index entry navigator” in previous versions but it seems to have disappeared.

[jimk]

Is there any way to show the underlying code…

.docx and .odt can both be unzipped to show underlying XML content.

[LSemmens]

Thank you for your assistance. I shall continue with ODT format for now as I am hoping to transition to Linux in the future and it will make my life a lot easier. On another topic Macros are another issue. Time for another thread methinks.

How do I flag as solved? (well, after a fashion)

[ajlittoz]

Click on the grey checkmark at left. It then turns green. But, since this is your own answer, it is likely you haven’t enough karma to do that. If this is the case, please report and I’ll do it for you.