Is there any way of showing hidden tags in Writer, as for instance in indexing markups, so that I can search and edit them directly rather than using the indexing macros provided?
The word tag is ambiguous. Please, edit your description to describe what you mean. Are the index entries your only concern?
You can have a visual feedback of formatting “tags” with View>Formatting Marks. Similarly, fields are indicated with View>Field Shadings. But I do not know of any setting for inline display of index entry content. Existence of index entry is shown when View>Field Shadings is enabled. Nothing more.
It’s the inline display of index entry content that I’m after. I’d like to be able to edit it directly or write my own macros. This is a facility I had years ago in Word, and it speeded my indexing up.
I’m not seeing the index entry when hovering. I have the View settings ticked as specified. I’m using Version: 6.0.7.3 Build ID: 1:6.0.7-0ubuntu0.18.04.10. I was hoping to gain access to the stored indexing data for each entry (embedded? concordance file?) so that I could write macros or scripts. I’ve tried exporting to xml and can’t see anything there.
My version is 6.4.6.2. There may have been changes in hover display since 6.0 but I don’t remember for sure.
Another factor is your personal choice between “spot” and “range” index. Personally, I prefer to select the whole word or sequence of words over which the index is defined (this is what I call “range” indexing). You can also insert your entry at the cursor position (no range selected) with the same result in the Index (this is what I call “spot” indexing). But, since this is only a very narrow location (in fact it has no spatial extension), it may be difficult to trigger the tooltip.
Just hover your mouse over a location having an index entry. A tooltip will display the index entry content. It is easier to spot index entries if you enable (View>Formatting Marks and) View>Field Shadings.
To edit an index entry, right-click on the field shading and Index Entry. Once the Edit Index Entry dialog is open, you can navigate from one entry to the next/previous with the heavy arrow buttons.
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In case you need clarification, edit your question (not an answer which is reserved for solutions) or comment the relevant answer.
To get the correct answer, let me make an analogy to MS Word. In MS Word, the index item entry may be inserted by hand (writing). Place the curser to any point in text and press Ctrl+F9, automatically index field brackets { } are created. Then you may insert in it whatever you want, like in the format { XE “John” \f “k” }. You must first insert the indexing command XE, “John” is the index entry you want to see in the index list at the back of the book, \f “…” switch defines the index key (all the index entries defined by the same index key- actually a single unicode character). … After finishing to insert an index item entry, you may show and edit it. By pressing ¶ (Pilcrow sign) on the Word insert tab, you see all index entries and edit like any text. … A similar editing means must exist in the LibreOffice, we see entry locations by shadow and by right clicking we can open the index inserting tab but not see all the parameters. Because the Writer must be holding all the index entries like MS Word, we must be able to see (in the text directly, not on the newly opened tab) and edit all the parameters. A want to use GNU/Linux instead of Win and want to transfer very big word document to LibreOffice. Therefore must try and be sure to learn how to solve the problem. Thanks a lot.
Is this an “answer” to initial question, or a question by itself? It seems to be the latter case.
Please consider deeply that Wrister is NOT a drop-in replacement for Word. The suites are based on different founding principles. If you want to convert existing documents, you must thoroughly understand these principles and their differences to succeed.
If I understand correctly your request, it is more a matter of user interface than feature. You seem to describe a modification procedure for index entries which does not presently exist in Writer.
But also, you don’t master the index entry feature:
All parameters are shown in the edit dialog. The role "John" is played by the text selection before you Insert>TOC & Index>Index Entry; \f “k”` by the Entry text box (which defaults to what is selected). And you’re offered more powerful indexing capabilities with 1st key and 2nd key for hierarchical indexation.
EDIT 2024-10-03
After re-reading you post, I think you didn’t map the correspondence betwee Word and Writer index entry configuration. Your \k flag is equivalent to 1st key in the Writer dialog (and Writer even provides a 2nd key for a second level hierarchy.
When you right-click the gray shading for an index entry, you re-open the same dialog and you can change your keys . If this does not happen, something is wrong either in your procedure or in your installation.
From the index dialog, you can navigate to all other entries by pressing the thick arrow buttons. What ios not possible is to navigate only among entries having the same key.
This an “answer” to initial question and the explanations related to it, because as I know, all are related with the same question. Of course we know the differences between MS Word and LibreOffice Writer and not expect to see the same symbology in hidden tags. The same “edit dialog” also exist in MS Word similarly, but in Word you can see and edit the hidden index tag in Word while not see in the Writer. There must be a way in LibreOffice Writer to show the hidden tags as in the Word (visible in text form by some means, and must be editable). i.e. My request is a matter of feature not user interface. Because after you enter the parameters in the edit dialogue, LibreOffice Writer automatically inserts a hidden tag to the position of your cursor. In my previous analogy in MS Word, for example you want to set up two different index list by \f … switch, by \f “k” you use to list human names (tagged by k index letter), and another list to show bird names by \f “m” (another index letter). If you cannot see the hidden tag in visible/editable form you cannot do any adjustment, corrections, edits etc.
And now this definitely not an answer but a comment on my last post.
This site is not a forum: not all posts are equivalent and this is purposely to help newcomers to see if a question has solutions of simply comments for clarification, discussion, extension, … By using answers instead of comments, you create confusion. So, please repost your non-answer as a comment in the right thread and delete your non-answer.
Excuse me, I thought this site as a forum. How can I direct to the related forum to discuss and find a solution to the problem?
You still keep on using answers instead of comments. You create a comment by clicking on the “bubble” callout. Have you read the site guidelines available on the home page?
This site is dedicated to users’ problem, trying to find a solution or a workaround.
Feature requests are suggested on the Bugzilla site but it has its own formalism if you hope to be followed. And you better be accurate and detailed in your description and proposed specification. However be aware there are rather few developers (unless you volunteer to implement yourself your suggestion).
https://www.libreoffice.org/ has a “GET HELP” page (Community Assistance) where various channels are listed. Among these, there an IRC channel which is probably the closest to a forum.