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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!bu-cs!jam
From: jam@bu-cs.UUCP (Jonathan A. Marshall)
Newsgroups: net.text,net.unix
Subject: Re: Indexes for nroff/troff
Message-ID: <655@bu-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-May-86 15:28:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.655
Posted: Thu May 22 15:28:30 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 25-May-86 11:48:37 EDT
References: <196@bsdpkh.UUCP>
Reply-To: jam@bucsd.UUCP (Jonathan Marshall)
Distribution: net
Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci.
Lines: 21
Keywords: index
Xref: watmath net.text:1094 net.unix:7946
Summary: Discussion of system for creating large indexes

In article <196@bsdpkh.UUCP> jrr@bsdpkh.UUCP (james r regan jr) writes:
>Currently trying to write an indexing function for nroff/troff
>text formatters.  I would appreciate any input on this..Also would
>like any information that anyone has on a postprocessor which will
>translate troff to HP 2686A LaserJet Printer....

I've written a system of programs for creating indexes for TeX documents.
I've used it to create extensive indexes for 3 books.  It works well;
however, it is still skill-intensive in the following areas:
  1. Selection of keywords to index,
  2. Dispatch of keyword instances to subcategories.

Since my system works with the original document file (stripped of TeX
commands), not the Tex output, it would be trivial to use it for nroff/
troff.  One would simply have to strip out the roff commands using the
Unix "deroff" program.

I'd be interested in hearing about any other methods or approaches
people have used for creating extensive (book-size) indexes with
either TeX or nroff/troff.  What difficulties did you encounter
handling large documents and indexes?