Index Builder compiles and flows an index for your yearbook automatically. For full details, see the Index Builder PDF Guide, also available from the Help menu in eDesign.
Here’s an overview of the process:
- Launch Index Builder: Go to the Book module, then choose Edit > Build Index.
- What Index Builder scans by default: Text frames (sequences of two or more capitalized words), name tags on images, topics and sections in the ladder, and portraits placed on pages.
- Review and edit entries before flowing:
- Ignore: Select an entry and click Ignore to move it to the Ignored Entries list so it won’t appear in the final index.
- Combine: Select two entries for the same person (e.g., “Susanna Adams” and “Miss Adams”), click Combine, and choose which version of the name to keep.
- Edit: Change how a name appears, manually adjust page numbers, or toggle capitalization (title case or uppercase).
- Fuse: For proper nouns that shouldn’t be formatted as last name, first name (e.g., “Ninth Grade Academy”), use Fuse to place all words in the Last Name field so they index naturally.
- Click Save and Return to Book at any time — you can re-launch Index Builder later to continue editing.
- Flow the index: Click Next to set formatting options: starting page number, number of columns, column spacing, and character styles for index letters and entries. Click Continue to Layout to adjust column heights and placement, then click Flow Index to place text frames on the pages.
- Important: Make all edits in Index Builder before making manual adjustments on the pages. If you reflow the index after editing text frames directly on pages, those manual changes will not be retained.