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Conference vaxuum::online_bookbuilding

Title:Online Bookbuilding
Notice:This conference is write-locked: see note 1.3.
Moderator:VAXUUM::UTT
Created:Fri Aug 12 1988
Last Modified:Mon Jul 15 1991
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:440
Total number of notes:2134

303.0. "Mysterious Comma in Index" by DICKNS::TEDFORD () Fri Mar 23 1990 15:32

    Extraneous entry in the index using ONLINE.HANDBOOK.
    At the top of the index, there was an entry for "," but
    there is no such entry in the hardcopy output from
    CUP_HANDBOOK and there are no corresponding <x> entries
    in the SDML files.
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
303.1Click on comma!PEGGYO::FARINAMon Apr 09 1990 17:1522
    I'd like to reiterate Bob's request for help.  Let me stress that we
    are talking about the *same* documment.  This is not a second iteration
    of this problem.
    
    When the files are processed for PS with CUP_HANDBOOK, we get no comma
    in the index.  When the exact same files are processed in ONLINE.HAND
    for the BOOKREADER, we get this comma (,) in the index.  When we click
    on the entry, several options are available!
    
    A thorough search was done of the two chapters referenced in the pop-up
    window, and then for the rest of the .SDML files.  We cannot find any
    reason for this.  Unfortunately, we are out of time, and this will go
    out on the May disk as is.
    
    This has not happened in any of our other books.  The chapters in
    question are command sections with syntax diagrams, examples and
    tables.
    
    We are running VAX DOCUMENT V1.2-B, BOOKREADER V2.0.  Log and SDML
    files can be made available, if necessary.
    
    Susan
303.2Need a sample file.CLOSET::GRANTI&#039;ve saved $2425.00 since I quit smoking.Tue Apr 10 1990 09:095
    Could you send a (hopefully) short .SDML file that I could use for
    testing?  So far, I haven't had any luck duplicating your problem.
    
    Thanks,
    	Wayne
303.3appears to be an indexer bugRAGMOP::UTTThu Apr 12 1990 15:3715
    This appears to be a bug in the V1.2B indexing software and occurs when
    the MASTER attribute is used with index entries. This and the problem
    reported in note 313 are basically the same. Using files supplied by
    Susan Farina (.1) and by Diane Taylor (note 313), we were able to
    reproduce the problem for *both* hardcopy and online under 1.2B, but
    not under 1.2A (which produced correct indexes).
    
    We will add this bug to the list to be fixed for the next release
    of DOCUMENT. 
    
    There does not appear (to me) to be any good workaround, other than
    removing the MASTER attribute from index entries, or editing the
    bogus comma entries out of the xxx_INDEX.TEX file. 
    
    Mary
303.4conditionalizing as a workaround?VIA::EPPESI&#039;m not making this up, you knowThu Apr 12 1990 18:239
    RE .3 --

>    There does not appear (to me) to be any good workaround, other than
>    removing the MASTER attribute from index entries, or editing the
>    bogus comma entries out of the xxx_INDEX.TEX file.

    What about conditionalizing the master index entries?  
    
							-- Nina
303.5I'll try conditions and let you knowPEGGYO::FARINAFri Apr 13 1990 11:2313
    RE: .3
    
    Thanks, Mary.  At least we know what's going on, and can find some way
    to make it "liveable."
    
    RE: .4
    
    That's the first thing I thought when I read Mary's note, Nina.  Will
    conditionals work?  I'll give it a try with a sample file and report
    back here on how it worked.
    
    
    Susan
303.6hardcopy, tooRAGMOP::UTTFri Apr 13 1990 13:3111
    Conditionalizing would be fine if the problem were only in the online
    indexes BUT (despite the assertion to the contrary in .0) I got the
    same results (a bogus comma entry at the top) in *hardcopy* output as
    well. I tried both software.reference and cup_handbook doctypes. (If
    someone has a file that is OK for hardcopy but not for online, please
    send it to me.)
    
    Besides, if there were a lot of MASTER index entries, conditionalizing
    them would be an awfully tedious chore.
    
    Mary
303.7Sorry - missed that comment!PEGGYO::FARINAFri Apr 13 1990 15:3813
    We *do* have a ton of Master entries, Mary, and even though I read that
    you had recreated the problem hardcopy, too, it didn't register in my
    brain (that's what I get for going out on a Thursday night!).  I
    haven't *had* to run hardcopy, so I haven't.
    
    What I will do is process the sample file for postscript and check the
    pages.  If they appear elsewhere in the index, under an entry other
    than , (comma) we won't have any problems deleting those entries as you
    suggested.  We may be losing the equivalent of a cross-reference,
    though.  I'll let you know what I discover.
    
    
    Susan 
303.8Solution for extraneous "," in IndexREORG::JALBERTFri May 25 1990 15:0920
RE .3

I do believe I have discovered what is causing the "," in the index.
Upon checking into this I discovered that the entries were all 
\begin and \end entries. What causes the comma to come out is when there 
is a space between \begin \master. These entries were also not showing up 
in the master index so if you were to just delete them they wouldn't
show up anywhere. When you remove the space the entry is then recognized 
and the comma goes away. So if you code master index entries with begin and end
ranges as follows:

<x>(Index entry\begin\master)
<x>(Index entry\end\master)
                   ^NOSPACE HERE OR ABOVE

it seems to resolve the problem. I believe one of the writers in our group
has put this in as a QAR. Hope this helps anyone else who may have this
problem.

Sally
303.9Indexer bugs fixed in next releaseCLOSET::GRANTI&#039;ve saved $2503.50 since I quit smoking.Fri Jun 01 1990 17:4823
Just to provide everyone with the latest status for this note.

The problem with the "," entries in indexes is an Indexer bug and the fix will
be available in the next release.  The next release will be the field test
version of VAX DOCUMENT V2.0.  Look for announcement of its availability in
either this conference or the CLOSET::DOCUMENT notes conference

A second problem, not reported in this notes conference, has also been fixed
for the next release.  It was causing a bookbuild failure during the Index
processing phase.  This problem appeared when \<XSORT> was used.  For
example:

<x>(Red Apple \<xsort>(Apple) \bold)

would cause the following error message:

%INX-E-BADATTR, illegal tag argument attribute list syntax in tag
   <X> (_( SORT="Apple" ,)Red Apple).
%DOC-E-ERROR_INDEXER, Errors found by the indexing facility


Wayne