Wealth of Indexing Options in OpenOffice

OpenOffice offers such a wealth of indexing options.

Select Insert > Indexes and Tables from the main menu to display the sub-menu.



Select Indexes and Tables once again to display the main screen where you decide what goes into your TOC or Index, and how the finished product should look:



By using this screen, you can create a regular Table of Contents, Alphabetical Index, Illustration Index, Index of Tables, User Defined Index, Table of Objects, and a Bibliography.

You can select up to 10 levels of indentation but in my experience anything over 3 levels becomes confusing and distracting.

Again, from my own technical writing experience, an Index of Illustrations/Figures and an Index of Tables come in very handy when your document includes dozens and even hundreds of tables and figures. Readers really appreciate that.

You can create an index for the entire document/book or just for one chapter:



I created many documents in the past with chapters running upwards of a hundred pages. For chapters like that it's always very useful to have a mini TOC just for that chapter alone. With OO, you can accomplish that easily.

Indexes are always created form markers. OO allows you to select from the following marker types in creating your index:



(P.S. OpenOffice is a FREE open-source application.)