Indexing software

[Russethouse]

Has anyone got any experience of any easy to use, indexing software, compatible with Windows XP please ?

[Will]

We played a lot with early versions back in the days when I was involved closely with technical publications (instruction manuals etc) but none of it was very good. Mind you, that was when WordStar was the industry standard word processor and a 64kB memory with a 10MB hard disc (or Winchester as it was known then) meant you had a very powerful computer.

MS Word has quite powerful indexing tools built in, which knock those primitive stand-alone programs for six. Quark XPress, the publishing program I use a lot professinally at the moment has something similar. If you do want a separate program, this might help http://www.asindexing.org/site/software.shtml.

[Deimos]

I tried two different ones Google and the MS system. The main thing I was looking for was something that included e-mails, saved e-mail folders, files, etc. in any search. The Google one was OK but the presentation of the results was not to my liking and its opening of e-mails found in the search was poor.

The Microsoft one was actually very good. There are a load of add-ins to allow file types not included in the default set to be included in the indexing in an intelligent way (e.g. pdf's, files in Zip archives (plus other archive formats, etc.). When it e-mails (in Outlook in my case) are found in the result set then they are opened properly in the correct format (unlike the Google system). Similarly, Word, Excel spread sheets, etc. are all scanned intelligently.

I can recommend the MS system, although I actually no longer use it. I stopped using it as I found I was rarely doing searches so to keep things tidy I got rid of it - i.e. lack of use rather than it not working.

If you want to try the MS one its called "Windows Desktop Search" currently 3.0 Beta (I was using an earlier one and it was totally robust (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=36e38453-6e20-4cf7-8bfc-1cac7f35da49&DisplayLang=en).

Both the MS and Google ones are free downloads.

Ian

[Russethouse]

As you might know I edit  the Journal of the pottery club (its French pottery) I belong to, although we have a 'contents' we do not have an index - with 9 years of Journals (only 2 a year) I think it would be a good idea to have a proper index however this probably means scanning in the Journals and re saving the text back into word files then indexing it - hopefully I will be able to find a volunteer or two, (no guarantees) but the simpler it is the more likely it is to get done.

I'll have a look at the links - many thanks for your help. Let me know if the way I have described it is wrong !

[Deimos]

I probably mis-interpreted what you were looking for (I was thinking in terms of general computer indexing rather than indexes in a publication). Both the MS and Google systems are more like a "Google"/web search on words you type in. thus, e.g. enter a search for "science" and it will list all documents, files, e-mails, etc. that contain the word "science".

Probably not what you were looking for.

Sorry - ignore what I said.

Ian

[Dick Smith]

Gay - have a look at Filemaker Pro. If you need any advice, happy to oblige.

[Russethouse]

Many thanks Dick -