When you develop index entries, consider the tasks that the user will want to accomplish, previous versions of the Microsoft product that may have used different terms, and the terminology of similar products that the user might be familiar with. These principles are the same for both printed and online indexes.

Try to think like a user. A user who wants to delete paragraphs will probably look for the information under “paragraphs” and “deleting,” possibly under “Delete command,” but most likely not under “using Delete.”

When you create new main entries, place the important word first. Depending on the kind of material, that word should probably be a noun (commands, addresses, graphs), but it can be a gerund (copying, selecting). Do not use nonessential words as the first in an entry and do not use vague gerunds such as “using” or “creating.”

Invert entries whenever possible. For the previous example, you would include an entry for “paragraphs, deleting” and one for “deleting paragraphs.” Other examples include items such as “arguments, command line” and “command-line arguments.” Page numbers for inverted entries should match exactly.

Likewise, if you use synonyms to help the user find information in more than one place in the index, modifiers, subentries, and page numbers should match.

Consider as subentries these generic terms, especially when a topic is covered in various places in the book: defined (to refer to a term), described (to refer to an action), introduction, overview.

Avoid the use of prepositions to begin subentries. In some cases, however, prepositions can clarify relationships. Do not use articles to begin subentries.

Do not repeat a main term in the subentry.

Microsoft style

pointers

Not Microsoft style

pointers

Try not to use more than five page references after an entry. Subentries give more direction to the user. Do not, however, use only one subentry; there must be two or more.

Microsoft style

paragraphs,1 deleting 72

Microsoft style

paragraphs

Not Microsoft style

paragraphs

Not Microsoft style

If possible, use only one level of subentries, but never more than two. Localized indexes can become unreadable with two levels of subentries because entry words are often lengthy and must be broken. If your group decides to use two levels of subentries, you should inform the localization team as early as possible.

Microsoft style (one level of subentries)

paragraph formatting 75

paragraphs, deleting 72

Microsoft style (two levels of subentries)

paragraphs

If a main entry is followed by subentries, do not leave the main entry as a widow at the bottom of a column. Also, if a list of subentries is long and will run over to a second column, repeat the main entry, followed by the word continued, which is lowercase, in parentheses, and italic (including the parentheses), at the beginning of the second column. If the column break occurs between two second-level subentries, repeat the main entry, followed by continued, and the subentry, also followed by continued. The word continued is lowercase, in parentheses, and italic (including the parentheses). Avoid leaving only one subentry before or after column breaks.

Microsoft style (main entry continued)

Microsoft style (subentry continued)

Not Microsoft style

Not Microsoft style

Separate multiple page references with commas. Separate page ranges with en dashes. If space is limited, it is all right to use hyphens instead of en dashes to indicate page ranges. Do not abbreviate page references.

If possible, avoid long multiple-page references that list consecutive pages. A page range might better represent the topic. Likewise, avoid chapter or section length page ranges if the topic is clearly shown in the table of contents. Users prefer to be able to find more specific information.

Microsoft style

paragraphs 24, 47, 126–130

Not Microsoft style

paragraphs 24, 47, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130

Use the index style in the same design template that you used for your document. The font should be the same as that in the book, but in a smaller point size.

In general, do not use special character formatting such as bold, monospace, or italic for entries. Use italic for cross-references (See and See also references).

Use all lowercase for all index entries except those words that require capitalization and See and See also references.

Use the plural form of all main entries that are nouns, except where it is awkward or illogical to do so. The following table shows examples of both plural and singular uses according to Microsoft style.

Limit the use of prepositions and articles. Use them only when they are necessary for clarity or sense. In general, do not use articles unless required for clarity.

Microsoft style

child windows

structures, in programming for Windows 200

Use a gerund rather than the infinitive or the present tense form for entries about actions, processes, or procedures.

Microsoft style

selecting

shapes

substituting text 255

Not Microsoft style

select

shapes

Use the abbreviation vs. (including the period) in index entries.

Microsoft style

voice, active vs. passive 98

An index can have the following types of cross-references:

See

See also

See specific (name of item)

See also specific (name of item)

See herein

Format the See, See also, and See herein phrases in italic, and capitalize See to avoid confusion with the actual entries. Use lowercase for the name of the entry referred to.

Place See cross-references on the same line as the entry, separated by two spaces. Place See also references on a separate line and sort them as the first subentry. (Optionally, if the main entry has no other subentries, you can place a See also reference on the same line. See the “pontoons” entry in the following example.)

Do not use page numbers with cross-references. Alphabetize multiple topics following one cross-reference and separate them with semicolons.

Microsoft style

airplanes See planes

airports See specific airport

floatplanes 101–105

planes

pontoons 98 See also floatplanes

seaplanes

steering See rudders

water

The sequence of index entries is governed by:

Special characters are sorted before letters. Apostrophes, hyphens, and slashes are ignored.

Microsoft style

_name changers

name

name changers

name, changers

name taker

namechanger

NAME.CHANGERS

name:changers

name_changers

namechangers

namechanger’s

name-changers

name/changers

namesake

Special characters appear at the beginning of the index, followed by numeric entries, sorted in ascending order. Alphabetical entries then follow. Separate the categories with headings if there are many of them; if there are only a few, no special separation is necessary. Use the heading Symbols for special characters if you use a heading.

Index special characters at least twice. List each character by its symbol, followed by its name in parentheses, as the next example shows. Also list each character by name, followed by its symbol in parentheses. You might also want to index some characters under a general category, such as “operators.”

Special characters that are not part of a word are sorted in ASCII sort order. The name of the character follows in parentheses. They appear at the beginning of the index, followed by numeric entries.

Microsoft style

% (percent)

& (ampersand)

( (opening parenthesis)

) (closing parenthesis)

* (asterisk)

| (pipe)

~ (tilde)

Special characters followed by letters or within a word are ignored in alphabetizing and are usually included in the alphabetical listing. Sometimes, however, you may want to include such entries in both the alphabetical list and in the list of special characters.

Microsoft style

*Error*

errors, correcting

^p

paragraphs

#VALUE

values

Numeric entries should be placed in ascending order, with entries containing only numbers falling before those containing both numbers and letters. This requires editing to correct the computer sort. Compare these two lists of sorted numeric entries:

Numbers follow the list of special characters and precede alphabetical entries.

Microsoft alphabetizes word by word, not letter by letter. That is, words separated by spaces or commas are treated as two words. Alphabetizing stops at the end of a word unless the first word of two or more entries is the same. Then the first letter of the second word determines alphabetical order, and so on. Letter-by-letter alphabetization ignores spaces, treating each entry as one word. Compare the columns in the following table to see the difference. For more information, see The Chicago Manual of Style.