Re: [docbook-apps] xref to indexterm

["Bob Stayton" <bobs at sagehill dot net>]

Well, believe it or not, there was a request awhile back to link into the
index. It is a good starting point for finding out information about a
certain topic if you don't have a specific reference in mind.

Maybe you should do this as a customization.  I think the semantics of an
xref to an indexterm is a bit muddied, because the indexterm serves two
purposes. When processed, it becomes a marker with an id, but there is no
text at that location.  Rather, the text appears in the index, but without
the id.  I guess I'm having trouble with the idea of linking to an invisible
element. There is no guarantee that the text of the link appears at the
target location.  It does in your case because the firstterm has the text.
Why not link to the firstterm instead?

Bob Stayton
Sagehill Enterprises
DocBook Consulting
bobs@sagehill.net


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sam Steingold" <sds@gnu.org>
To: "Bob Stayton" <bobs@sagehill.net>
Cc: <docbook-apps@lists.oasis-open.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 11:02 AM
Subject: Re: [docbook-apps] xref to indexterm


> Hi Bob,
>
> > * Bob Stayton <obof@fntruvyy.arg> [2005-01-05 09:47:55 -0800]:
> >
> > Is your intention to xref to the indexterm marker in the text, or to
> > the generated index entry in the index?
>
> I want
>   <xref linkend="format-dot"/>
> to be rendered as
>   <a href="#format-dot">~.</a>
> pointing to the place in the main text where the <firstterm> element was
> located, i.e., the <xref> should point to the same location in the text
> where the index entry will be pointing, not the index entry itself.
> [in fact, I can hardly imagine why would one want to point to the index]
>
> > The stylesheets will need more than just an xref-to template for
> > indexterm to be able to link into an index.  Currently any id on an
> > indexterm is used for the inline marker that is the destination for
> > the link *from* the index entry.  You wouldn't be able to use the same
> > id for the index entry in the index.  Can you clarify what you expect
> > this to do?
>
> I view index as another kind of a TOC.
> people will want to start from it,
> but you don't want to link _into_ it,
> mostly because TOC is in the beginning and index is at the end
> and thus both are trivial to find.
>
> > Maybe even file a feature request with a complete explanation and
> > example?  8^)
>
> wouldn't that be an overkill for such a simple thing? :-)
>
>
> -- 
> Sam Steingold (http://www.podval.org/~sds) running w2k
> <http://www.camera.org> <http://www.iris.org.il> <http://www.memri.org/>
> <http://www.mideasttruth.com/> <http://www.honestreporting.com>
> A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits.
>
>