From Technical Communication vol 54 no 3 August 2007 p.363

When does a Web site need an index? Website Indexes answers this and several other questions regarding indexes for Web sites. Among the other questions are
- How do I create a Web site index?
- Is there free software that can help me build such an index?
- How can I learn to use the software to build a site index?

The focus of the book is learning to use XRefHT32, free open-source software, to create Web site indexes. The book meets the needs of newbie indexers in covering basic indexing techniques. It also challenges more experienced indexers with metadata and team indexing techniques.

Sites that seldom delete files are considered stable enough that an index is worth the effort and cost to create. I would add that sites that have a growing archive of information would do well to have a regularly updated index. Sites that experience frequent changes, especially file deletions, would not be good prospects for an index because of creation of broken links.

Author James Lamb provides a comparison of site navigation tools, particularly search engines and indexes. He points out more of the advantages of indexes over search engines with little to say for the latter other than the difference in affordability.

XRefHT32 works with HTML files on a Web site. Lamb discusses absolute and relative URL links in terms of the location of the index relative to the Web site. He describes how the software extracts page titles and anchors from the coded pages into a table where the URL links are placed with additional columns for index heading and subheadings. From here you can add and edit the headings for conversion to the final index.

The book covers indexing issues such as overriding the sort order, using images to indicate file types, restricted access, and remote location of files. Lamb covers the use of templates to format indexes, ranging from fitting the index into the Website design to style preferences. He also discusses how to design an A-Z index bar for fast access to a large index.

This is all topped off with an example of an indexing procedure for a basic Web site index. Extras in the book include the XRefHT32 reference manual, a resources section, and an indexing assessment questionnaire for evaluating the size and scope of such a project. You can find the Web site to obtain XRefHT32 located in the resource section.

In most books on indexing, you can expect to find a very good index. This book is no exception. Read it, use it, and perhaps your site index will look nearly as good as the author's site index. You can view it live at the author's Web site at www.jalamb.com

Review by Linda Kenny Sloan

From The Indexer Vol. 25 No. 3 April 2007, p.223

This is my first experience with a print-on-demand or self-published book. I must admit that my expectations were rather low, but the book has passed the test very well. It is smallish with a glossy soft paper cover that still looks glossy after intensive use, and the binding has withstood my ill-treatment. The print is clear and pleasant on the eye.

The book claims to be a complete guide to building and maintaining website indexes. It assumes no prior knowledge of indexing in general or HTML in particular. The first 79 pages contain comprehensive instructions on how to build a website index, starting with basics such as website access and how to measure the job for a quote. There follows a step-by-step guide, using the freeware software XRefHT32, to creating an actual web index. A third or more of the book (pp. 81–118) is a reference manual for the XRefHT32 software. As the creator of XRefHT32, Professor Tom Craven, didn’t intend to produce a manual himself, this clearly fills a gap. The book has a solid index.

Website Indexes is a great introduction to web indexing in general and is also a good practical guide to working with XRefHT32. After downloading the software, I was able immediately to take my first tentative steps in making a website index. The writing is matter of fact and to the point. The screenshots are helpful. As you work your way through the book you are introduced among other things to creating headings, adding cross-references, adding anchors and using templates to change the ultimate look of the index. Advice on the use of thesauri in indexing specialist websites is coupled with information about a thesauri ‘plug-in’ for XRefHT32, which can also be downloaded free from Tim Craven’s website (http://publish.uwo.ca/~craven/freeware.htm). Another free ‘plug-in’ (which gets just a passing mention), ExtPhr32, shows the number of occurrences of words and phrases in a text. One chapter explains how an index file from a dedicated back-of-the-book software program can be converted for use in XRefHT32. XRefHT32 software is free, so (with this manual to turn to) it is a good way for indexers to test whether website indexing is for them. (The more sophisticated HTML Indexer© has a price tag of $239.95.)

All in all, Website Indexes is a welcome addition to the only other book I know on the subject, Website indexing by Glenda Browne and Jonathan Jermey. So if you really are interested in web indexing, this is a good buy.

Review by Pierke Bosschieter, freelance indexer