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(reftex)Defining Index Macros

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Defining Index Macros
=====================

   When writing a document with an index you will probably define
additional macros which make entries into the index.  Let's look at an
example.

     \newcommand{\ix}[1]{#1\index{#1}}
     \newcommand{\nindex}[1]{\textit{#1}\index[name]{#1}}
     \newcommand{\astobj}[1]{\index{Astronomical Objects!#1}}

   The first macro `\ix' typesets its argument in the text and places
it into the index.  The second macro `\nindex' typesets its argument in
the text and places it into a separate index with the tag `name'(1).
The last macro also places its argument into the index, but as subitems
under the main index entry `Astronomical Objects'.  Here is how to make
RefTeX recognize and correctly interpret these macros, first with Emacs
Lisp.

     (setq reftex-index-macros
           '(("\\ix{*}" "idx" ?x "" nil nil)
             ("\\nindex{*}" "name" ?n "" nil nil)
             ("\\astobj{*}" "idx" ?o "Astronomical Objects!" nil t)))

   Note that the index tag is `idx' for the main index, and `name' for
the name index.  `idx' and `glo' are reserved for the default index and
for the glossary.

   The character arguments `?x', `?n', and `?o' are for quick
identification of these macros when RefTeX inserts new index entries
with `reftex-index'.  These codes need to be unique. `?i', `?I', and
`?g' are reserved for the `\index', `\index*', and `\glossary' macros,
respectively.

   The following string is empty unless your macro adds a superordinate
entry to the index key - this is the case for the `\astobj' macro.

   The next entry can be a hook function to exclude certain matches, it
almost always can be `nil'.

   The final element in the list indicates if the text being indexed
needs to be repeated outside the macro.  For the normal index macros,
this should be `t'.  Only if the macro typesets the entry in the text
(like `\ix' and `\nindex' in the example do), this should be `nil'.

   To do the same thing with customize, you need to fill in the
templates like this:

     Repeat:
     [INS] [DEL] List:
                 Macro with args: \ix{*}
                 Index Tag      : [Value Menu] String: idx
                 Access Key     : x
                 Key Prefix     :
                 Exclusion hook : nil
                 Repeat Outside : [Toggle]  off (nil)
     [INS] [DEL] List:
                 Macro with args: \nindex{*}
                 Index Tag      : [Value Menu] String: name
                 Access Key     : n
                 Key Prefix     :
                 Exclusion hook : nil
                 Repeat Outside : [Toggle]  off (nil)
     [INS] [DEL] List:
                 Macro with args: \astobj{*}
                 Index Tag      : [Value Menu] String: idx
                 Access Key     : o
                 Key Prefix     : Astronomical Objects!
                 Exclusion hook : nil
                 Repeat Outside : [Toggle]  on (non-nil)
     [INS]

   With the macro `\ix' defined, you may want to change the default
macro used for indexing a text phrase (Note: Creating Index Entries).
This would be done like this

     (setq reftex-index-default-macro '(?x "idx"))

   which specifies that the macro identified with the character `?x'
(the `\ix' macro) should be used for indexing phrases and words already
in the buffer with `C-c /' (`reftex-index-selection-or-word').  The
index tag is "idx".

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) We are using the syntax of the `index' package here.