Glossary Compilation – Step by Step

First of all, make sure that all the documents you want to use to compile your glossary are in one folder. Then open IT and click on Glossaries|Multiple compilation. In the window that opens, navigate to the folder that has your documents in and click Okay. In the next window, make sure that Select File Type either shows *.* (which is all file types) or the correct type for the documents you want to compile from (.doc if they're MS Word documents, for instance).

Click Mark Files and you’ll see every file in that folder being selected. Just click on any one you don’t want at this stage to de-select it. Now click Extract Text then Compilation. This is where you get to play with a few things. Make sure the Word Selection Includes All Words is UNCHECKED – this is for use when making a glossary from a list – you don’t want EVERY word in most glossaries. The figures you put in the top two boxes depend on the size of file(s) you are working from – they are pretty self-explanatory and can be changed as often as you like before you finally Save the glossary. The boxes lower down in this screen are filled in by IT after it has compiled the glossary and are statistics which you can see change depending on what you have selected in the previous step.

Click Go and watch IT do its thing, but don’t blink! Voila! You have a glossary; it only remains for you to click Save and name it (if you are happy with the statistics, otherwise change a figure or two and do it again). Make sure you don’t delete the .glo extension when you name your glossary and be aware of which folder it is going in. I think it’s a good idea to create a folder for your own glossaries. I have one called My Compilations which is a subfolder of Exchange.

If you’ve just created a glossary you think you’ll want the next time you use Instant Text, at this stage go to Glossaries|Save active glossary list. That way you won't have to find and open the glossary as it will be in your list ready for use.

Also, make sure that under Options|Usage Options you have the Show Continuations checked.

MarieR