BYTETOOLS

Book Index Generator

Turn a list of terms and page numbers into a sorted book index with letter headings, merged page ranges, sub-entries and See / See also cross-references.

5
Main entries
3
Sub-entries
36
Locators
3
Cross-references

Generated index

C

Cameras                     44–46, 1496–500
    rangefinder             47

D

Darkroom                    See Photography, film

E

Exposure                    xii, xiii, 8–10, 88

L

Lens coatings               See Optics

P

Photography                 12, 15–17, 40
    digital                 101–8
    film                    321–28. See also Cameras

Consecutive page numbers are merged into ranges and elided in the style you pick. The Chicago setting implements CMOS 9.61 exactly: under 100 and multiples of 100 keep all digits (3–10, 100–104), 101–109 uses only the changed part (107–8), and 110–199 uses two digits unless more are needed (321–28, 1496–500). Roman-numeral locators sort before arabic ones. Everything runs in your browser.

What is the Book Index Generator?

Book Index Generator takes lines like “Photography: 12, 15, 16, 17, 40”, merges duplicate headings, sorts everything alphabetically, collapses runs of consecutive pages into ranges and elides those ranges in the style you choose — Chicago's 321–28, the full 321–328, or the shortest possible 15–8.

  • Consecutive pages merged into ranges with four elision styles, including Chicago 9.61
  • Duplicate headings merged and locators de-duplicated automatically
  • Tab-indented sub-entries, sorted within each heading
  • See and See also cross-references with orphan detection
  • Roman-numeral locators sorted before arabic ones, other locators passed through
  • Two-column plain text, Markdown or properly quoted CSV export

How to use the Book Index Generator

  1. 1

    Type one entry per line as “Term: 12, 15, 16”. Ranges such as 12–15 and roman numerals like xii are both accepted.

  2. 2

    Indent a line with a tab to make it a sub-entry of the heading above it.

  3. 3

    Add “See Other Term” or “See also Other Term” for cross-references.

  4. 4

    Choose the page-range style, the dash character, letter headings and whether leading articles are ignored when sorting.

  5. 5

    Pick two-column text, Markdown or CSV, then copy or download the finished index.

About the Book Index Generator

Book Index Generator takes lines like “Photography: 12, 15, 16, 17, 40”, merges duplicate headings, sorts everything alphabetically, collapses runs of consecutive pages into ranges and elides those ranges in the style you choose — Chicago's 321–28, the full 321–328, or the shortest possible 15–8.

Tab-indented lines become sub-entries, “See” and “See also” become proper cross-references, and any cross-reference that points at a heading you never created is reported as an orphan so readers do not hit a dead end. Export as two-column plain text, Markdown or CSV.

Everything is processed in your browser and nothing is uploaded, so an unpublished manuscript's index stays on your own machine.

Frequently asked questions

How should page ranges be written in an index?

The Chicago Manual of Style rule is that numbers under 100 and multiples of 100 keep all their digits (3–10, 100–104), 101 to 109 uses only the changed part (107–8), and 110 to 199 uses two digits unless more are needed (321–28, 1496–500). This tool implements that rule exactly.

What is the difference between See and See also?

“See” sends the reader somewhere else instead of listing page numbers, so the entry itself carries none. “See also” adds a pointer to a related heading after the entry's own page numbers. The tool renders both correctly and checks that the target actually exists.

What is an orphan cross-reference?

A “See” or “See also” pointing at a heading that does not appear anywhere in the index. It is one of the most common indexing errors and one of the most annoying for a reader, so the tool lists every one it finds.

Can I use an en dash instead of a hyphen?

Yes. The range dash option switches between an en dash (15–18), which is what most publishers specify, and a plain hyphen (15-18) for plain-text workflows.

Does it handle front matter page numbers?

Yes. Roman numerals such as xii are recognised, sorted by their numeric value and listed before arabic page numbers, which is the normal convention for front matter.

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