Creating an Abbreviation Table

Create an abbreviation table based on abbreviations detected in your document using the Create Abbreviation Table tool. The tool scans the document, identifies abbreviations, and inserts a formatted table at the selected location.

Prerequisites

• A DocConfig is assigned to the document.
• Abbreviations appear at least twice in the document.

Create an abbreviation table

1. Place the cursor in the document where the table should be inserted.
2. Go to the OnStyle tab.
3. In References (under Tools), click Create Abbreviation Table.

OnStyle scans the document and inserts the abbreviation table at the cursor position.

Click to enlarge

How the table is generated

• Abbreviations with three or more uppercase letters that appear at least twice are included.
• Entries from the frequently used abbreviations list are added with predefined descriptions.
• Abbreviations are sorted alphabetically.
• Abbreviations marked as trivial are excluded.

If an abbreviation is not in the predefined list, it is inserted without a description.

Important

Place the cursor in an empty paragraph before running Create Abbreviation Table. This prevents formatting issues during insertion.

Update an existing abbreviation table

1. Go to the OnStyle tab.
2. Click Create Abbreviation Table again.

OnStyle updates the existing table instead of creating a duplicate.

Troubleshooting

Abbreviation is missing from the table

• Ensure the abbreviation appears at least twice in the document.
• Check that it meets the recognition rules or is included in the frequently used abbreviations list.

Description is incorrect

• Update the description directly in the table.
• The updated value is used in future validation and corrections.

Table contains unwanted entries

• Check the Trivial Abbreviations settings in Preferences.
• Remove or adjust entries as needed.

Tip

You can export, import, and edit the frequently used abbreviations list and the trivial abbreviations list in Preferences > Validation Rules > Abbreviation to control how abbreviations are detected and included in the table.

Best Practice

Run Validation after creating the table to identify issues such as missing definitions or unused abbreviations.