Word Tips - Create Table of Content

Microsoft Word 2007 and earlier version has the feature of creating table of content from the title of each chapter or sub-chapter.

Before able to use the TOC feature, you must first format your titles to heading style:

1. From your document, click anywhere in the chapter's title line.
2. Select Heading 1 from Styles group in the Home Tab (for previous Word version, goto Format menu and then select Styles and Formatting. You'll see Styles and Formatting appears normally on the right side of the window).
   
   

Repeat the steps above for all titles that you've created. You can actually perform these steps as you are creating your document. This way will save time rather that searching the titles from beginning to the end of your completed document.

Select Heading 2 style for sub-topic's title (level 2). You 'll see Heading 3 style (for sub-sub-topic) will automatically appear after Heading 2 and more heading styles will appear when you choose the new heading style.

Once you've done applying the style, you can add a new page as your first page. This is important.... Use insert section brake and don't use page break so you can customise the page numbering for TOC and the contents separately.

1. Select the new first page.
2. Go to References tab and select Table of Contents from the Table of Contents group (for earlier version, go to Insert menu, hover on Reference and select Index and Table... and then select Table of Contents tab).
   
   
   
   
3. Select one of the built-in TOC style or select Insert Table of Contents... if you want to display more that 3 levels of TOC by increasing the value in the Show levels (same for earlier version where you can see the Show level in the Table of Contents tab of the Index and Tables dialog box).

If you do any changes on the document's title(s) or move the chapter and its title, you can just update the TOC and it will change the writing and page number automatically.

Easiest way is to press Ctrl+A to select all and then press the F9 function key. You'll then have the option to update entire content or just the page number.

- MRBAR