Word

Word

Create a basic TOC

Create a basic TOC

Course contents

• Overview: table of contents basics

• Lesson 1: About tables of contents

• Lesson 2: Format your table of contents

• Lesson 3: More ways to mark your table of contents entries

Create a basic TOC

A table of contents, or TOC, gives readers a brief outline of the topics discussed in your document and helps them find their way around it.

Overview: TOC basics

Word has several ways to help you design and format a basic TOC so that it looks the way you want and conveys just the right level of detail.

Create a basic TOC

Course goals

• Use built-in heading styles, custom styles, or document outline levels to create a TOC.

• Format the TOC to make it look the way you want.

Lesson 1

About tables of contents

Create a basic TOC

About tables of contents

A table of contents is a reader’s map. It provides an overview of what’s in the document and helps readers find a particular section quickly.

Tables of contents are found in many books and documents.

A TOC can be a simple list of chapter titles or links, or it can include several outline and heading levels along with corresponding page numbers.

Create a basic TOC

How it works

Mark text to create a TOC.

1. Mark the text in your document that you want to appear in the TOC, such as a chapter title or section heading.

2. Collect that marked text together in one place.

There are two steps to creating a TOC in Word:

You can mark text as you write.

Create a basic TOC

Mark your text

You can mark the text you want to include in your TOC in the following ways:

• Apply heading styles.

• Create a document outline.

• Create custom styles.Mark text to create a TOC.

Create a basic TOC

Mark your text

Ease of use and speed make Word's built-in heading styles the easiest way to mark your text.

Simply format your text with one of the nine predefined heading levels and create the TOC.

Word has nine built-in heading styles.

Create a basic TOC

Create your TOC

Once text is marked, it's time to collect it all together in the TOC. This is where Word does the work for you.

The Index and Tables dialog box

Create a basic TOC

Create your TOC

First place the insertion point where you want the TOC to appear, usually at the beginning of the document. Then:

1. On the Insert menu, point to Reference, and then click Index and Tables.

2. Click the Table of Contents tab. If you want a TOC in the default style, click OK.

The Index and Tables dialog box

Create a basic TOC

Update your TOC

Once you've built your TOC, you'll want to maintain it as the document changes.

• To update the TOC, select it and then press F9. Or click the Update TOC button on the Outlining toolbar.

Update the whole TOC or just page numbers.

Create a basic TOC

Update your TOC

Update the whole TOC or just page numbers.

When you update the TOC, you’ll be asked if you want to update the entire TOC, including all the text entries, or just the page numbers.

Create a basic TOC

Update your TOC

Update the whole TOC or just page numbers.

• Choose the page numbers option only if you’ve been adding body text but no new headings.

• If you’ve added a new heading or changed any text included in the TOC, choose the Update entire table option.

Create a basic TOC

Suggestions for practice

1. Add heading styles to exercise 1.

2. Update a TOC.

Lesson 2

Format your TOC

Create a basic TOC

Format your TOC

After you create a table of contents, you can format the entire thing to make the entries clearer, more attractive, and easier to read. Word has several built-in TOC formats.

Choose a format that’s suitable for your table of contents.

Create a basic TOC

Anatomy of a TOC

Here are the elements you can work with:

You can alter various elements of a TOC.

1. Font details such as size, type, and color.

2. The presence and position of page numbers.

3. The type of tab leader (dots, dashes, or straight line).

4. The number of levels.

Create a basic TOC

Anatomy of a TOC

You can alter various elements of a TOC.

It’s wise not to alter each individual line “by hand,” because when you update the TOC you’ll lose any direct formatting you’ve applied.

Instead, you can change the whole table by applying a built-in TOC format. The format will affect the whole TOC.

Create a basic TOC

TOC formats

You can change the appearance of your TOC as you create it or after it’s built:

1. Choose from the built-in formats in the Formats box.

2. Show or hide page numbers.

Use the Index and Tables dialog box to change TOC formatting.

Create a basic TOC

TOC formats

You can change the appearance of your TOC as you create it or after it’s built:

3. Align page numbers.

4. Choose a tab leader.

5. Choose the number of levels required.Use the Index and

Tables dialog box to change TOC formatting.

Create a basic TOC

Print versus screen

Although TOC entries are links, making them appear as hyperlinks (as shown in the picture) can be easier for your readers, especially if the document will be read on-screen.

For on-screen viewing, use hyperlinks rather than page numbers.

Sometimes you'll create a document for printing, and other times it'll be read on the computer screen.

Create a basic TOC

Print versus screen

For on-screen viewing, use hyperlinks rather than page numbers.

• To make the change, switch to Web Layout view by clicking Web Layout on the View menu.

Create a basic TOC

Suggestions for practice

1. Use a built-in format on exercise 2.

2. Format tab leaders and page numbers.

3. Apply TOC levels.

4. Explore Web Layout view.

Lesson 3

More ways to mark your TOC entries

Create a basic TOC

More ways to mark entries

Three ways to mark text for a table of contents

There's more than one way to mark text for a TOC. As you saw in earlier practices, using built-in heading styles in your document is a quick and easy way of building a TOC.

But you can also create your own custom styles.

Create a basic TOC

More ways to mark entries

And, if you’re fond of outlining, you can create a document outline and use the different outline levels as entries for your TOC.

Three ways to mark text for a table of contents

Create a basic TOC

Document outline

Drafting a document? Sketching out ideas? Moving text around?

Document in outline view

Create a document outline. It’s a great way to organize ideas and plan content.

Create a basic TOC

Document outline

Document in outline view

A document outline also:

• Enables you to create your table of contents without any extra effort.

• Proves helpful when you want text marked for the TOC to have no formatting.

Create a basic TOC

Document outline

Document in outline view

You can also exclude any text marked with document outline levels from inclusion in the TOC:

1. On the Insert menu, point to Reference, click Index and Tables, and then click the Table of Contents tab.

2. Click Options to open the Table of Contents Options dialog box.

3. Clear the Outline levels check box.

Create a basic TOC

Custom styles

If you don't like the appearance of Word's built-in heading styles, use a custom style.

The Styles and Formatting task pane

That way, you can choose exactly how you want all the headings in your document —and the TOC— to look.

The Styles and Formatting task pane is the place to start.

Create a basic TOC

Mix and match

You’ve seen how to create a TOC by using outline levels, heading styles, or custom styles individually.

The Table of Contents Options dialog box

You can also mix and match and use heading styles with outline levels or with custom styles.

You can't use outline levels and custom styles in the same TOC, however.

Create a basic TOC

Mix and match

1. Select the Styles check box to include built-in or custom styles.

2. Select the Outline levels check box to include outline levels.

3. If you use custom styles, match up the style you want with a TOC level.

The Table of Contents Options dialog box

To ensure your TOC includes the correct entries, select the appropriate options in the Table of Contents Options dialog box.

Create a basic TOC

Mix and match

The Table of Contents Options dialog box

As shown in the picture, outline levels and styles are both selected by default.

However, you don’t have to use both outline levels and heading styles, just use the one you want.

Create a basic TOC

Suggestions for practice

1. Create a TOC with outline levels for exercise 3.

2. Create a TOC using custom styles.