Hi Mel:
Sure, it can be done: in fact, it's easy.
But you have to understand Styles, because that's how Word does it
Discard any notion of formatting your TOC. That is utterly pointless,
because each time you update the TOC, it is completely removed and
re-generated.
Before you begin, please make sure you have read all of the Word help topic
" About creating a table of contents", and all of the sub-topics linked from
it. You will need to know this stuff (or at least, know where to look it
up...). Also read Shauna's article here:
<
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/toc/CreateATOC.html>
If you haven't read those, the following won't make much sense ...
Now: The first thing to do is Insert>Index and Tables>Table of Contents...
Check the dialog that appears. There is a selection of formats in the left
pane. The format that reads "From Template" draws its formatting from the
TOC template stored within the current document, or your Normal template if
the document has never had a TOC in it.
ALL the other formats use hard-coded formatting settings. Nothing wrong
with that: if you like one of the existing designs, just choose it and
that's all you have to do. Word will ask if you want to replace the
existing table of contents: say "Yes".
If you want complete control over your formatting, choose "From Template".
Again, Word will ask you if you want to replace the existing table of
contents -- say "Yes".
The formatting this time is completely controlled by the formatting of the
TOC 1 through TOC 9 styles in the document. Now:
1) Go into Format>Style and set each of the Styles TOC 1 through to TOC 9
to "Automatically Update", and at the same time, ensure that each one is
based on the one above it, with the exception of TOC 1, which should be
based of No Style.
2) Now click in a paragraph formatted with the Level 1 (TOC 1) style, and
using the ruler, drag the tabs around to place them where you want them.
-- If you are using numbered headings, you will need two tabs and a hanging
indent. Set the hanging indent wide enough so that the largest heading
number does not run into the text. Set the Left tab (make sure it IS a left
tab) at the same position as the hanging indent. Set the right tab (make
sure it is a RIGHT tab) at the right margin, and add leader dots to it.
-- If you are not using numbered headings, you need a flush left paragraph
with only one tab. Make the tab a right tab, with leader dots, on the right
hand margin.
3) If you correctly linked your styles so that they cascade, with TOC 2
based on TOC 1, TOC 3 based on TOC 2, etc all the way down to 9, that's all
you have to do. Your tab and margin settings will have replicated all the
way down the chain.
4) Go back to Format>Style and this time, turn OFF "Automatically Update"
on each of the TOC styles. At the same time, check the "Add to Template"
box on the same dialog.
When you have finished, hold down your Shift key (which makes a second level
of menu items visible) and choose File>Save All (to save both the document
and the template).
That's all there is to it: get back to us if you need more.
Cheers
Hello -
I cannot get the page numbers to right-align when I build a TOC, even
when I check the box that says "Right align page numbers". It does not
get created looking like the example. I am only using 2 levels of
headings, and the level 1s are all aligning with each other and the
level 2s are all aligning with each other, but I want all the levels to
be right aligned exactly on the margin, not the level 2s 5 spaces out
from where the level 1 pages numbers are. Can this be done? In the
example, it shows that this is in fact the way it is supposed to work,
but for me, it's not. I would be forever grateful for anyone who can
help me figure this one out! THANK YOU!!!
--
Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie <
[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410
