TOC sorted alphabetically or Table of Authorities based on style?

[Nancy]

I am using Word 2003 and am wondering if its possible to create a TOC that
sorts alphabetically instead of by page numbers, or created a Table of
Authorities based on a style?

Specifically I am trying to create a business rules catalogue, and after
much discussion we have decided to number each business rule manually. An
example of the doc would be:

1 Applications (h1)
1.1 Application Validation (h2)
1. Business Rule 1
2. Business Rule 2
5. Business Rule 5

1.2 Contract Reference Dates (h2)
3. Business Rule 3
4. Business Rule 4
6. Business Rule 6

Business Rules Index (i.e. TOC)
1. ...on page 2
2. ...on page 2
3. ...on page 3
4. ...on page 3
5. ...on page 2
6. ...on page 3

The reason we are not using automatic numbering for each business rule is
because new business rules will be added to sections over time and we can't
allow older business rules to automatically renumber because they would have
already been referenced in other documents. We also need to display the
rules in order, so users know which was the last number used, since it will
likely not be the last business rule in the document.

It appears that Table of Authorities sort alphabetically, but I'm not
relishing having to mark each entry.

Thank you for your help!

 

[Jezebel]

By definition, a TOC is a list of the document's contents in the order of
occurrence. A list of entries sorted alphabetically is an *Index*. Read Help
on how to create one. You might find it easier to create a concordance file
and create your index using that.

(If a TOC field is producing exactly what you want, order notwithstanding,
and you can't find a better way to do it: create the TOC, select and press
Ctrl-Shift-F9 to convert it to plain text, then sort using Table > Sort. But
it won't update; if you change the document you need to repeat that entire
sequence.)

A Table of Authorities is something else again, and probably not helpful in
your case. You can create multiple TOCs, each based on its own set of styles
(such as a standard TOC based on headings, and a separate TOC using just
style X).

Your numbering system sounds like a maintenance nightmare in the making.
It's already created the problem you've described, and you've only just
started on the project.