Create A Table Of Contents In Microsoft Word With Custom Styles

Problem

Microsoft Word has long had the built-in ability to create a table of contents (index, table of figures, and table of authorities are also part of the feature). This utility, found under the Insert | References menu, works well if you follow the default Word styles for headings, subheadings, figures, footnotes, etc.

However, if you use custom styles in your documents, this automated creation function was very limited or non-existent, depending on how custom you chose to get. But Word does allow you to substitute your custom styles for the default styles, reviving the feature for even the most colorful of custom styles.

Solution

Step 1
Before you can use it to create a table of contents, you first have to create a set of styles. In Word 2003, you can create styles by clicking the double-A (AA) button on the Formatting toolbar, or by navigating to the Format | Styles and Formatting menu.

Once you create your new style, for top level headings (Heading 1) for example, you can highlight that text and click the New Style button on the Styles and Formatting window, similar to Figure A. [Continued...] [Mark Kaelin]