Using the Index/Table page

OpenOffice.org 3 Writer Guide

Chapter 12: Tables of Contents, Indexes, and Bibliographies

< Previous Section

Next Section >

• Tables of contents
• Customizing a table of contents
• Using the Index/Table page
• Using the Entries page
• Using the Styles, Columns, and Background pages
• Maintaining a table of contents
• Alphabetic indexes
• Customizing index entries
• Customizing the appearance of an index
• Maintaining an index
• Other types of indexes
• Bibliographies
• Creating a bibliographic database
• Adding a reference (citation) into a document
• Formatting the bibliography
• Defining the paragraph style for the bibliography
• Updating and editing an existing bibliography

< Previous Page

Next Page >

Use the Index/Table page, pictured above, to set the attributes of the TOC.

The Index Table Page.

Changing the title

To give the table of contents a different title, type it in the Title field. To delete the title, clear the Title field.

Setting the type of index

In computer terminology, a table of contents is one of several types of indexes. Be sure the Type of Index is set to Table of Contents. See “Alphabetic indexes” on page 18 and “Other types of indexes” on page 28 for more about creating other types of indexes.

You can only change the type of index when you first create it. Once you define an index type (for example, make a table of contents) you cannot change the type.

Protecting against manual changes

To prevent the TOC from being changed accidentally, select Protected against manual changes. If this option is selected, the TOC can only be changed by using the right-click menu or the Insert Table/Index dialog box. If the option is not selected, the TOC can be changed directly on the document page, just like other text. However, any manual changes will be lost when you update it.

Choosing the scope of the table of contents

The for drop-down list in the Create index/table area, allows you to select whether the TOC will cover all the document's headings (Entire document) or just the headings of the chapter where it is inserted. Writer identifies a “chapter” as all the headings between two first level outline headings (normally Heading 1).

Changing the number of levels included

Writer uses 10 levels of headings when it builds the table of contents (or the number of levels used in the document, whichever is smaller). To change the number of levels included, enter the required number in the Evaluate up to level box. For example, the TOC in this book includes only the first four heading levels.

Creating a Table of Contents from an outline

The third section of the Index/Table page is used to determine what Writer should use to create the TOC. The available choices (not mutually exclusive) are:

• Outline
• Additional styles
• Index marks

By default Writer uses the outline levels; that is, paragraphs formatted with the paragraph styles associated with outline levels in Tools > Outline Numbering. In the default document, Heading 1 has outline level 1, Heading 2 outline level 2 and so on up to Heading 10.

You can change the paragraph styles included in the outline as described in Defining a hierarchy of headings in Chapter 6 of this guide. You can include other paragraph styles in the TOC by assigning an outline level to those styles. To do this, modify the paragraph style definition: go to the Outline & Numbering page for the style, and select the required outline level. Click OK to save the change.

Specifying an outline level on the Outline & Numbering page for a paragraph style.

Creating from additional styles

By selecting the Additional Styles option on the Index/Table page, you can add more paragraph styles to the TOC. This can be useful when you want to include in the TOC an annex (appendix). If the Outline option is also selected, the additional styles will be included in the table of contents together with the ones defined in the outline numbering. However, headings included in the TOC using this feature are not hyperlinked to the headings in the document body as are headings assigned to outline levels.

As described above, you can now assign outline levels to paragraph styles. Styles with outline levels assigned are hyperlinked in the TOC. You can not change the outline level of a paragraph as defined in Tools > Outline Numbering using the Additional Styles page. In fact any change made to the level of these paragraphs will be ignored.

Creating from index marks

This selection adds any index entries that you have inserted into the document by using Insert > Indexes and Tables > Entry. Normally you would not use this selection for a table of contents. However, if you do wish to use it, be sure to select Table of Contents from the drop-down list in the Insert Index Entry dialog box when you are entering the index entries for use in a TOC, so that Writer can distinguish between them and any index entries intended for inclusion in an alphabetic index.