How to Build a Partial Table of Contents

There may come a time when you need multiple tables of contents (TOC) in a document. For instance, I often write training materials. For each of my topics I have a global table of contents. Then for each segment of training time, I have a separate table of contents for just the material that will be covered in a specific segment of time.

The steps necessary for creating a partial table of contents is to first bookmark the text and then to create or modify the TOC field to look only to that specific section of text for the necessary information to include in the partial table of contents. A partial table of contents can be created using either Heading Styles or Marked text. For simplicity, I have only used the switches which would build a TOC using heading styles.

Bookmark the Text to be Included

To create a partial table of contents, it is necessary to bookmark the text to be included the partial table of contents. An easy way to highlight a large segment of text is to use the EXT feature.

1. Place your cursor at the BEGINNING of the section of text which will be included in the bookmark.
   
   
2. Either double-click the EXT (extend) button on your status bar or press the F8 key.
   
   
   Figure 1: Extend Selection
   
   
3. Next place your cursor at the END of the section of text which will be included in the bookmark. I often use the down arrow key or the page down keys to move through large blocks of text.
   
   
4. From the Insert menu, select Bookmarks or CTRL+SHIFT+F5
   
   
5. Type the name of the bookmark. Do not use spaces in bookmark names.
   
   
6. Click the Add button.
   
   
7. If you are still in Extend mode, you can stop the extend by double clicking on the EXT button with your mouse or press the ESC key.

Create the Partial Table of Contents

Now that you have bookmarked the text which you want included in a partial table of contents, it is time to create your partial table of contents.

1. Place your cursor where you would like the partial table of contents to be displayed.
   
   
2. Press CTRL+F9 which will insert an empty field code French brace. Your results should look something like the following:
   
   
   Figure 2: Empty Field Code Braces
   
   
3. Place your cursor inside the French Braces and type: TOC \b BookmarkName \o "1-3" \h \z \u.
   
   In my case, I created a bookmark called Session1, therefore, my TOC field would be { TOC \b Session1 \o “2-4” \h \z \u } I do not want to include any heading 1 styles in my TOC since I only use Heading 1 at the change of each session, therefore, I modified the heading switch to look only at levels 2, 3 and 4.
   
   
4. Press the F9 key to update the newly created table of contents. Use F9 anytime you would like to update fields.

The meaning of the switches used in this example:

• TOC - the type of field, in this case Table of Contents.
  

• \b BookmarkName - the \b indicates that you want to include only those headings which are wrapped in a specific bookmark. The name of the bookmark follows the \b switch. Therefore, you need to change BookmarkName to what you named the range of text.
  
  
• \o "2-4" - the \o tells Word to use Headings to create the TOC and the "2-4" indicates which levels of headings to use.
  
  
• \h - indicates you want the TOC to hyperlink to the heading in the document. Pressing CTRL while clicking on the TOC entry will jump your cursor to the appropriate location in your document.
  
  
• \z - Hides tab leader and page leader information in Web Layout view.
  
  
• \u - Builds the Table of Contents by using the applied paragraph outline level.

There are other switches which can be used to create a custom table of contents. A listing of the switches and their explanations can be found at:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HP051862011033.aspx

Modify an Existing Table of Contents to become a Partial TOC

Another method I have used, especially if I have customized the current TOC and want the partial table of contents to follow the same format:

1. I still have to bookmark the text I want included in the partial table of contents. See the steps for creating a bookmark.
   
   
2. Press ALT+F9 to convert all fields to their respective codes.
   
   
3. Select an existing TOC code and copy it.
   
   
4. Paste it in your document where you want the partial table of contents to appear.
   
   
5. Modify the TOC field to include the \b field switch and bookmark name.
   { TOC \b BookmarkName \o “1-3” \h \z \u }
   
   
6. Press F9 to update the new TOC.
   
   
7. Press ALT+F9 to toggle all fields back to text.

The \b BookmarkName switch can also be used for a Table of Figures, Tables or Equations.