Table of Contents - formatting in to columns

Question

Is there any precise way to display the text of page links in columns in a Table of Contents rather than trying to guess with the 'space' bar as I have below?

Answer 1

Thank you Charles.

Some more information for you regarding my document.

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This lined them up a bit but I had to insert regular spaces as well, to line them up a bit better.

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The use of spaces to line up columns works on a typewriter. It does not work well on a Word processor. *It never works with proportionally-spaced text.*The tab should work.

Use Tables and Tabs to Arrange Text in Microsoft Word

Rohn's suggestion to have the reference column far to the right is a good one.

I would also suggest moving the right indent setting for the TOC style to the left of the tab set for your reference number. That way, the other text should wrap at that point.

Here is a link to the above file.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0qe2dshennvdmcn/TOC-2-column.docx?dl=0

I've updated my page on Complex Documents to address this problem in the troubleshooting section.

http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/complex_documents.htm#TOC_two_columns

Answer 2

With the TOC3 Style modified to have a left aligned tab stop at a position appropriate for the Reference ID's and the Heading 3 Style paragraphs containing the title and the Reference ID, separated by a tab space

You can have the Table of Contents appear as

Answer 3

Finally, in setting your tab for your column, be aware of how long your headings are before the specification number.

Answer 4

Here is another screenshot with an intermediate dot leader and showing tab and return marks.

Note that it does not matter where the tab character is in the text, they will still line up with each other in the TOC.

Note also that if there is something without the tab character within the text, that tab character is ignored.

Answer 5

Edit: I know of no way to do it automatically.

You would need a Tab character before each of your specifications in your text. Then if you modify your TOC 2 style you can add a tab setting for your second column, with or without a dot leader.

• TOC Tips and Tricks by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP
• Generating a Table of Contents - Complex Documents
• How to create a table of contents in Microsoft Word by Shauna Kelly