Unlinked table of contents text formatted as underlined and blue (210112)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 2000

This article was previously published under Q210112

SYMPTOMS

When you unlink a table of contents to make editing changes to it, the text of the table of contents is underlined and formatted with the color blue.

NOTE: To unlink a table of contents, select it and press CTRL+SHIFT+F9. When the table of contents is unlinked, it becomes regular text and cannot be updated when you press F9.

CAUSE

When Word inserts a table of contents, Word adds the "\h" switch by default. The "\h" switch inserts TOC entries as hyperlinks.

WORKAROUND

Use one of the following methods to work around this problem.

Method 1: Remove Direct Formatting

After you unlink the table of contents, remove the direct formatting applied to the text of the table of contents, using the following steps:
  1. Select the text of the table of contents.
  2. Press CTRL+SPACEBAR.

Method 2: Delete the TOC "\h" Switch

Before you unlink the table of contents, delete the "\h" switch from the TOC field using the following steps:
  1. Press ALT+F9 to turn on the TOC field code. A TOC field similar to the following appears:

    {TOC \o "1-3" \h \z}

  2. Select and delete the "\h" switch from the TOC field code. The TOC field now looks similar to the following:

    {TOC \o "1-3" \z}

  3. With the insertion point within the field, press F9 to update the table of contents field.
  4. Press ALT+F9 to turn off the TOC field code and display the table of contents.

Method 3: Insert a Table of Contents Field Manually

Do not use the Index and Tables command on the Insert menu to insert a table of contents. Instead, use the Field command on the Insert menu, using the following steps:
  1. Place the insertion point where you want the table of contents to appear.
  2. On the Insert menu, click Field. The Field dialog box appears.
  3. Under Categories, click to select Index and Tables.
  4. Under Field names, click to select TOC.
  5. Click Options.
  6. On the Options tab, under Switches, click to select "\o" and click Add to field.
  7. Click into the box under Field codes: TOC[Switches] and place the insertion point after the "\o". Type a space followed by "1-3" as in the following example:

    TOC \o "1-3"

    NOTE: Add any other switches you want to the TOC field. Do not add the "\h" switch.

  8. Click OK to close the Field Options dialog box.
  9. Click OK to close the Field dialog box. The Table of Contents field is then inserted into your document and displays the table of contents. If you turn on the TOC field code, the TOC field appears similar to the following example:

    {TOC \o "1-3" \* MERGEFORMAT}

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about tables of contents, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

212346 How to create a table of contents and index

For more information about tables of contents, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type table of contents in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:2/9/2006
Keywords:kbbug kbnofix KB210112