WD2002: Error Message: The Current Document Does Not Contain a Table of Contents (301694)

SYMPTOMS

When you click the Go to TOC button or the Update TOC button on the Outlining toolbar, you may receive the following error message:

The current document does not contain a table of contents. To create a table of contents, point to Reference on the Insert menu, and then click Index and Tables.

CAUSE

This error message can occur if any of the following conditions is true:

There is no table of contents in the current document. -or-
You created the table of contents by using Table entry fields (ALT+SHIFT+O), and then you switched to outline view. -or-
You created the table of contents by using Table entry fields (ALT+SHIFT+O), and then you selected to view the Outlining toolbar.

NOTE: If you have an existing table of contents that is built on Styles or Outline levels and Table entry fields, you may not receive the error message in the "Symptoms" section. However, when you click the Update TOC button, Word will not update any new Table entry fields, even though you previously selected the Table entry fields check box in Options in the Index and Tables dialog box.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Point to Reference on the Insert menu.
Click Index and Tables.
Click the Table of Contents tab, and then click the Options button.
In the Table of Contents Options box, click to select the Table entry fields check box.
Click to clear the Styles and Outline levels check boxes.
Click OK twice.

MORE INFORMATION

The Go to TOC and Update TOC buttons on the Outlining toolbar are not available in earlier versions of Microsoft Word and cannot read a table of contents (TOC Field) that was created with TC (ALT+SHIFT+O) entry fields.

The Go to TOC button on the Outlining toolbar only goes to the first table of contents in your document, and it works only with tables that were created from built-in heading styles or styles that include outline-level formats. Therefore, if you have multiple tables of contents in your document, or you created your table of contents manually by using fields, you must use another method to locate your table.

The Update TOC button only updates the first table of contents in your document, and it works only with tables created from built-in heading styles or styles that include outline-level formats. Therefore, if you have multiple tables of contents in your document, or you created your table of contents manually by using fields, you must update each table, one at a time. To do this, click to the left of each table of contents, and then press F9.

For more information about creating a table of contents, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type create a table of contents from an outline in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.