This support article details how to update the Table of Contents (ToC) when editing the published Microsoft Word version of the specification. You may need to do this when you edit the MS Word specification after publishing it from the specification platform.


This information applies only to the Canadian and USA content sets. The Table of Contents for these sets display the number of pages per section.


Image of Chorus table of contents for Canadian-based specifications


Background

The platform produces the Table of Contents (ToC) when you publish your specification to Microsoft Word and PDF. For specifications based on the Canadian and USA content sets, the ToC shows the number of pages in each section. 


We recommend always editing the specification inside the platform. This ensures the 'last edited' information for rows is accurate, and that for those using Revisions, changes are tracked correctly.


However, there may be situations when editing the specification after it has been published is necessary. For example, when you want to combine sections from a separate document. When this happens, publishing the specification to MS Word is a good option. Following the steps in this article will help you to refresh the ToC, so it shows the correct titles and page counts.



Steps for refreshing the Table of Contents

Formatting adjustments may affect the number of pages displayed in the Table of Contents. With DOCX, users may need to refresh the table of contents to reflect changes in the section's page count. Tables of contents rely on a hidden TC field code, and may not automatically reflect the actual pages.  

To update a Table of Contents completely:

  1. Select the entire document (Ctrl+A)
  2. Update all of the field codes (select F9 and F9 (F9 key twice)).
    The F9 function must to be pressed twice to accurately update the Table of Contents.


Inserting a section into the Canadian MS Word specification

Canadian and USA specifications, exported to MS Word, are configured into discrete Word Sections, each with a unique header, footer, and field codes that are used by the Table of Contents (ToC). 

To properly insert a specification section, follow these steps:

  1. Place your cursor after the last character in the preceding section where you wish to insert a section.
  2. Select ‘Layout, Breaks, Section Breaks – Next Page’ menu. This will insert a new section with a Word Section Break so that the new section information appears in the headers and ToC.
  3. Copy an existing section number, title and part title. Scroll to the new section and paste the text into the new section.
    • Alternatively, type in the section number, Linefeed character (Shift-Enter), and section title. Select the new text and format it using the “section-header” style.  This will be used by Word to update the header text.
    • Add the first paragraph (typically Part 1 General text) below the section title. NBS recommends simply copying an existing Part 1 paragraph from another section, and paste into the new section. Right-click on the new paragraph and select “Update Field”. This paragraph contains a TC field code which is used to build the table of contents. 
  4. Type or paste in the remaining text for your new section.
  5. Refresh the ToC using the steps set out above.


Keep in mind that inserted sections will need to be re-inserted if the specification is re-published in future.