Character style applied to Table of Contents header

[Jeremy AB]

Hello. I'm designing a book. The author requested the first chapter have a strikethrough on the first word, including in the table of contents. It is applied using a character style. The Table of Contents (TOC) list shows up correctly, with the strikethrough. Everything in the book is styled.

The problem is, the strikethrough style is being applied to the TOC header each time I update the contents. It seems to be taking this style from the first chapter - the strikethrough style is not in the TOC header style. If I remove the strikethrough from the chapter, then it also stops being applied to the header. So each time, I have to select the header and remove the strikethrough style.

Screenshot attached, content blurred for privacy. The file is created using a professional template from a book publisher so I don't think I can post the file. Possible bug, or problem with the style that were not seeing?

[Jeremy AB]

Further info... doesn't matter what character style is applied to the first chapter. I tried Bold as well and it too gets applied to the TOC header.

If I remove the style from the first letter of the chapter, the style is removed from the TOC header.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

When you create TOC - only contents is copied - not the formatting. 

Most likely - your TOC ParaStyles are based on the body styles - and that's why you have this problem? 

[Jeremy AB]

I changed the TOC styles so they are not based on anything. It does not fixe the problem.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

I changed the TOC styles so they are not based on anything. It does not fixe the problem.

By @Jeremy AB

Can you share your INDD file? 

Please click my nickname if you prefer to send it privately. 

[Joel Cherney]

When you type "TOC header" and "TOC header style " you mean "TOC Title" and "TOC Title Style," right?

What you're describing does sound like it might be a bug with the TOC generator, but you've left out a bunch of info that'd be necessary supporting evidence if you were to head over to indesign.uservoice.com to make an official bug report there. Likewise, I feel like there's not quite enough for us to take a guess at explaining it or suggesting solutions, at least beyond what Robert has already tried. 

• Version of InDesign and platform? 
• Do you have other versions installed? (If so, sub-bullet "Does the TOC show up the same way when you export IDML and open in an earlier version?")
• Is this when you're making a new TOC, or updating the TOC that's already there with Layout -> Update Table of Contents? Or both?
• When you say that "the strikethrough style is being applied to the TOC header each time I update the contents" do you mean that the TOC title has a strikethrough applied as a local override, or that you see that the strikethrough character style is applied to the TOC Title, and you can see this by seeing that it's applied in the Character Styles panel?
• Did you go through the whole document applying the strikethrough character style to every first word of every chapter title, or did you use a Nested Style to apply your strikethrough character style to the chapter titles?
• Bonus question: is it possible for you to take five or ten minutes to make a brand new file with some fake chapter titles to reproduce this error in a file that isn't your proprietary publisher's template? 

[Jeremy AB]

Thanks Joel. I was able to create a sample file which has the same problem. In answer to your questions:

• InDesign 2024 on Mac

• I tried in 2022 too, same problem

• It happens when I update the current TOC. If I delete the current TOC frame and re-add it, same problem

• The TOC title gets the character style applied to it, matching the style that is applied to the first letter of the first chapter. I can see the style is chosen in the Character Styles panel but it is not in the TOC settings nor is it part of the TOC header style.

• There is only one place with the strikethrough added. The first chapter only. No nested styling.

Sample file attached showing the problem.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@Jeremy AB 

Looks like a bug...

I've created similar document from scratch - but applied color to the CharStyle applied to the 1st word:

It's like "Title" of the TOC gets CharStyle from the 1st entry?

If I'll apply "[None]" to the 1st letter:

InDesign 20.0, Win 10.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS · Accepted solution]

It does look like a bug of some sort. It has to do with the "Chapter 1" text having strikethrough applied. 

A couple of options:

• Put an unformated (no character style) hair space in front of Chapter 1.
• [easiest] Change your toc-header style to turn on strikethrough but set the weight to zero and/or the color to none.

[Jeremy AB]

I put a hairspace at the beginning of the chapter header.

[Barb Binder]

I put a hairspace at the beginning of the chapter header.

And did that hair space solve this issue for you, Jeremy? If yes, please confirm so that we can mark Dave's answer as correct—or you can—this helps others with the same question quickly find the correct answer. 

~Barb

[Barb Binder]

I put a hairspace at the beginning of the chapter header.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I tested both methods before posting. 

[Jeremy AB]

Yes, as long as the first character has no style appplied. In this case, a hair space. It moves the text over a slight amount but it's not noticeable.

[Joel Cherney]

I was maybe thirty characters into a post much like Dave Creamer's, when his appeared in the thread and I abandoned mine. The only real difference was that I was going to suggest an actual zero-width character, like a non-joiner from Type -> Insert Special Character -> Other.  But if the hair space is unnoticable in your layout, it works just as well. 

[Jeremy AB]

Bug reported.

https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601180-adobe-indesign-bugs/suggestions/49722239-character-styl...

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I actually prefer the second solution I posted about setting the strikethrough to none/0 weight.

[FRIdNGE]

Just For Mention:

Issue fixed 8 years ago!… by The Jedi

See: https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/toc-title-picking-up-character-style/td-p/925813...

(^/)  The Jedi

[Jeremy AB]

Not a fix. It's a workaround. But nice to know the bug has been around over 8 years!

[FRIdNGE]

… and this trick still perfectly works with InDesign 2025 [v. 20.1]

(^/)  😉

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Not fixed so much as suggesting a work-around. Fixed would mean there wouldn't be a problem...

I guess it shows how much of a priority fixing the bug is with Adobe. 

[FRIdNGE]

If all the InDesign bugs could be "fixed" so easily! … =D

(^/)