How to align TOC text after section number

[likeafox2k]

Hello Friends,

I'm trying to spruce up my TOC and I can't figure out how to line up the align the text after the section numbers.

For Example:

Notice that the letters are not aligned. There must be a way to do this. Anyone know how?

Thanks for your help.

[Mike Witherell]

There should be a Tab character after the number and before the text. Are you using Layout > Table of Contents generator?

[likeafox2k]

Yes, I'm using Layout > Table of Contents.

I've added the 2 paragraph styles I wish to include in the TOC. The section numbers are generated by the paragraph styles, not the TOC though.

Here is the table of contents settings panel.

Should I be using different paragraph styles without section numbering for the TOC, then have the TOC settings regenerate the section numbers somehow?

[Scott Falkner]

Between entry and number you want a tab, which looks like this:

You also need to set up your TOC style with a tab stop. Turn on the Tab ruler and position a tab where you want, then redefine the style. You also might want to use tabular figures if the font supports this. This way the digits before the tab will line up.

[likeafox2k]

This changes the space between the text on each line and the page number that comes after it. This s not what I am trying to modify.

I would like to modify the space between the section numbers that come before the text and the test so that the text is aligned.

Here is an example:

Notice that the pages number on the far right are properly aligned, the section numbers on the left are properly aligned, but the text itself is not.

I have a feeling I may need to change the paragraph style used for each line to achieve this.

[Scott Falkner]

Oh, I misread your screen grab. I forgot that ^y is a type of tab and throught it was generating the chapyer numbers before the text. I now see the chapter number and space are part of the chapter title.

You want a tab where that space is, or you want to use tabular figures, which will make all the digits the same width. Look in the Opentype features for the style. The other option is to convert the space to a tab. You can do that in the chapter titles or by usI gotta a GREP search and replace. You cannot do this  with formatting alone because formatting cannot change content, and you need the space converted to a tab.

[vinny38]

Hi

If you have selected "Include Full paragraph" in the TOC options (see figure below), Indesign should carry the separator that you used in your document paragraph style's "Bullets and numbering options" into the TOC.

So, you should first check your "Section heading" and "Subsection heading" paragraph styles > Bullets and numbering, and replace the space by a tab (Note: if you don't want to do that, alternative solutions exist. E.g. see Scott's last answer):

Do not forget to set up the indents and the tab marker position in order to have a nice spacing between the numbering and the header.

Be careful to set it in a way you'll have a consistent spacing in order to avoid this kind of horror: (remember, we are "in" the document text, not in the TOC)

Now, let's go back to TOC.

One last (but important) thing: after updating your TOC, you should see that the paragraph numbering is now followed by a tab.

Unless your TOC para style is based on your Header para style, it will not carry the indents and tab position settings. Indd will use the default settings instead.

So again, don't forget to set tabs and indents for a nice spacing.

Hope that helps

Vinny

[Scott Citron]

As was noted in Scott Falkner's reply (5.) you MUST use tabular figures instead of proportional figures. Tabular figures all occupy the same width, which allows them to align in a way that's not possible when using proportional figures.