How to avoid a new loaded cursor containing TOC edits every time I edit TOC?

[default53x9pxnwvocf]

Hello!

I am realtively new to InDesign. Have set up and laid out my own book; its various chapters are in a book file doc which has its own panel.  That's all fine. 

Today I have started on the TOC. 

Have followed and refer back to an Udemy InDesign course, but when the instructor recommends setting up specific TOC file of paragraph styles (okay), shows himself doing this and then editing the TOC in the panel and clicking okay... the editing change appears on his TOC on his sceen.  I go through the same simple process, and voilà! -  my cursor ends up re-loading with the entire TOC to paste into a new text box (which, to add insult to injury, floats around without those blue arrows connecting it to anything else). I have tried several times but this keeps happening, AND it also happens any time I have experimented at clicking, "update TOC". 

Woe is moi!  Please, pretty please - can anybody put me out of my current misery and explain why this is happening?  Thank you.

[Eric Dumas · Accepted solution]

Hi,

I think it is because you try to insert the TOC again instead of updating it.

New styles are added to your paragraph style panels as soon as you insert a TOC in your page, ready to be edited.

You can edit the styles, the results updates immediately, if you need to update the page numbering, just use the Layout > Update TOC option.

Also, remeber that when you place text that might be longer than one page, you can hold the Shift key on your keyboard to automatically add the amount of pages needed to display the whole text.

[default53x9pxnwvocf]

THANK YOU, you have helped me today!

I just added a paragraph style entry for the TOC to pick up and include, doing this in the TOC editing panel.
I also selected "without page number showing” for this particular part of the TOC.

Then your e-mail arrived just in time.
I used the Layout >Update TOC option and the TOC disappeared for a second and then magically reappeared with the edits showing correctly!

Thanks for the extra tip about holding the Shift key.