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avid_Cosmos6738
Participating Frequently
June 13, 2025
Answered

Indesign Table of Contents with Title and Subtitle?

  • June 13, 2025
  • 4 replies
  • 1040 views

I want to make an Indesign book table of contents that includes the chapter title AND a chapter subtitle on the same line, with only one page number. Is there a way to do this? The automatic table of contents stacks my chapter name and subtitle, and I haven't figured out how to have a page number by just one of them.

Correct answer Peter Spier

The easiest way I can think of do do this is to add a non-printing text frame to the page and set a single paragraph with the head and subhead on the same line. Give this paragraph a unique paragraph style not used elsewhere and include that style in the TOC rather than the exisiting heading and subheading styles (which should remain addigned to those paragraphs).

When I do this I generally format this non-printing text on the page in larger, and red, type so it's obvious that it's there and do the formatting for the TOC with a new style in the TOC itself.

4 replies

Barb Binder
Community Expert
Barb BinderCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 13, 2025

Hi @avid_Cosmos6738:

 

It looks like you already have a working answer and that's terrific. The reason I was asking if the two paragraphs were sequential, and if you were using a book is because another way to approach this is using line breaks and a character style. 

 

In the first screen shot, the chapter title and subhead are one paragarph, but I added line breaks to separate them and added a character style to make the subhead smaller. 

 

.

 

In the second screenshot, I enabled remove forced line breaks when I generated the table of contents so both elements appear as a single paragraph. 

 

 

 

And the reason I asked if you were using a book is because InDesign will carry the character style into the TOC so you can see that 1953: Brazil is smaller than the actual chapter title due to that character style. If you're working in a single file this would be problematic, but if you're working in a book—which you are—then the TOC will be in a different document and you can leave the character style but remove the formatting from it so that it doesn't do anything and the whole line will be the same typeface size style, etc.

 

 

~Barb

~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
    A
    avid_Cosmos6738Author
    Participating Frequently
    June 14, 2025
    I have been working with the idea of combining the parts of the title I
    want "run-in" (is that the right way to say it?) into a non-printing text
    box on the first page of each chapter, assigning it its own paragraph style
    and using that paragraph style as the included style. So far, with some
    glitches due to my not being 100% consistent across all the paragraphs,
    that seems to be a way to get something close enough to what I had
    envisioned.
    Thanks again for your help.
    Kay


    --
    *Kay Kole Leary*
    *When I am perfect, I will expect everyone else to be.*
      P
      Community Expert
      Peter KahrelCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      June 13, 2025

      Peter Spier's method has always been the one I used too, but just now it occurred to me that there is another way. Not sure whether it'll always work though.

       

      1. In the chapters, separate the title and the subtitle with a forced line break.

      3. In the chapters, insert the character you would use in the TOC as a separator between the title and the subtitle (en- or em-rule, a tab, whatever) at the end of the title.

      3. In the chapters, instead of formatting the subtitle with a paragraph style, use a characters style.

      4. In the TOC, remove all formatting of the character style used for the subtitle.

      5. In the TOC window, check the 'Remove forced Line breaks' box.

       

      Now the generated TOC should be as desired.

       

       

        A
        avid_Cosmos6738Author
        Participating Frequently
        June 13, 2025
        I can see how this could work - whether I have the skills to make it
        happen is another question. I will try!
        Thank you for the info!
        Kay


        --
        *Kay Kole Leary*
        *When I am perfect, I will expect everyone else to be.*
        Peter Spier
        Community Expert
        Peter SpierCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
        Community Expert
        June 13, 2025

        The easiest way I can think of do do this is to add a non-printing text frame to the page and set a single paragraph with the head and subhead on the same line. Give this paragraph a unique paragraph style not used elsewhere and include that style in the TOC rather than the exisiting heading and subheading styles (which should remain addigned to those paragraphs).

        When I do this I generally format this non-printing text on the page in larger, and red, type so it's obvious that it's there and do the formatting for the TOC with a new style in the TOC itself.

          Dave Creamer of IDEAS
          Community Expert
          Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          June 13, 2025

          To add to @Peter Spier 's method, try this:

          1. Create a based-on parent page without any changes. 
          2. Create two variables for your heading and subheading. 
          3. Insert the variables in a non-printing header frame.
          4. Create a unique style for your TOC capture and format the two variables. 
          5. Apply the parent page where ever you want it to pick up the heading and subheading text (presumedly, on the opening page of a section). 
          6. IMPORTANT: Override the header frame by Cntl/Cmd-shift-clicking it , otherwise, the TOC won't pick it up. (Optionally, you could include the header on every page and just override it on the critical pages.)
          7. Build your TOC. Create a style with a nested character style to format the heading and subheading as desired. 

           

          David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
            A
            avid_Cosmos6738Author
            Participating Frequently
            June 13, 2025
            Thank you for the suggestion. I will endeavor to work my way through it. My
            skill set and what I'd like to see on the page are not evenly matched,
            though. But I'll try!
            I appreciate the info!
            Kay


            --
            *Kay Kole Leary*
            *When I am perfect, I will expect everyone else to be.*
            Barb Binder
            Community Expert
            Barb BinderCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            June 13, 2025

            Not automatically, no. InDesign does not have a run-in head feature that allows two paragraphs to sit on the same line. (You can vote for the feature request here: https://indesign.uservoice.com/forums/601021-adobe-indesign-feature-requests/suggestions/35413504-style-support-for-run-in-aka-in-line-headings).

             

            There may be a workaround beyond having to manually fix this after every update, but we need to know if you're using a book file or have all the chapters in a single InDesign document. We also need to know if the subtitle always directly follows the title.

             

            ~Barb

             

             

            ~Barb at Rocky Mountain Training
            A
            avid_Cosmos6738Author
            Participating Frequently
            June 13, 2025

            Thanks for the rapid answer. All the documents I want to include in the table of contents are in a book file. From the top down, on the first page of each document - each of which is one chapter - the text boxes contain: the chapter number (Chapter 1), the chapter title (Been There, Done That), the chapter subtitle (1953: Brazil). These are followed by either a photo or body text. Does that answer your question? I wasn't quite sure.

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