Table of Contents Entries Disappear After Updating in InDesign 19.5

[FloridaGal]

When I add new content to a document and then attempt to update the Table of Contents as normal (layout > Update Table of Contents), the title remains but all the entries disappear. After a good long while trying to figure this new unwelcome development out, I've discovered the Table of Contents menu isn't saving the entries for the "included paragraph styles" and their related entry style. I have to add them back in every single time I want to update the TOC. After so many years using INDD, this is a real PITA. 

Using INDD 19.5 Windows 10 x64.

<Title renamed by MOD>

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Your TOC entries most likely have bad keep settings.

Generate a new TOC. Place the cursor in the frame and select-all (Ctrl-A). Apply something like your Body paragraph style. Bet your TOC appears. 🙂

Change your TOC styles so that they don't have improper "break to next page" or keep-with-next rules.

Also, it's a hidden feature that the TOC setup panel does not save changes automatically, not even within a session. If you make changes, you must Save the "style" before you even hit OK to generate or update the TOC. If you make a change and hit OK, the changes will be applied that one time and revertt the next time you open the menu.

[FloridaGal]

Thanks, but I don't have any "keep-with-rules" associated with any styles, I rarely use that but I double checked the document in question just to make sure I wasn't having a senior moment. (No character styles used at all either for that matter.)

I love it, "hidden feature". Annoying glitch, more like. Although I never thought of/had a need for more than one TOC, I can see how this enters the equation.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

We've seen variations of this problem several times recently, and it seems to always be an unintended side effect of trying to 'keep' the TOC content in ways the single text frame doesn't like. So back to a basic: when you create and place the new TOC, does the frame have an overset text indicator (red +)? If so, something is making the text refuse to flow properly, and it may be the other UI confusion I mentioned.

If you have overset text, post the Keep Options panel for your TOC line style.

[FloridaGal]

That doesn't seem to be it either. To update the current TOC (rather than replacing it with a new version) I've always clicked inside the TOC's text frame (which BTW I always make longer than it needs to be across a couple of pages so it will grow without overset text) with the Text Tool and then selected Layout > Update Table of Contents to update it. Has always worked like a charm, until now when the title appears but the entries disappear. No complicated styles, keep rules or anything like that, just simple listings using the page titles I want listed in the TOC.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@FloridaGal

Maybe you've missed my earlier reply - what is your active / selected Character Style?

[FloridaGal]

"None" - it's selected by default because I rarely ever use them in my documents.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@FloridaGal

Can you share your file?

Even TOC alone should be enough. 

Unfortunately, I'm unable to check right now but I'm pretty sure others will. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Okay. Without seeing your TOC 'style' menu as you are ready to click it for update, and at least your primary TOC line entry paragraph style Keep Options panel, I don't know what more to suggest.

You also might try deleting the entire TOC panel and re-placing it from a new call to the TOC menu, rather than simply updating it. It might be buggy or corrupted.

As RT asks, do any of your TOC items (in the text) have character styles applied that might be confusing the process? InDesign does pull those styles with the text, which can be both good and bad.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...]

As RT asks, do any of your TOC items (in the text) have character styles applied that might be confusing the process? InDesign does pull those styles with the text, which can be both good and bad.

By @James Gifford—NitroPress

That's not what I'm talking about. 

There was a thread where someone had a problem with TOC - and the problem was because during TOC generation - there was no CharStyle selected in the TOC settings - for page numbers or something - but CharStyle was selected on a pallet - and this style was applied to those parts of the TOC.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I was blending some info, there. Overall, TOC setup is easy if you don't make it too complicated, and extremely flexible if you understand all the settings and how they interact. I think this case is falling between the cracks and some "advanced" approaches have been inserted into what is meant to be a simple TOC.

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

I wouldn't call this a hidden feature per se—though it may not be obvious to a new user—when I teach how to create a TOC in InDesign, I stress the importance of saving the TOC settings.

This makes updates easy and also allows you to generate more than one TOC per file. As an example, I might need a traditional TOC, but also need a list of just the titles without the page numbers. I also routinely generate a list of headings on the pasteboard to check all the numbered heads. None is that is an option without saving each TOC as an individual preset. 

~Barb

[FloridaGal]

Thanks Barb. I've used INDD since PageMaker and this is the first time I've ever run into this issue in any of my kazillions of documents, most of which have a TOC.

My TOC is as basic as it gets, Page Titles are the entries and I created a style to apply to those entries. But I still have to reset those every time I want to update the document's TOC. So your tip is very helpful. Many thanks for that.

I still don't understand why the document itself doesn't save the TOC settings, that should be a given. IMHO.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@FloridaGal

Make sure no CharStyle - other than "[None]" - is active / selected on the Character Styles pallet.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I was being sideways-humorous about it — as I've no doubt said before, I think the failure of the TOC menu to save settings or indicate in any way that a save is necessary is the worst of ID's collection of UI quirks and faults. You either must be told specifically that changes have to be saved — yay trainers and books! — or discover it through painful, often "WTF?" trial-and-error — see the OP, for example. And even then, it's easy to forget; in hasty projects, I will fail to save a TOC change at least onc in the rush to click the OK button, which is then followed by an audible headsmack.

The whole meta-concept of TOCs needs revamping, starting by discarding the misleading term "styles" and making changes at least persist through a session, as do all other settings I can think of. Maybe the quick fix is as simple as a pop-up reminder to save changes, with, of course, a dismiss checkbox for those who never make the misteak again. 🙂

But it's a case where all the training and learning in the world is just a workaround for a badly-implemented feature — "Never push the red button!"

IMVHO.

[FloridaGal]

Thanks for the input, much appreciated. INDD is indispensable for me but it really does feel like a patchwork of ideas at times. When programmers who don't actually use a program decide to take away essential features that users have been working with (and depending on) for years ... well that's just a recipe for a whole bunch of unhappy users. So then the programmers try to patch something back in again and it all becomes an unwieldy quilt of an inelegant mess. Still, as I say, it's an indispensable program so I guess we live with it. 

I still think it's counterintuitive for a document not to save/preserve some of its own revised settings.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

ID has a lot of really powerful features (like the ability to define multiple TOCs, which is sort of at the heart of the problem here) that could have somewhat better UI implementation. (The other one that comes to mind is the perpetual confusion over the hierarchy/control in the Keep Options menu.) But it really is only a dozen or two features amid many hundreds that are opaque unless you are hand-taught about their details.

Just to be completely clear, there are two sets of "styles" involved here — the schema/setup/"style" of the TOC, and the paragraph and character styles they can apply to each TOC level. I suspect the problem you encountered was with the latter, in Keep options that weren't compatible with a separate text frame.

[Barb Binder]

Hi @FloridaGal:

I hear you, and understand your frustration. I also migrated to InDesign from PageMaker, which had a very simple TOC generation dialog box without all of the controls. More controls bring along more complications—layout in the 80s/90s was so much simpler! 

You and James make a valid point—it's easy to overlook the Save Style button. The good news is that you won't forget again. And you might want to log a feature request with Adobe (we are users like you on the Community Forums) to help future users avoid this situation. 

Hope Hurricane Milton went easy on you and happy weekend,

~Barb

[FloridaGal]

I would be happy to log a feature request, suggestions for wording of same? My mind is coming up blank at the moment.

Thanks for your wishes, other than being terrorized by the close proximity of a series of 8-9 tornadoes all Wednesday afternoon then being without power for 24 hours, we came through reasonably well thank our lucky stars. Words fail when seeing the destruction others are having to deal with. An emotionally draining experience, that is for sure. 

Happy weekend to you (all) too!