Complex Document Overview

Complex documents in a legal environment are plentiful, and generally these documents are to be filed or sent to clients on a time sensitive basis. That's why knowing the ins and outs of the tools that Word has to offer in the quick creation of Tables of Contents, Tables of Authorities, Indices, cross-references (and more) is essential in the timely completion of these documents.

Quick Navigation Using Document Map

When you use styles in your complex document Microsoft Word's Document Map feature lets you quickly move to different headings within a document. This is a real time-saver when working with long documents.

The Document Map is just like a road map. If you have used heading styles within your complex document you can maneuver your way through the document by clicking on the corresponding heading that you need to access for editing. By clicking the heading, you are transported to that destination in your document. So, if you had a document that was 42 pages long, and you needed to get to heading 6.2 on page 31, just click on the heading in the Document Map area and you quickly move to this location.

Practice: Navigate Using Document Map

• Create or open a long document formatted with heading styles.

• Click the Document Map button   on the Standard toolbar, or from the View menu, choose Document Map.

• Click on a heading within the document map to move to that section in the document.

• Click on a different heading in the document map to move to another section within the document.

To turn off the document map feature, click the Document Map button on the Standard toolbar. The button works as a toggle.

Generating a Table of Contents

When you use Word's built-in styles or your own custom styles within your long document, generating a table of contents can be as easy as 1-2-3. Word will do all the work for you by inserting your applied headings (at their different levels) into a quickly generated table of contents. You can also customize your indents, tab leaders, page numbers, and even other formatting for your table of contents easily in the creation process of your TOC.

You are not restricted to using just the heading styles method of creating a table of contents, you can mark your headings manually, or you can define what styles the table of contents includes by selecting any styles from within the document.

Practice:  Generate a Table of Contents Using Applied Styles

1.      Create a new document and type the following text:

Introduction

Overview

Unsolicited Proposals

Solicited Proposals

General

The Proposal

2.      Click anywhere within the first line, Introduction.

3.      Click the Style drop-down arrow and apply Heading 1.

4.      Select Overview, and apply Heading 2.

5.      Select Unsolicited Proposals, Solicited Proposals and General. Apply Heading 3.

6.      Select The Proposal and apply Heading 2 style and after deselecting the text, press Enter twice.

7.      From the Insert menu, choose Index and Tables. Select the Table of Contents tab. 

Word 97 Table of Contents Tab 

Word 2000 Table of Contents Tab

As you see from the two previous figures, the only difference between Word 97 and Word 2000's Table of Contents tabs is that Word 2000 allows you to preview your table of contents, as it will look on the web, not with page numbers, but with your headings as hyperlinks.

8.      Accept the "From Template" default. Click OK and your table of contents is generated.

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