Efficient document organization and navigability are crucial for lengthy Word documents. One powerful way to streamline document readability and accessibility is by incorporating a table of contents (TOC) into a Word document, which allows readers to quickly locate specific sections and jump to relevant content. By harnessing the capabilities of Python, users can effortlessly generate a table of contents that dynamically updates as the document evolves. This article provides a step-by-step guide and code examples for inserting a table of contents into a Word document in Python programs using Spire.PDF for Python, empowering users to create professional-looking documents with ease.

• Insert the Default Table of Contents into a Word Document
• Insert a Custom Table of Contents into a Word Document

Install Spire.Doc for Python

This scenario requires Spire.Doc for Python and plum-dispatch v1.7.4. They can be easily installed in your Windows through the following pip command.

pip install Spire.Doc

If you are unsure how to install, please refer to: How to Install Spire.Doc for Python on Windows

Insert the Default Table of Contents into a Word Document

Spire.PDF for Python supports inserting a table of contents in a Word document based on the headings of different levels. If the document does not have heading levels set, developers can set the heading levels using the Paragraph.ApplyStyle(BuiltinStyle) method before inserting a table of contents.

By using the Paragraph.AppendTOC(lowerLevel: int, upperLevel: int) method, developers can insert a table of contents at any paragraph and specify the titles to be displayed. It is important to note that after inserting the table of contents, developers need to use the Document.UpdateTableOfContents() method to update the table of contents so that its contents are displayed correctly.

• Create an object of Document class and load a Word document using Document.LoadFromFile() method.
• Add a section using Document.AddSection() method, add a paragraph to the section using Section.AddParagraph() method, and insert the new section after the cover section using Document.Sections.Insert(index: int, entity: Section) method.
• Update the table of contents using Document.UpdateTableOfContents() method.
• Save the document using Document.SaveToFile() method.

from spire.doc import *
from spire.doc.common import *

# Create an object of Document class
doc = Document()

# Load a Word document
doc.LoadFromFile("Sample.docx")

# Create a section for the table of contents
section = doc.AddSection()

# Add a paragraph in the section
paragraph = section.AddParagraph()

# Append a table of contents in the paragraph
paragraph.AppendTOC(1, 2)

# Insert the section after the cover section
doc.Sections.Insert(1, section)

# Update the table of contents
doc.UpdateTableOfContents()

# Save the document
doc.SaveToFile("output/DefaultTOC.docx")
doc.Close()

Insert a Custom Table of Contents into a Word Document

Developers can also create a table of contents by initializing a TableOfContent object, and customize it through switches. For example, the switch "{\\o \"1-2\" \\n 1-1}" indicates showing headings from level one to level three in the table of contents and omitting the page numbers of level one headings. The detailed steps for inserting a customized table of contents into a Word document are as follows:

• Create an object of Document class and load a Word document using Document.LoadFromFile() method.
• Add a section to the document using Document.AddSecction() method, add a paragraph to the section using Section.AddParagraph() method, and insert the section after the cover section using Document.Sections.Insert() method.
• Create an object of TableOfContents class and insert it into the added paragraph using Paragraph.Items.Add() method.
• Append field separator and field end mark to end the TOC filed using Paragraph.AppendFieldMark() method.
• Set the created table of contents as the table of contents of the document through Document.TOC property.
• Save the document using Document.SaveToFile() method.

from spire.doc import *
from spire.doc.common import *

# Create an object of Document class and load a Word document
doc = Document()
doc.LoadFromFile("Sample.docx")

# Add a section and a paragraph and insert the section after the cover section
section = doc.AddSection()
paragraph = section.AddParagraph()
doc.Sections.Insert(1, section)

# Customize a table of contents with switches
toc = TableOfContent(doc, "{\\o \"1-2\" \\n 1-1}")

# Insert the TOC to the paragraph
paragraph.Items.Add(toc)

# Insert field separator and filed end mark to end the TOC field
paragraph.AppendFieldMark(FieldMarkType.FieldSeparator)
paragraph.AppendFieldMark(FieldMarkType.FieldEnd)

# Set the TOC field as the table of contents of the document
doc.TOC = toc

# Update the TOC
doc.UpdateTableOfContents()

# Save the document
doc.SaveToFile("output/CustomizedTOC.docx")
doc.Close()

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