Dot Leader Sporadically Missing from Table of Contents

Anonymous
2012-04-18T23:56:07+00:00

I am updating an automatic table of contents.  I'm using Word 2010.  There are dot leaders for each toc entry.  However, for several (but not all) of the new toc entries, the entry appears with the page number, but with no dot leader.  I've deleted the item and re-entered, re-formatted and done everything else I can think of and nothing works.  Help??

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2012-05-22T18:43:08+00:00

Considering just the entries that are missing the period leaders, are those entries much shorter or longer than the other entries? Often this problem is a result of placement of tab stops in the relevant TOC style; in that case, however, the problem also results in page numbers being in the wrong place as well as lacking leaders. The situation arises when there is a tab stop (or hanging indent) fairly far to the right in the TOC style. A very short entry will stop short of this tab stop, and so the tab that should go to the right-aligned tab stop at the right margin (for the page numbers, with leader) instead stops at the first tab stop/hanging indent.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-07-26T12:26:04+00:00

    As Suzanne wrote, updating the TOC shouldn't affect style definitions. How are you changing the TOC styles, exactly?

    Stefan,

    I think we might be discussing at cross purposes.  I didn't actually mention style definitions being affected.  Suzanne introduced this extra element.  As far as I can see, as Suzanne right identified, the problems arises sometimes when the text of a heading (here at level 2) is short, there is a conflict with the tab setting and the leading dots are not generated.  I suggested a workaround, since my experience on a number of occasions is that adjusting the tab for that particular heading level (as suggested above by Kittf I think), although it corrects the problem initially, does not work in the long term.  Since every time the TOC is updated (right-click update all fields) the original tab setting is reestablished and the problem reoccurs.

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  2. Stefan Blom 352.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2013-07-26T09:45:11+00:00

    As Suzanne wrote, updating the TOC shouldn't affect style definitions. How are you changing the TOC styles, exactly?

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-07-26T06:08:29+00:00

    Suzanne, thanks for the response. You can certainly change the tab stops and propagate this through the TOC. However it seems to be a big in Word as others have pointed out. So when you update all fields in the TOC the tab stop goes back to the default. Where the heading text is short the tab stop is misaligned and the leading dots not generated.

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  4. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2013-07-26T01:17:23+00:00

    You should certainly be able to change the tab stops in any TOC style. Since these styles are set to update automatically, changes you make in any entry at a given level should be propagated to all the entries at that level. If updating the TOC is resetting your style definitions, then something is wrong.

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