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. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2013-01-03T14:02:55+00:00

    Again, the problem the OP was having was not that an entire level did not have leaders but that specific entries at various levels did not have leaders. This was caused by an improper tab stop setting.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-02-19T12:29:23+00:00

    I've had the same problem.  The dotted lines where not showing on headings that were very long and took up two lines within the table of contents.  

    I fixed the problem by ensuring the second line was aligned with the first line (i.e. started at the same location on different lines), using the heading indent function on the ruler (the little triangles).

    Unfortunately this won't work if the problem is with shorter headings taking up only one line!

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  3. Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2013-02-19T18:21:02+00:00

    What version of Word is this? Long titles that wrap to a hanging indent should not cause a problem, but there are issues with wrapped lines in Word 2013: if  you set a right indent to wrap the lines short of the page number, Word doesn't honor the tab stop for the page number (it doesn't honor tabs outside the margin or to the right of a right indent).

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-03-12T18:54:17+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.

    I am having this problem. I understand from your statement that it has something to do with the tab stops? but I don't understand what I need to do to fix it. could you please clarify?

    ( I did read through all the comments here but I just don't see instructions for fixing it)

    thanks

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