How to Build an Index, Table of Figures, and Bookmarks in Word

A table of contents tells readers where each unit starts. An index answers a different question: "where does the workbook talk about unit rate?" In a 25-page workbook with a glossary, families and volunteers will look things up far more often than they read front to back.

In this tutorial you will mark the workbook's key terms, generate a two-column index at the back, add a list of figures and a list of tables built from captions, and connect the document with bookmarks and links. It builds on captions and cross-references from Intermediate Tutorial 2.

How a Word index works

An index has two parts. Throughout the document you mark entries: each mark is a small hidden field, { XE "ratio" }, that says "index this spot under ratio". At the back, an INDEX field collects every mark, sorts them and prints the page numbers. Change the text, update the index, and the page numbers follow.

The work is in choosing entries, not in the clicks. A good index lists the places where a reader learns something about a term, not every page where the word appears. It also uses the reader's words: a parent may look up per or retelling, even if the workbook calls them rate and summarizing.

Mark index entries

Select the word or phrase in the text, then choose References› then Index› then Mark Entry or press Alt+Shift+X. The Mark Index Entry dialog opens with your selection in Main entry.

1. Edit Main entry if needed, for example to make it singular or lower case.
2. For a subentry, type it in Subentry. To put improper under fraction, Main entry is fraction and Subentry is improper. You can also type fraction:improper in Main entry; the colon makes the next level.
3. Leave Current page selected for a normal entry.
4. Under Page number format, tick Bold for the page with the definition, such as the glossary entry.
5. Click Mark to mark this spot, or Mark All to mark the text everywhere it appears.

Mark vs Mark All. Mark All marks the first match in each paragraph that contains exactly the same text with the same capitalization. It is fast for technical terms such as denominator, but noisy for common words: rate would also mark passing uses such as "first-rate". For those, use Mark on the spots that matter.

The dialog doesn't close after marking. Click in the document, select the next term, and click in the dialog again: the new selection appears in Main entry.

Add See references and page ranges

See references. In Mark Index Entry, type the reader's word in Main entry (for example per), choose Cross-reference, and type the term to send them to after the word See: See rate. The entry prints per. See rate with no page number. For a related term that also has its own pages, replace See with See also.

Page ranges. Section 4.3 on ratios runs from page 21 to 22. Marking every page separately gives ratio, 21, 22; a range gives ratio, 21–22 and stays right when the section grows.

1. Select the whole passage, from the section heading to its last paragraph.
2. Choose Insert› then Links› then Bookmark, type a name such as Ratios_section and click Add.
3. Click anywhere, press Alt+Shift+X and type ratio in Main entry.
4. Choose Page range, pick Ratios_section in the Bookmark list, and click Mark.

To change an entry, edit the text inside the quotation marks of its XE field. To remove one, select the whole field, braces included, and press Delete. Then update the index.

Insert, format and update the index

Hide formatting marks first (Ctrl+Shift+8). Put the cursor on a new page at the end of the workbook under a heading such as Index, then choose References› then Index› then Insert Index.

Updating. The index is a field, so it doesn't change on its own. After you mark new entries or the pages move, click in the index and choose References› then Index› then Update Index or press F9. Never edit the index text directly: the next update replaces it. Fix the XE field instead.

Build tables of figures and tables

A table of figures is a contents list built from captions instead of headings. It only works with real captions from References› then Captions› then Insert Caption (see Intermediate Tutorial 2). Typed text such as Figure 3: Pizza model is invisible to it.

The workbook gets two lists on the page after the table of contents: one for pictures, one for tables.

1. Type a short heading such as Figures in a style that isn't a heading style, so it doesn't appear in the table of contents.
2. Choose References› then Captions› then Insert Table of Figures.
3. Set Caption label to Figure. Keep Include label and number, Show page numbers and Right align page numbers ticked, and pick a Tab leader. Click OK.
4. Add a second heading, Tables, and repeat with the caption label Table.

Update them like the table of contents: click a list and choose References› then Captions› then Update Table or press F9, then pick Update entire table if captions changed. The entries use the Table of Figures style, so change that style once to restyle both lists.

Bookmarks, internal links and cross-references

A bookmark is a named, invisible marker on a spot or a selection. You already used one for a page range. Bookmarks are also targets for links and cross-references, for places that aren't headings or captions, such as a tip box or a single exercise.

1. Select the text (or click a spot) and choose Insert› then Links› then Bookmark.
2. Type a name: it must start with a letter, can contain letters, numbers and underscores, and can't contain spaces, for example Unit_rate_tip.
3. Click Add.

To see bookmarks, turn on Show bookmarks in File› then Options› then Advanced under Show document content: gray brackets mark each one on screen. To jump to one, press Ctrl+G, choose Bookmark in Go to what and pick the name. In the Bookmark dialog, Hidden bookmarks shows ones Word created itself, with names like _Ref and _Toc, for cross-references and the table of contents. Leave those alone.

The difference matters in print. A link is only useful on screen: on paper, "Back to the glossary" leads nowhere. A cross-reference such as "see the tip on page 22" works both on screen (Ctrl+click) and on paper. For the workbook, use cross-references in the printed pages and links in the PDF-only extras.

Common mistakes

Practice