Re: How to create table of contents dynamically using openxml and C# for a docx file.

Can some one help me in creating/generating table of contents dynamically using openxml and C# code for a docx file. If you can give some sample code, that would really help me in doing this task.
Thanks,
Ramakrishna

SDK cannot create TOC dynamically, which means the underlying XML has no idea when to refresh TOC.

Thanks for prompt reply, Is there any other way to do this? Can you plz guide me on this.

Ramakrishna

So the 'easiest' way to do it would be to use Microsoft Word automation. This will mean you'll need Microsoft Word instlaled on the machine- i.e. you will be working with Word and then Word will update the contents and save the OOXML.

Then it's simple.. Something like

foreach (Word.TableOfContents c in Application.ActiveDocument.TablesOfContents)
{
c.Update();
}

Thanks for this information Cauld, but I don't know how to create TOC, I could not able to create TOC for any document using C# or openxml or any thing else. guide me on this plz.....
Cheers,
Ramakrishna

Hi,
   You can use the reflector that comes under OpenXmlSDK2.0.
Create a word Document with some text and have its style as Heading1 and create a table by going to Insert->references->index and tables->Table of contents Tab and just clic Ok.
   This will create a TOC with the text you have already addded in the document.
Now save the above document
Now run the reflector and open this word document.you will get the code how the TOC is created .I think this will be useful for you to create TOC.But remember the TOC that you created now will have the contents you had in the word document.
  You can update the TOC by rightclicking the TOC in word and update the entire table.
This could also be done dynamically by using the following code

before that you must add reference to COM object..
see http://nishantrana.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/creating-and-updating-table-of-contents-in-word-document-using-c/
      to add the reference alone


object missing = System.Reflection.Missing.Value;
            Word.Application wordApp = new Word.ApplicationClass();
            object readOnly = false;
            object isVisible = false;
            object filename = @"C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\manodocumnet.doc";
            Word.Document aDoc = wordApp.Documents.Open(ref filename, ref missing, ref readOnly, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing,
                ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
            aDoc.TablesOfContents[1].Update();
            aDoc.Save();
            aDoc.Close(ref missing, ref missing, ref missing);
            System.Diagnostics.Process.Start("Mydoc.doc");



This method i adopted thinking tat you are using Openxml to create Word..
then to create TOC you can use the above method

Hi krishnaramuu,

You may refer to this post for creating TOC: http://openxmldeveloper.org/forums/thread/4680.aspx

I've written some code to add/update the TOC, and recorded screen-casts around using the code:

openxmldeveloper.org/.../exploring-tables-of-contents-in-open-xml-wordprocessingml-documents.aspx

-Eric

i've written code in C# to extract data from db then populate a Word template (using content controls as placeholders). The content controls i am using are for picture and rich-text. i search for the content control using their respective tags and build the content for it. Everything works beautifully!

And then i add a TOC to the template and i get an error at my content control saying "null reference". When i debug i find that the code to find the tag continues again after finding my correct control and then throws this error.

If i remove the TOC from the template, everything works beautifully again. Why is TOC messing up with the tag? It doesn't have a tag of its own....

HELP Please!

Hi sham_b24,

When you insert a TOC into your document, the TOC is placed inside of its own content control.  Your code, while properly processing all of the content controls that you have inserted into the document, probably is not written to expect the content control that surrounds the TOC.  The content control that contains the TOC has a docPartGallery element with a val of "Table of Contents".  You can use this characteristic to modify your code to ignore this content control.  Does this solve your problem?

    <w:sdt>
      <w:sdtPr>
        <w:id w:val="-1750491867"/>
        <w:docPartObj>
          <w:docPartGallery w:val="Table of Contents"/>
          <w:docPartUnique/>
        </w:docPartObj>
      </w:sdtPr>

-Eric