MS-Word / General Formatting

Creating a Table of Figures or Other Similar Tables

Tables of contents aren't the only kind of tables you can create by using the References tab. You can also compile tables of figures, tables of tables, tables of equations, and other, similar collectibles.

The process of creating a table of figures is the same as for creating a table of tables or equations. Follow these steps to create any of these kinds of tables:

  1. Select the item to caption, and then on the References tab in the Captions group, click the Insert Caption button.
  2. Select the type of caption you want to create (Figure, Table, or Equation) in the Label field. Then type the caption in the Caption field. After you finish, click OK.
    Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for every caption you want to insert.
  3. Move the insertion point to where you want to insert the table.
  4. On the References tab in the Captions group, click the Insert Table of Figures button.
  5. Select from the Caption Label drop-down list the type of table you want to create.
    The Caption Label setting corresponds to the Label setting in the Caption dialog box. To create a table of all figure captions, for example, select Figure from the Caption Label drop-down list.
  6. Select the style you want from the Formats drop-down list.
    As you click the various formats, the Print Preview and Web Preview windows show how the resulting table appears.
  7. Fiddle with the other controls to fine-tune the table's appearance.
    • Show Page Numbers: Deselect this check box if you want the table to list the captions but not page numbers.
    • Right Align Page Numbers: Deselect this check box if you want the page numbers placed next to the corresponding text rather than at the right margin.
    • Tab Leader: Use this drop-down list to add or remove the dotted line that connects each table entry with its page number.
    • Formats: Use this drop-down list to choose one of several predefined formats for the table of figures.
    • Caption Label: Use this drop-down list to choose whether to build a table of figures, a table of equations, or a table of tables.
    • Include Label and Number: Deselect this check box if you want the table to include the caption text but not the number.
  8. Click OK.
    The table is inserted into the document.

Note: Word is set up to create captions and tables for equations, figures, and tables. If you want to create other types of captions and tables - for limericks or cartoons, for example - you can add items to the list of labels that appears in the Caption and Table of Figures dialog box. On the References tab in the Captions group, click the Insert button. Then click the New Label button. Type a new label (such as Limerick or Cartoon) and click OK. Type the caption text and click OK to insert the first caption of the new type. Later, when you insert the table of figures, the label you created appears in the Caption Label list.

To delete a table of figures, select the entire table and press Delete.

The entries in a table of figures are formatted using a standard Table of Figures style. If you don't like any predefined formats in the Formats list in the Table of Figures dialog box, select From Template and click the Modify button. A special version of the Style dialog box appears, showing only the standard Table of Figures style. You can then change the appearance of your table by modifying the Table of Figures style.

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