Use the Table of Contents Web Part to display navigation on a Web page

Good navigation is one of the keys to a successful Web page. In Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, you can enhance the navigation functionality of a Web page by using a Table of Contents Web Part (Web Part: A modular unit of information that consists of a title bar, a frame, and content. Web Parts are the basic building blocks of a Web Part Page.).

---

• What is a Table of Contents Web Part?
• When can I use a Table of Contents Web Part?
• How do I use a Table of Contents Web Part?
• Add a Web Part to a page
• Configure the Table of Contents Web Part
• Configure the common properties of a Web Part

---

What is a Table of Contents Web Part?

A Table of Contents Web Part is a configurable component that you can add to a SharePoint page. You use the Table of Contents Web Part to automatically generate a site map that points to various parts of your SharePoint Server 2010 site collection.

When you add a Table of Contents Web Part to a page, you specify which part of your site collection the Web Part should generate links to, how the links are presented, and how the links are organized.

When can I use a Table of Contents Web Part?

You can use a Table of Contents Web Part to provide navigation links on any page by adding a Table of Contents Web Part to a page. If your site administrator has included it as an option on the site, you can also use the Welcome page with table of contents page layout when you create a new page on the site. This layout creates a page that already contains a Table of Contents Web Part.

Top of Page

How do I use a Table of Contents Web Part?

There are two main steps to using a Table of Contents Web Part:

1. Add the Table of Contents Web Part to a page
2. Configure the Table of Contents Web Part

Add a Web Part to a page

To edit a page you must have at least the permissions obtained by being added to the default <Site Name> Members SharePoint group for the site.

1. From a page, in the ribbon, click the Page tab, and then click the Edit command.

 Note    If the Edit command is disabled, you may not have the permissions to edit the page. Contact your administrator.

2. Click on the page where you want to add a Web Part, click the Insert tab, and then click Web Part.

3. Under Categories, select a category, such as Lists and Libraries, select the Web Part that you want to add to the page, such as Announcements, and then click Add.

When you select a Web Part, information about the Web Part is displayed in About the Web Part.

4. When you have finished editing the page, click the Page tab, and then click Save.

 Note    The Table of Contents Web Part is in the Content Rollup category.

Top of Page

Configure the Table of Contents Web Part

1. When you add the Table of Contents Web Part to a page, it automatically displays the document libraries, lists, and other content on your site. You can customize the display and navigation of your Table of Contents Web Part from the tool pane. Click the arrow at the top-right corner of the Web Part, and then click Edit Web Part.
   
   
   
   The Table of Contents Web Part tool pane opens.
   
   
2. In the Content section, set the following options:

• Start from    This option determines the root level from which content is included. All of the content that is exposed by the Table of Contents Web Part must be: a page that is in this root site, a site that is in this root site, or a page that is in a site that is in this root site. Click the Browse button, and then choose the site that you want to use as the root of the Web Part.
• Levels to show    Use this option to specify how many levels of navigation the Web Part displays. The root site is at the first level of navigation, each site that is directly below the root site is at the second level of navigation, and so on. Pages are at the same navigation level as the site to which they belong.
  For example, suppose you have chosen a root site called Home that contains two sites, called News and Announcements, and that each of those sites contains four sites, called Quarter 1, Quarter 2, Quarter 3, and Quarter 4. If you specify that the Table of Contents Web Part displays two levels, it does not display the Quarter sites, because they are at the third level of navigation. However, in this example, pages that belong to the News site and the Announcements site are displayed, because they belong to sites that are at the second level of navigation.
• Show content from starting location    Select this check box if you want the Web Part to show links to pages that are directly under the root that you specify by using the Start from option. If you do not select this check box, the Web Part displays sites that are directly under the root, and pages and sites that are under those sites, but does not display pages that are directly under the root.
  

   Note    If you select Show content from starting location, the Table of Contents displays in one column.

• Show pages     If you want the Web Part to display links to pages as well as links to sites, you must select this option. If this option is clear, only links to sites display in the Web Part.
• Include hidden pages     Select this option if you want the Web Part to display links to pages that are hidden from navigation.
• Include hidden sites     Select this option if you want the Web Part to display links to sites that are hidden from navigation.

3. In the Presentation section, set the following options:

• Header Text     You can add text to the Web Part header by typing it in this box. The header text appears directly below the Web Part title.
• Header Style    If you add header text, you can also specify the style of that text by using this option. Select a style from the drop-down list.
• Display Columns     Use this option to set the number of columns that are displayed by the Web Part. Links are arranged in the number of columns that you specify by using the drop-down list.
  

   Note   This option has no effect if you select Show content from starting location in the Content section, which causes the Web Part to display only one column.

• Level 1 Style     You can specify the display style for the links that are at the first level of the Web Part navigation hierarchy by using this option. Level 1 links point to items that are directly under the root level you specify by using the Start from option in the Content section.
• Level 2 Style     You can specify the display style for the links that are at the second level of the Web Part navigation hierarchy by using this option. Level 2 links point to items that are directly under Level 1 links. This option has no effect if you set the Levels to show option (in the Content section) to 1.
• Level 3 Style     You can specify the display style for the links that are at the third level of the Web Part navigation hierarchy by using this option. Level 3 links point to items that are directly under Level 2 links. This option has no effect if you set the Levels to show option (in the Content section) to 1 or 2.

4. In the Organization section, set the following options:

• Sort contents as they are sorted in navigation     Select this option to cause the Web Part to use the same sort order that is used in the site navigation settings.
• Sort contents using the following settings     Select this option if you want to specify the sort order that the Web Part uses. If you select this option, the following sort options are available:

• Sort Sites By     This option allows you to specify which property of the sites is used for sorting the links to those sites. There are three properties that you can use for sorting: Title, Creation Date, and Last Modified Date.
• Sort Direction     Use this to select a sort direction to apply to the sorted site links. For example, you can sort the sites by Title in alphabetical order by setting Sort Sites By to Title and setting Sort Direction to Ascending.
  Sort Pages By     This option allows you to specify which property of the pages is used for sorting the links to those pages. There are three properties that you can use for sorting: Title, Creation Date, and Last Modified Date.
• Sort Direction     Use this to select a sort direction to apply to the sorted page links. For example, you can sort the pages by Title in alphabetical order by setting Sort Pages By to Title and setting Sort Direction to Ascending.

5. At the bottom of the tool pane, click OK to save your changes and close the tool pane.

Top of Page

Configure the common properties of a Web Part

Web parts share a common set of properties that control their appearance, layout, and advanced characteristics. You change Web Part properties in the tool pane.

 Note    The common Web Part properties that you see in the tool pane may be different from what is documented in this section for several reasons:

• To see the Advanced section in the tool pane, you must have appropriate permission.
• For a specific Web Part, a Web Part developer may have chosen not to display one or more of these common properties or may have chosen to create and display additional properties that are not listed below in the Appearance, Layout, and Advanced sections of the tool pane.
• Some permission and property settings may disable or hide Web Part properties.

Appearance

Layout

Advanced

Top of Page