"Error! Bookmark Not Defined" When Updating Table of Contents

ID: Q134999

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you update a table of contents or figures when Mark Revisions While Editing is selected, the error 

   Error! Bookmark not defined
appears in the deleted (struck through) table of contents.

The same error message also appears in place of text that is the result of other fields, such as captions and cross-references.

CAUSE

When Word creates a table of contents, it bookmarks the paragraphs formatted with Heading styles, which are used to build the table of contents. These bookmarks serve to reference the heading's page reference and a place to "jump" to when you double-click the page number in the table of contents. The page number in the table of contents is really a nested field, for example: 

   { GOTOBUTTON _TOC308930458 { PAGEREF _TOC308930458}}
The item "_TOC308930458" is a random name defined for the bookmark of a heading referenced in the table of contents. Word creates these bookmarks when the table of contents is first generated or when you update the table of contents (by pressing F9) and choose Update Entire Table, but not when you choose to Update Page Numbers Only. When you update the entire table, Word deletes the old table of contents and generates a new one, along with new bookmarks. Because the bookmarks that the first table of contents referenced no longer exist, you will see the error: 

   Error! Bookmark not defined.
Normally, the old table of contents is deleted; however, with Mark Revisions While Editing turned on, you will still see the old table of contents formatted for strike through.

RESOLUTION

When you accept revisions, Word removes the deleted table of contents and deletes the "error."

Similarly, captions and cross-references appear correctly when you accept revisions.

KBCategory: kbusage KBSubcategory: kbfield Additional reference words: 6.0 6.0a 6.0c 7.0 word6 word7 winword word95 

Keywords          : kbfield 
Version           : 6.0 6.0a 6.0c 7.0
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: February 6, 1998