This is so great! I just used it to put a TOC on a post I wrote a little while back on tips for visiting NOLA using credit card points and miles and it worked SO well! Many thanks :)
I do this for all my food writing because it often follows the story/food history/recipe format and allows the “just give me the recipe” grinches to get to where they need to be fast. Great post
Great to see an article about how to create a TOC for your text posts!
👉 The trick to seeing the link to a header (while in edit mode) is to:
1. click on the header text
2. hover just to the left of the first letter in the header
3. scroll up until you see the icon (without moving your mouse from that spot)
Note: the link icon will always appear in the upper area of the article (left of the header text, in a skinny margin), so if you have a looooooonnnnnggg article, you will need to head to the top while keeping your cursor within the margin just left of the header text until you see it.
This is pretty worthless. Manually creating ToC defeats the point. Even a basic Wiki like Mediawiki or Confluence will simply generate a ToC from Headings and subheadings.
That's likely because you're in the app (which uses substack.com links) and I'm using links to my domain name. Substack isn't great at redirecting between the two.
I failed to figure this out on my own last week while writing my longest post yet. I’m so glad you’ve shared the how-to so I can do it next time! Thank you!
This sounds like a great idea. I write about RV living, my Faith, and politics. It would be great if people could find posts that reflect what they want to read about. However, it sounds so complicated, and I'm afraid to try it.
It's actually pretty easy! I just wanted to show every step for anyone who might get confused. It'll only take a few minutes to figure out and then you'll be a pro :)
I've only noticed that on desktop! Since it's not very visible and doesn't include paywalled sections of the article, I prefer to embed one manually directly in the article.
Great tip! I knew the 'how' (the 'old school' html way, at least), but you really claried the 'why' from a Substack perspective. Thanks!
It is the old school way!
I appreciate that thanks to you, I now know what the Substack floating links work. I'd been wondering about those. :-)
I can't remember how I figure it out but I'm glad I did haha
This is so great! I just used it to put a TOC on a post I wrote a little while back on tips for visiting NOLA using credit card points and miles and it worked SO well! Many thanks :)
https://brooklynfamilytravelers.substack.com/p/the-new-orleans-edit
This is such a neat workaround for the lack of ‘insert table of contents’. Thank you.
@Cassandra Campbell Thank you for this brilliant idea. Love this. Can’t wait to share.
🔥🔥🔥
Thanks, I will keep this in mind.
I do this for all my food writing because it often follows the story/food history/recipe format and allows the “just give me the recipe” grinches to get to where they need to be fast. Great post
Great to see an article about how to create a TOC for your text posts!
👉 The trick to seeing the link to a header (while in edit mode) is to:
1. click on the header text
2. hover just to the left of the first letter in the header
3. scroll up until you see the icon (without moving your mouse from that spot)
Note: the link icon will always appear in the upper area of the article (left of the header text, in a skinny margin), so if you have a looooooonnnnnggg article, you will need to head to the top while keeping your cursor within the margin just left of the header text until you see it.
I created a TOC for my page here:
https://giglfin.substack.com/p/byb-book-recommendations
...it works great for my long list of book recommendations by topic.
You figured out the trick! Thanks for sharing!
That’s helpful.
This is pretty worthless. Manually creating ToC defeats the point. Even a basic Wiki like Mediawiki or Confluence will simply generate a ToC from Headings and subheadings.
Come on substack - level up!
This is super helpful !
Actually you can check if it works properly before publishing, any time by using the "secret draft link" in the editor.
That's never worked for me but very cool if it works for you! I always get a "Page note found" response until the article is live.
When I click on your table of contents links, a new window always opens.
Am I the only (mobile user) this happens to?
That's likely because you're in the app (which uses substack.com links) and I'm using links to my domain name. Substack isn't great at redirecting between the two.
I failed to figure this out on my own last week while writing my longest post yet. I’m so glad you’ve shared the how-to so I can do it next time! Thank you!
It's not too late!
Going to try and add it today!
Thank you for breaking this down so clearly. I have a question...
Is a 600-word newsletter long enough to include a table of contents? What about a 1000-word newsletter?
It can be if you have multiple sections!
This sounds like a great idea. I write about RV living, my Faith, and politics. It would be great if people could find posts that reflect what they want to read about. However, it sounds so complicated, and I'm afraid to try it.
It's actually pretty easy! I just wanted to show every step for anyone who might get confused. It'll only take a few minutes to figure out and then you'll be a pro :)
Doesn't Substack automatically generate a ToC off to the side? Or is it still more helpful to do this manually?
I've only noticed that on desktop! Since it's not very visible and doesn't include paywalled sections of the article, I prefer to embed one manually directly in the article.