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Creating an Automated List of Tables in Word 2003

Just as it does when it builds a table of contents, Word 2003 builds an automated list of tables by extracting from the document the text you have indicated you want in the table list, and then listing the text in the table list along with the number of the page the table is on.

The procedure that follows assumes you have figures and tables in place in your document, but have no automated table captions yet.

If you want to try this procedure on a practice document, open the Word 2003 List of Tables Practice Document.

To create an automated list of tables:

1. Select the first table in the document by hovering the mouse over it, and
   then when the table icon () appears at the upper left corner, click the icon.
2. From the Insert menu, select Reference > Caption.
3. In the Caption dialog box, in the Label box select Table.
4. In the Caption box, type the caption.
   
   By default, captions are placed above the table. If you want yours below the table, in the Position box select Below selected item.
5. Click OK.
   
   The caption appears above the table. If you want to change the caption's formatting:
   1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the caption.
   2. On the Formatting toolbar, ensure the Caption style is in the Style box, and then left of the Style box click the Style icon.
   3. In the Styles dialog box, right-click the Caption style and select Modify.
   4. In the Modify Style dialog box, make the changes you want.
   5. Click OK in the open dialog boxes.
6. In the document, place the insertion point where you want the list of tables to begin.
7. From the Insert menu, select Reference > Index and Tables.
8. In the Index and Tables dialog box, in the Caption label box select Table, and then click OK.
   
   If you want to change the appearance of the table list, see Change the list of tables' appearance.

Update the list of tables

To update the list of tables after changing, adding, or deleting captions, or when page numbers have changed:

1. Right-click in the body of the list of tables and select Update Field.
2. In the Update Table of Figures dialog box, select whether to update just the page numbers or the entire table, and then click OK.

Change the list of tables' appearance

If you want to change the appearance of your list of tables:

1. Click anywhere in the body of the list of tables to select it.
2. In the Insert menu, point to Reference and click Index and Tables.
3. In the Index and Tables dialog box, click the Table of Figures tab.
4. Click the Modify button.
5. In the Style dialog box, make the changes you need.
6. In all open dialog boxes, click OK.
7. When you are asked if you want to replace the table of figures, click OK.