Pages 2.0 | Table of Contents Widget

Pages 2.0 refers to the new version of Happeo Pages, released on April 2, 2025. All Happeo accounts created from this date onward use the new page editor by default.

What is the Table of Contents Widget?

The Table of Contents Widget is a navigational page widget that helps users quickly find and move between sections of a page. By automatically pulling H1, H2, and H3 headings from the Text Widget—and optionally from other widgets on the same page—it creates an organized, clickable list that mirrors the page’s structure.

For organizations, this kind of navigation shapes how employees engage with information—making it easier for them to access what they need without friction. Whether employees are referencing a page once or revisiting it regularly, the widget keeps the experience consistent and intuitive, encouraging deeper use of shared resources across the intranet.

Alternative page navigation option: You can also enable a Page Outline directly in the page editor by going to Navigation in the sidebar. This option acts as a “sticky” page outline based on sections, rather than widget headings. Learn more.

For more information about adding widgets to your page, please see this article. 

Use cases

• Onboarding portals: For new hire pages with multiple sections, the widget helps employees jump straight to what they need without scrolling through overwhelming information.
• Policy & procedure manuals: For long HR or compliance documents, the widget lets staff quickly find specific policy sections.
• Project or program hubs: For multi-section project pages, the widget allows team members to navigate instantly between timelines, resources, and updates.
• Training & learning modules: For training pages with multiple modules, the widget helps learners revisit specific topics easily for future reference.
• Events & conference pages: For event info pages, the widget acts as a quick guide so attendees can jump to schedules, travel details, or FAQs.
• Product or service knowledge bases: For internal product FAQ pages, the widget helps teams quickly find features or troubleshooting steps to assist users faster.

Best practices for the Tale of Contents Widget

To get the most value from the Table of Contents Widget, think beyond the technical setup and consider how it supports information discovery and long-term content management on your intranet:

1. Use clear, descriptive headings in Text Widgets: Since the widget automatically pulls H1, H2, and H3 headings from Text Widgets, make sure headings are meaningful and follow a clear hierarchy. This helps employees scan and understand the structure of the page at a glance.
2. Keep heading levels consistent across a page: Avoid skipping heading levels (e.g., jumping from H1 to H3 without an H2). A logical structure ensures that the Table of Contents Widget creates an intuitive, well-nested table of contents that mirrors how the content is meant to be consumed.
3. Balance detail with readability: While the widget can display unlimited headings, too many can overwhelm the user. Group related content under broader H2 sections, and use H3 headings sparingly to avoid clutter.
4. Leverage widget headers strategically: Beyond Text Widgets, many widgets (e.g., Media, File List, or Link widgets) allow you to add a widget header. If these headers represent meaningful content sections (e.g., “Team Resources” above a File List widget), enabling them in the Table of Contents can create a richer, more complete navigation experience.
   • Keep in mind: Widget headers should represent standalone topics, not just labels, so the table of contents doesn’t become overloaded with minor section titles.
5. Prioritize user journeys: Think about why someone will visit the page. If it’s a policy library, they may want to jump to a very specific rule. If it’s an onboarding hub, they might prefer a high-level overview with fewer, broader headings. Align your use of headings and widget headers to the expected user journey.
6. Support content lifecycle management: As policies, projects, or training modules evolve, headings and widget headers will likely change. Because the Table of Contents updates automatically, it’s important to regularly review headings for accuracy and ensure they reflect current organizational language.
7. Combine with other navigation tools thoughtfully: The Table of Contents Widget is designed for navigating headings within a single page.
   • If your page is very long, you can also enable the Page Outline from the page editor’s navigation settings. Unlike the widget, the Page Outline is “sticky” and follows the user as they scroll—but it only applies to sections within that one page, not across multiple pages.
   • For broader navigation (e.g., between related policy pages or training modules), combine the Table of Contents with a page group menu or navigation links so employees always know where they are—both within a page and across your intranet’s structure.

How to use the Table of Contents Widget

1. Locate a page containing a Table of Contents widget.
2. Click any of the listed headers to jump directly to that section of the page.
3. The selected header will be briefly highlighted in yellow, showing you exactly where you are on the page.

How to manage the Table of Contents Widget

1. Navigate the page group where the widget resides.
2. Click the pencil icon at the top right of the page to open the page editor.
3. Hover your mouse over the widget until it is highlighted in blue, and click on it.
4. Select the settings (gear) icon at the top right of the widget.

A new window will open where you can adjust the widget's settings. You can switch between the Configure and Styles tabs to adjust what is displayed and how the content is displayed.

Configure

• Include widget headers – Display the headers of widgets within the page in the table of contents.
• Widget header – Enable this option to add a header to the widget. You can then enter the header name in the field above the widget.

Style

If Brand Style Locking is not enabled for the selected Brand Style, you can adjust the following:

• Background color – Select the background color of the section. The colors available to you will depend on what the system default is and the Brand Style you are using.
• Background image – Select a background image from the following sources:
  • Recommended image – Happeo’s AI will suggest options from Unsplash. You can regenerate or refine the image using the provided tools.
  • Select image – Choose an image from Google Drive, SharePoint, or OneDrive.
  • Upload from computer – Upload an image from your computer (recommended ratio is 4:1)
  • Browse Unsplash – Search for and select an image from Unsplash.
• Padding – Adjust the amount of background visible behind the widget. You can set a value between 0px and 100px. A larger value will show more of the background, making the section header and content appear smaller. A smaller value will minimize the background visibility, making the widget appear larger. Adjust the slider to fine-tune the amount of padding.
• Custom padding – Fully control the background space around your widget. Set any value to apply uniform padding to all four sides. For complete customization, click the lock icon in the center of the padding window to adjust each side individually.
• Border – Add a border around the widget. You can resize the border width, select the border direction (between 0px and 100px) and border color.
• Shadow – Enable a shadow effect for the widget. You can then select the shadow's darkness level: small, medium, or large.
• Round corners – Round the corners of the widget between the values 0px and 100px. A larger value will make the widget corners appear rounder, whereas a lower value will make them appear sharper.

More information about widgets

To read more about widgets and how to resize, copy, and delete them, please refer to this article. 

FAQ

Functionality & Content Control

Can I control which headings appear in the table of contents?

The widget automatically includes all H1, H2, and H3 headings from the Text Widget. If you want to exclude a specific heading, change it to regular text (for example, remove the heading style and apply bold formatting instead). 

The same applies to widget headers: you can either remove the header from the widget or disable widget headers entirely in the Table of Contents settings—just note that this removes all widget headers, not selected ones.

Is it possible to reorder or rename items in the Table of Contents Widget?

Items are listed in the order they appear on the page, and you can’t directly reorder or rename them within the widget. To make changes, adjust the placement of headings in the Text Widget, rearrange widgets containing headings, or edit the heading text directly in the relevant widget.

Is there a limit to how many headings the widget can display?

The Table of Contents will display every heading on the page, so there’s no set limit. If your page has many headings, consider grouping or simplifying them for easier navigation.

Does the Table of Contents automatically update if the page headings change?

Whenever you edit a page heading, the widget updates automatically. This ensures your table of contents always matches the latest page content without the need for manual adjustments.

Can I link table of contents items to headings in other pages or just the current page?

The table of contents only links to headings on the current page. Cross-page linking isn’t supported, so it’s best used for navigating within a single page’s content.

What happens if a page has no H1, H2, or H3 headings—will the widget still display any content?

Without headings, the table of contents won’t display any items. Instead, it will show a message prompting you to add headings in Text Widgets (or widgets with headings) before content can appear.

Troubleshooting

The Table of Contents Widget is empty. Why aren’t any items showing?

The widget only displays H1, H2, or H3 headings from Text Widgets, or widget headers (if enabled). If your page doesn’t contain any of these, the table of contents will appear empty.

• Check that your text uses proper heading styles instead of bold or large font styling.
• If you’re expecting widget headers to appear, make sure “Include widget headers” is enabled in the widget’s settings.

Some of my headings aren’t showing up in the table of contents. Why?

• Only H1, H2, and H3 heading styles are included. If your text is formatted as body text or is bolded, it won’t appear.
• For widget headers, only top-level headers are pulled into the table of contents.

The order of items in the table of contents is wrong

The widget always follows the order of headings as they appear on the page. To change the order, move or rearrange the headings themselves within the Text Widgets or widgets that contain them.

The widget design looks different than expected.

If Brand Style Locking is enabled, you may not be able to adjust certain design settings (e.g., background color, borders, padding). Contact your intranet admin if you need changes to the Brand Style applied across pages.

Viewers can’t see the Table of Contents Widget at all.

• Make sure the page is published. If it’s still in draft, only editors can see it.
• Confirm that viewers have permission to access the page group where the widget is placed. Without access, they won’t be able to see the page—or its Table of Contents Widget.

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