> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://quarkdown.com/wiki/llms.txt).
# Table of contents
A table of contents provides a quick overview of your document by displaying links to headings in a visual hierarchy. Readers can click on any entry to jump directly to that section. You can see a table of contents right now in the right sidebar, or at the end of the page if you’re on a mobile device.
You can display a table of contents through the **`.tableofcontents`** function.
## Basic usage
The function accepts the following optional parameters:
| Parameter | Description | Accepts | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `title` | Title that precedes the table of contents. If unset, it is automatically localized. | Inline content | Automatically localized if [`.doclang`](document-metadata.md)’s locale is supported (e.g., `Table of Contents` for English) |
| `maxdepth` | Maximum heading level to display. For example, `maxdepth:{2}` collects `#` and `##` headings, but not `###` or deeper. | Integer | `3` |
> **Example 1**
>
> ```markdown
> .tableofcontents maxdepth:{2}
>
> ## A
>
> ...
>
> ### A.A
>
> ...
>
> ### A.B
>
> ...
>
> ## B
>
> ...
>
> ## C
>
> ### C.A
>
> #### C.A.A
>
> ...
> ```
>
> 
## Behavior by document type
The table of contents adapts to different document types:
- In **`paged`** and **`slides`** documents, each entry also displays the corresponding page number.
- In **`slides`** documents, the table of contents has a constrained height and becomes vertically scrollable when content overflows.
## Theming
[Layout themes](themes.md) greatly influence the appearance of the table of contents.
> **Example 2**
>
> 
> ‘minimal’ theme
## Ignoring specific headings
Sometimes you want certain headings to appear in your document but not in the table of contents. [Decorative headings](headings.md#decorative-headings) serve this purpose: they are not numbered and are excluded from the table of contents.
To mark a heading as decorative, append `!` to the last `#` sign:
```markdown
##! A decorative heading
```
## Custom numbering
You can customize how headings are numbered in the table of contents via the `.numbering` function. See [Numbering](numbering.md) for more information.
## Heading options
The heading that precedes the table of contents can be customized with the following parameters:
| Parameter | Description | Accepts | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `headingdepth` | Depth of the heading that precedes the table of contents. | Integer | Depends on document type (1 for most, 3 for `docs`) |
| `breakpage` | Whether the heading triggers an automatic [page break](page-break.md#automatic-break). | Boolean | `yes` |
| `numberheading` | Whether the heading should be [numbered](numbering.md) and have its position tracked in the document hierarchy. | Boolean | `no` |
| `indexheading` | Whether the heading should be included in the table of contents itself. Implicitly enables `numberheading`. | Boolean | `no` |
## Focusing entries
The `focus` parameter highlights a specific entry in the table of contents, drawing attention to the current section.
> **Example 3**
>
> Adding `focus:{A.B}` to the previous example highlights that entry:
>
> ```markdown
> .tableofcontents maxdepth:{2} focus:{A.B}
> ```
>
> 
This feature is particularly useful in presentations, where you might want to show a mini table of contents at the beginning of each chapter to orient your audience.
### Using markers for chapter navigation
For slide presentations, you can combine `focus` with **markers** to create elegant chapter navigation. The `.marker` function creates an invisible level-0 heading, which is not normally possible with the standard `#`-based syntax.
Here is a practical pattern for chapter slides:
```markdown
.function {chapter}
name:
.tableofcontents maxdepth:{0} focus:{.name}
.marker {.name}
```
You can then invoke it with `.chapter {My chapter}` at the start of each section. Setting `maxdepth:{0}` ensures only markers appear in the table of contents, creating a clean chapter-level overview rather than showing all headings.