Import Table of Contents

Feature Request: Intelligent Table of Contents Import from Word

Summary:
Automatically detect and correctly import Microsoft Word tables of contents as structured Table of Contents sections instead of plain text when bringing Word documents into the system. This preserves navigation structure and improves readability and usability of imported documents.

Problem Statement:
When importing documents from Microsoft Word that contain a table of contents, the current behavior treats the TOC as a regular text block. This flattens the structure, removes its navigational utility, and can make long documents harder to understand and navigate. Users must manually recreate or clean up the TOC after import, which is time-consuming and error-prone.

Proposed Solution:
Enhance the Word import process to detect Word-generated tables of contents (and similar TOC structures) during parsing.
When a TOC is identified, import it into the document as a dedicated “Table of Contents” section instead of plain text.
Preserve the hierarchy and ordering of headings (e.g., H1, H2, H3) as TOC entries, maintaining links to the corresponding sections where possible.
If a TOC cannot be reliably detected, fall back to the current behavior and optionally notify the user that the TOC could not be structured.
Provide configuration or defaults that ensure imported TOCs are clearly distinguished from body text and can be edited or regenerated if needed.

Benefits:
Reduces manual cleanup work after importing Word documents with existing TOCs.
Improves document navigation by preserving a functional, structured table of contents.
Decreases errors introduced when users try to rebuild TOCs by hand.
Enhances the overall import experience for large, structured documents.
Increases user confidence that imported documents will retain their intended organization and readability.