A navigational aid is commonly used in books, documents, and websites to give readers an organized overview of the content’s structure. It serves as a roadmap, helping readers quickly find specific sections or topics of interest within the larger document or publication.
In a printed book, a TOC is usually found at the beginning, listing the chapter titles and page numbers where each chapter begins. In digital documents and websites, the TOC often appears as a clickable list of links, allowing readers to jump directly to the desired sections with just a click.
The primary purposes of a Table of Contents are:
- Navigation: It allows readers to easily navigate the content and find specific information quickly, especially in longer documents or publications.
- Overview: It provides a concise overview of the content’s structure, giving readers an idea of what the document covers and how it is organized.
- Scannability: A TOC enhances the scannability of the content, making it easier for readers to identify and locate relevant sections.
- Organization: It encourages content creators to structure their documents logically, ensuring a clear flow of information.
A TOC can organize and provide easy navigation within longer emails, newsletters, or content-heavy marketing emails in HTML or HTML Emails. A TOC utilizes id and anchor links to scroll to the section automatically:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>My Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
<ul>
<li><a href="#main-heading">Main Heading</a></li>
<li><a href="#subheading-1">Subheading 1</a></li>
<li><a href="#subheading-2">Subheading 2</a></li>
<ul>
<li><a href="#sub-subheading-1">Sub-subheading 1</a></li>
<li><a href="#sub-subheading-2">Sub-subheading 2</a></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h1 id="main-heading">Main Heading</h1>
<p>Some content here...</p>
<h2 id="subheading-1">Subheading 1</h2>
<p>Some content here...</p>
<h2 id="subheading-2">Subheading 2</h2>
<p>Some content here...</p>
<h3 id="sub-subheading-1">Sub-subheading 1</h3>
<p>Some content here...</p>
<h3 id="sub-subheading-2">Sub-subheading 2</h3>
<p>Some content here...</p>
</body>
</html>A TOC helps recipients access the relevant sections quickly without scrolling through the entire email. This can improve the user experience and engagement with the email content.
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