Using Page Labels for Page Numbering in PDF Table of Contents

AutoBookmark plug-in for Adobe® Acrobat®

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will look at how to create a table of contents (TOC) that references pages using page labels. To demonstrate this, we will create a TOC from bookmarks, which is numbered using page labels assigned to each corresponding page of a PDF. The hierarchical table of contents can either be inserted as a new page or saved as a separate PDF document. All TOC entries have the same hyperlink as their corresponding bookmark.

See this list of bookmarking tutorials for help with creating PDF bookmarks using the AutoBookmark™ plug-in.

What are PDF page labels?

Page labels provide a way to combine different page numbering schemes within one PDF file. For example, it's possible to use Roman numerals to number specific document pages, whilst others use a different numbering scheme such as "i, ii, iii..." or "A-1, A-2, A-3..." etc.

It's possible to customize PDF page labels in Acrobat - they can be viewed and edited via the "Page Thumbnails" panel.

In the tutorial steps below, we will create a TOC for a sample PDF that has page labels inserted instead of conventional page numbers. The PDF resembles a user manual, and features page labels that follow various formats. See a separate tutorial on how to number pages for help with assigning page labels in Adobe Acrobat.

Batch Processing Support

Automate this operation with Acrobat's batch processing tool (Action Wizard) to process similar files using the same configuration with only one click. For example, if each monthly report has an identical format, use a batch processing 'action' to quickly add a TOC page using the same settings. Note that AutoBookmark Pro is required for batch processing support - see section 2 of this separate tutorial for help with creating a TOC with Action Wizard.

Prerequisites

You need a copy of Adobe® Acrobat® along with the AutoBookmark™ plug-in installed on your computer in order to use this tutorial. Both are available as trial versions.

Step 1 - Open PDF Document and Inspect Page Labels

Open the PDF for processing in Acrobat and ensure that it contains bookmarks. Make sure that the PDF document you are planning to use has page labels already assigned. See a separate tutorial on how to number pages for help with assigning page labels

Inspect the page labels in the currently open PDF document by selecting "Page Thumbnails" panel and checking the page labels displayed right below each page thumbnail.

Step 2 - Open "Create TOC from Bookmarks" Tool

Select "Plug-Ins > Table of Contents > Create TOC From Bookmarks…" to open the "Table Of Contents Settings" dialog.

[⚡ How to locate Plugins menu ⚡].

Locating "Create TOC From Bookmarks..." menu in "New" Acrobat interface:

Locating "Create TOC From Bookmarks..." menu in "Classic" Acrobat interface:

Step 3 - Configure TOC Settings

Use this dialog to configure the TOC appearance. Click here to view a more detailed tutorial on how to do this.

Next, open the "Page Numbering" tab:

Use the dropdown list to output page numbers as page labels.

Press "OK" to proceed.

A report box displays the number of TOC items added. Press "OK" to close it.

Step 4 - Inspect the Results

A TOC page has been inserted at the beginning of the document - page labels for each page have been used to number the TOC entries:

You can find a list of other step-by-step bookmarking tutorials by clicking here.