TOC including TOC page

[VJS]

I have the section manager set up properly, I think, but I can't figure out what I need to change to eliminate the Contents page from TOC.

[walt.farrell]

Use a different Paragraph Text Style for "Contents", and don't include that style in the TOC (TOC panel) settings.

[VJS]

Thanks, Walt.

I could easily delete the Contents line, but I'm trying to figure out why it was included in the first place. I'm in the Paragraph panel but I see nothing to tick (check) or untick that makes any difference, and I've tried all the possibilities that I can find.

The Contents title is in a different text frame if that's causing the issue, but I still can't figure out how to eliminate the entry except deleting the line manually.

[walt.farrell]

The TOC is built from all paragraphs that use the Paragraph Text Styles you select in the TOC panel. You need to make sure the text "Contents" in your document doesn't use any of those Text Styles, or it, too, will appear in the TOC.

[VJS]

Walt, I finally figured out what I think you were telling me. I selected the Contents text frame and created a new paragraph/text style for it, which disconnected it from the TOC. Now when I update/refresh the TOC, I only see the chapters listed.

I can be a bit slow at times after using InDesign for twenty-plus years. I have to reconfigure my brain.

[Oufti]

[Grilled by @walt.farrell. 🤭 ]

3 hours ago, VJS said:

I'm trying to figure out why it was included in the first place

1. Your TOC is defined so as to include every paragraph of a certain style.
2. "Contents" has this style assigned. 
3. => Your TOC includes "Contents"... 

If you assign to Contents another style (which may be identical in form but have a different name), you won't find Contents anymore in your TOC.