Latex \tableofcontents command always shows blank Contents on first build

Question

When I generate a .pdf file from a .tex file using pdflatex, only the "Contents" title is shown with no actual TOC. If I run pdflatex my.tex once more, it generates the TOC just fine. I can reproduce this simply by removing the .toc file. What I think is happening is that my .toc file is being generated too late -- so how can I make the TOC work first time? Should I be generating the TOC beforehand without using pdflatex?

Answer 1

This is normal. LaTeX document need several compilations to reach a stable state. Use rubber -d my to compile the right number of times (rubber comes as a package on many linux distros).

Answer 2

I might be mistaken, but I think, that this is the default behaviour. I assume, you also won't find correct cross references (footnotes, end notes, literature) after the first run of pdflatex.

The point is, that LaTeX needs the extra rounds to resolve the references pointing inside the document, to get numbering and page numbers right.

Answer 3

I experienced the same problem with the editor Latexian. What solved the problem was changing the preferences. I changed "Number of typesetter runs at end" to 3, instead of the default 1. Then I added the "Refresh" button to the toolbar and tried refreshing and it worked.