Scrolling a flat list of file names is slow when you have hundreds or thousands of documents. The table of contents tab solves this by building a structured index from metadata extracted during processing. Categories like People, Document Types, Dates, and Email Addresses let you browse documents by who, what, and when instead of file name alone.
How the table of contents works
When Hintyr processes your uploaded documents, it extracts structured metadata from each one. The table of contents uses that metadata to build a browsable index, grouping documents into meaningful categories. Instead of scrolling a flat file list in the uploads tab, you can explore your case by the people mentioned, the document types present, the dates referenced, and more.
The table of contents is especially useful for large document collections where a flat listing tells you little. It groups extracted metadata across your documents so you can quickly see which custodians, document types, and date ranges appear in your case.
Categories you can browse
The table of contents organizes your documents into several top-level categories. Each category represents a different dimension of your case data:
- People - Names of individuals mentioned in or associated with your documents: authors, recipients, signatories, custodians, and other identified persons.
- Document Types - The kind of document: contract, invoice, letter, memorandum, pleading, email, and so on. Hintyr assigns types during processing based on content analysis and file format.
- Forensics - Technical and forensic metadata extracted from documents, including file origins and digital signature information when present.
- Email Addresses (From/To) - Sender and recipient email addresses extracted from email messages. Useful for mapping communication threads and identifying key correspondents.
- Dates - Significant dates found in your documents: contract execution dates, incident dates, correspondence dates, filing dates, and others.
Beyond the built-in categories, you can define custom metadata fields for Hintyr to extract during processing. Custom fields appear alongside the default categories in the table of contents. See Metadata Settings to configure custom metadata for your case.
Drilling down to the documents you need
The table of contents uses an expandable tree structure. At the top level you see category names (People, Document Types, Dates, and so on). Click a category to expand it and see the specific values found in your case. For example, expanding People might show names like "Jane Smith" and "Robert Chen."
Click a value to expand it further and see the matching documents. Clicking "Jane Smith" under People, for example, lists every document that references that person. Click any document to open it in the viewer.
This three-level drill-down (category, value, document) gives you a direct path to the documents you need. Browse by meaning instead of searching by keyword.
Seeing the shape of your case
The table of contents does more than help you locate documents. It shows the contours of your case at a glance. Scan the People category to see which individuals appear most often across your collection. Review the Dates category to map a chronology. Check Email Addresses to trace communication threads between parties.
These groupings help you prioritize which documents to examine first. If a particular person appears across many documents, that frequency may warrant closer attention.
Staying current as you add documents
The table of contents builds from metadata extracted during processing. When you upload new documents and they finish processing, the table of contents updates with the new data.
Documents must finish processing before their metadata appears here. If a document is still processing, its data will not yet show in the table of contents. Check the uploads tab for processing status.