---
title: "Document helpers"
description: "Document helpers work on the document as a whole: they collect its headings for a table of contents, keep an empty node at its end, and give its nodes unique IDs."
canonical_url: "https://tiptap.dev/docs/editor/extensions/document-helpers"
---

# Document helpers

Document helpers work on the document as a whole: they collect its headings for a table of contents, keep an empty node at its end, and give its nodes unique IDs.

## When you use them

- **Navigation.** Table of contents collects the headings and other anchors of a document with their depth, ID, and scroll state, so you can render your own table of contents.
- **A node after the last block.** Trailing node adds a node after the last block node in the editor.
- **Referring to nodes.** Unique ID gives each node of the types you configure an ID that stays with it when people split, merge, paste, or undo.

## How they work

- **They are extensions.** They work on the nodes of the document and don't add nodes or marks of their own. [Extensions](https://tiptap.dev/docs/editor/core-concepts/extensions.md)
- **Trailing node comes with the StarterKit.** It is part of the [StarterKit](https://tiptap.dev/docs/editor/extensions/functionality/starterkit.md); Table of contents and Unique ID you add yourself.
- **You render the table of contents.** Its `onUpdate` callback receives the anchors, and you render them with any framework or with plain DOM code.
- **IDs on the server.** `generateTocIds` and `generateUniqueIds` add IDs to a JSON document without an editor instance.
- **With collaboration, mount after sync.** When you use Unique ID with Collaboration, mount the editor only after the collaboration provider has synced.

## Related

- [Text blocks](https://tiptap.dev/docs/editor/extensions/text-blocks.md) has the Heading node that Table of contents collects.
- [Real-time collaboration](https://tiptap.dev/docs/editor/extensions/collaboration.md) syncs the document between people.