Thanks very much for the scripts Jongware! Am going to explore them.
Am not very script savvy, so I’ll definitely give a shout I wasn’t quite successful in converting them to documents.
Fingers crossed.
Will update!

Thanks for your reply! Have yet to explore your solution but I found this link in the process:

https://creativepro.com/multi-level-automatic-numbering-in-indesign.php

I think this maybe worth exploring to see if it fits my requirement! The diagram shows multi-level numbering system!

Oh dear.. I have no idea what Portfolio does..

Seems like I have to re-create pages form there? I'll have look up on the topic myself.

I found another way – by using the Link Tool in Acrobat and thereby select Open Files as the action. It works!

I just have to test that it opens fine after I burned the files into a CD!

: )

Thanks for your help! I appreciate it very much.

Hi David!

Tried your suggestion.. didn't work either..
Perhaps I should explain how I used cross references. May throw some light on the weird stuff. Perhaps, the cross references and the manual creation of bookmarks confuses indesign??

Here goes:

The entries on my contents page are linked to the page headers on the pages; contents page entries = source, page headers on pages = destination. I selected the page numbers to be shown.

My page header bears the structre of (eg):

2.3 SECTION HEADER

Descriptor

Sometimes I had to customise the entry being reflected back to the contents page, for example, I want to show SECTION HEADER but I don't want the number '2.3' to show. To get around that (I don't know of any other better way), I created another text frame that sits outside the page in question, but touching the page so that my page numbers can then be reflected on my contents page. (Coz if I don't customise, everytime I edit the title, I had to remember to delete the preceeding number on the contents page, not so productive!)

I gave up troubleshooting the errant bookmarks. Re-creating, blah blah. So I deleted all standing bookmakrs and set to generate them out of TOC method. Tedious, as I had to manually delete what I want shown as bookmarks BEFORE I generate the bookmarks (generating by means of selecting stylesheets is not exactly efficient, EVERYTHING shows, but anyways.. ).

There. Troubles over. I kept the generated TOC at the last page where I can delete the page off the pdf. Thereby, I edit the bookmarks manually again if I make changes to the page order or create new pages (I don't know how else to edit them). But I always checked my pdf and they tally, even though I'd edited them manually (*celebrates*). So, the TOC at the last page had become a dud, coz if I deleted it, the auto-generated bookmarks would be deleted simultaneously (to my horror, I discovered). Nevermind, no biggie.

Then. Trouble resumed.

I discovered there were many pages that seemed “corrupted”. Meaning, the drawn guides won't shown and even if I pull in new ones, they don't show either! They were nowhere to be found. Margin guides are fine. The affected pages have a Masterpage applied to them. I reapplied 'None' to them, apply the relevant Masterpage back. Didn't work. Created new blank masterpage to apply and re-apply other Masterpages with guides. Nope. Everything on the Masterpages showed EXCEPT the guides. Perplexed. I can't get around it.

So, I had to re-create those affected pages and recreate new bookmarks! I need those guides to show : (

So I did. Created new pages, cut and paste from errant pages onto new pages (the cross references remained intact, thank goodness), delete the errant pages (and the “generated” bookmark got deleted automatically as well!) and create new bookmarks manually.

Done. Happy. Generate a pdf from all these madness.

And. guess what??? Those bookmarks which I re-created to “salvage” those pages with “corrupted guides” pages don't tally again! Wrong tally, multiple references to the wrong pages..etc. Same story …

OMG. I am really at my wits end!!

Should I delete ALL bookmarks again and mnually re-create them?

Will they behave? Oh, I am terrified moving forward.

Sorry to be writing a thesis… I am so frustrated. :(