How to span the outline/table of content heading over multiple columns?

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With 0.12, we got the ability to add multi-column floats, and using set page(columns: ..) is now the recommended way of styling things, even when there are page-spanning elements on the page – see e.g. Line numbering behavior and page layout - #2 by xkevio or this comment on a related Github issue.

This means that the question can now be cleanly answered like this (also demonstrating how to style the outline heading):

// this is only to make the outline's columns fill up
// more quickly, so that I need to generate fewer headings
#set page(paper: "a5", flipped: true)

#set page(columns: 2)
#set heading(numbering: "1.")

#place(top, float: true, scope: "parent")[
  (you can even have stuff before the outline' heading,
  just also `place()` it at the top before the outline)
]

#{
  // this show rule is scoped to the outline, which means
  // it only affects a single heading
  show heading: it => {
    set block(
      stroke: (top: 2pt),
      inset: (top: 0.4em),
      width: 100%,
    )
    // THE IMPORTANT BIT: place the outline heading at
    // the top of the page, spanning both columns
    place(top, float: true, scope: "parent", upper(it))
  }
  outline()
}

#pagebreak()
// uncomment this if only the outline show be two-column
// #set page(columns: 1)

// some example content
#for section in lorem(5).split(" ") [
  = #section
  #for subsection in lorem(6).split(" ") [
    == #subsection
    #lorem(10)
  ]
]
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