Outline number in Word explained!

tomstickland

I had to laugh at this.
Simple requirement: outline number some paragraph headings.

Eg:
1 - introduction
__1.1 - overview
__1.2 - history
2 - initial experiments
__2.1 - requirements
__2.2 - methods
__2.3 - results
__2.4 - discussion
3 - follow on experiments
__3.1 - methods
__3.2 - results
4 - conclusion


I had a quick go in Word 2007 using logic and realised that it wasn't going to be so simple. Word help was a waste of space, so I got onto google.

Found this:
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm
3.2 - results

googler

So are you going to share the punchline with us?

tomstickland

Read the link.

The important thing to remember about the List Galleries collection is that it is no more than a series of windows, which allow you to see the first seven List Templates under each of the three categories. No matter how many List Templates the document contains, the List Galleries collection only includes 21 of them.
This is one of the most important reasons why using List Galleries (and therefore why using the Format>Bullets and Numbering dialog) will inevitably lead to highly unstable numbering. Your document may contain 100 List Templates, but only the first seven List Templates (in each category) will be displayed in the dialog or form part of the List Galleries collection.

Furthermore, paragraphs numbered using the dialog (or the List Galleries collection) contain no information about the number formatting to be applied to them, nor do they even contain any information about which List Template they should be attached to! They simply contain the information that "I'm using the fourth List Template from the left on the "Numbered" tab of the Format Bullets and Numbering dialog". The problem with this is that when you paste the list into a different document, or open the same document on a different machine, or even "update styles from template", the "fourth List Template from the left on the "Numbered" tab of the Format Bullets and Numbering dialog" is now likely to be a different List Template from before!
This is why someone else opening your document is likely to see the list which you had numbered 1, 2, 3 transformed into Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3!
There is only one way of avoiding such problems, (other than resorting to field-based numbering); and that is to avoid using the Format>Bullets and Numbering dialog altogether, and to apply styles instead, which must be created using VBA, using named List Templates. For details, see How to cure Word's List Numbering with a dose of VBA.

tomstickland

Alternatively consider this: I've just set out to do a common task in one of the most common word processing packages and have uncovered a sloppy, bug ridden mess that makes the job far more difficult than it should be.

http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/numbering20072010.html

tomstickland

If multiple styles point to the same List Template, this gets exciting when someone redefines one of the styles. The measurements will no longer suit one of the List Templates, and things rapidly go down hill. It gets even more perplexing if you have multiple styles pointing to different List Templates. You may redefine the List Template: only some of the paragraphs come right. You may redefine a style: again, only some of the paragraphs will follow. You need to hunt down all the styles and all the List Templates and unify them all.
The converse cannot be true: You cannot have multiple List Templates in paragraphs formatted with the same style. This is why we recommend that you always apply list numbering with a style. If you always apply the same style name, you will always apply the same List Template.

Makes a lot of sense yes?

ScratchandSniff-->[X]

tomstickland wrote: »

I had to laugh at this.
Simple requirement: outline number some paragraph headings.

I'm assuming you don't actually want an underscore, it's just an issue with copy and paste into the forum. Also that you're talking about numbering headings for appearance, rather than as using Outline view to expand/collapse/do master&sub docs in long documents etc. If you want the latter, let me know.

This is just the built in outline numbering 1/1.1/1.1.1 scheme
Push the Enter key and you'll get another number like the current one because it's a new paragraph
Push the Indent button (or tab key) to demote to a sub level, or push the Unindent button (or shift+tab) to promote to a higher level
If you've just typed a heading and want a continuation paragraph nested under it rather than a numbered paragraph, use shift+enter to get a manual line break


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Owain_Moneysaver

Sometimes I still really, really, really miss WordPerfect 5.1

ScratchandSniff-->[X]

http://picasaweb.google.com/108915202613876747153/Desktop?authkey=Gv1sRgCKvin8vp_O3inQE#5535790048765322034

tomstickland

ScratchandSniff-->[X] wrote: »

I'm assuming you don't actually want an underscore, it's just an issue with copy and paste into the forum. Also that you're talking about numbering headings for appearance, rather than as using Outline view to expand/collapse/do master&sub docs in long documents etc. If you want the latter, let me know.

This is just the built in outline numbering 1/1.1/1.1.1 scheme
Push the Enter key and you'll get another number like the current one because it's a new paragraph
Push the Indent button (or tab key) to demote to a sub level, or push the Unindent button (or shift+tab) to promote to a higher level
If you've just typed a heading and want a continuation paragraph nested under it rather than a numbered paragraph, use shift+enter to get a manual line break

Along those lines.
I wanted outline numbering to be linked to styles like it used to be in Word 2003 and before.
I got it to work by following the guide I posted in one of those other links.

What made me laugh though was the long list of issues and bugs associated with this in my first link, along with the insufficient help that comes with the package.

jbreckmckye

tomstickland wrote: »

I had to laugh at this.
Simple requirement: outline number some paragraph headings.

Eg:
1 - introduction
__1.1 - overview
__1.2 - history
2 - initial experiments
__2.1 - requirements
__2.2 - methods
__2.3 - results
__2.4 - discussion
3 - follow on experiments
__3.1 - methods
__3.2 - results
4 - conclusion


I had a quick go in Word 2007 using logic and realised that it wasn't going to be so simple. Word help was a waste of space, so I got onto google.

Found this:
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm
3.2 - results

The problem is that Word isn't build for long, structured documents. It's a Word Processor, as opposed to a Document Processor.

If you're going to be writing scientific or academic reports, try using FrameMaker or Serna (XML-based), Lyx (built around Latex, which is the standard for academic publications) or Interleaf. Bizarrely, Open Office Writer is a quite potent Document Processor, too, and probably has the gentlest learning curve for those attached to WYSIWYG word processors.

websolprov

I know this is an old thread but I am having problems with continuation paragraphs in a multi-level (fully justified) list when using a soft return. The continuation paragraph needs to be kept as a list to ensure continuity, but as a run-on or continuation paragraph it should NOT be numbered. This can be accomodated by using a soft-return to keep it in the same paragraph, however this then means that you cannot apply spacing between the sub-paragraphs and also the initial line (if shorter) and because it is the same paragraph then get's over spaced when fully left/right justified.

Has anyone got any tips on allowing a continuation paragraph to be kept in the list style, in the correct level, but be without numbering?

Thanks,

Alex

ScratchandSniff-->[X] wrote: »

I'm assuming you don't actually want an underscore, it's just an issue with copy and paste into the forum. Also that you're talking about numbering headings for appearance, rather than as using Outline view to expand/collapse/do master&sub docs in long documents etc. If you want the latter, let me know.

This is just the built in outline numbering 1/1.1/1.1.1 scheme
Push the Enter key and you'll get another number like the current one because it's a new paragraph
Push the Indent button (or tab key) to demote to a sub level, or push the Unindent button (or shift+tab) to promote to a higher level
If you've just typed a heading and want a continuation paragraph nested under it rather than a numbered paragraph, use shift+enter to get a manual line break