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I recently had to create a Word template that included a style for numbered lists. After much research and help from listers, I abandoned Word's built-in numbering (it is too unstable) in favor of using the LISTNUM field and macros.
Start by creating a style with the indents and the hanging indent that you want (don't use one of Word's names, create your own). Don't apply Word's numbering. You need to create two macros, one to start the numbering at 1 and the other to apply the next number in the sequence. In my template I linked the macros to buttons and created a toolbar for them. Whenever I want to start a numbered list, I click a button to start the list at 1. The macro inserts the number followed by a tab and applies the style I created. I click the other button to add items to the list.
The LISTNUM field uses two switches, the \s and \l. The \s specifies the start-at value for the list; the \l specifies the level in the list. The best explanation of the LISTNUM field and the switches is found in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://search.support.microsoft.com . Search for article ID Q162895. It gives a table that shows the different numbering levels and the formats you get. For example, if you want your numbers to be followed by a period, your LISTNUM field would look like this: "LISTNUM \l 3 \s 1 OutlineDefault" for the beginning number (notice the one following the \s, which indicates the list starts with the number1) and "LISTNUM \l 3 OutlineDefault" for the subsequent numbers. If you follow the procedure below, Word will create a macro for you with this field.
Once you have your style created, you can record the two macros:
1. Select Tools, Macros, Record New Macro.
2. In the Record Macro dialog box, name the macro and select the template where you want the macro.
This opens the Stop Recording toolbar and puts you in recording mode.
3. Select Insert, Field, and select Numbering as the category.
4. Select LISTNUM as the field name and click Options.
5. Select the switches that apply and type the level number for the \l switch. If the macro is to start a list, select the \s switch followed by the number 1.
6. Click the List Names tab and select the name of the list that you want to use.
7. Close the Field Options dialog box and the Field dialog box by clicking OK in each.
8. Press Tab.
9. Change the style to one of the outline styles.
10. Click the Stop Recording button.
If you need help with this or with linking the macros to buttons, please don't hesitate to contact me. I spent a lot of hours working this out and I'm happy to share it.
Sarah
-----Original Message-----
From: Benzi Schreiber [mailto:benzi -at- tradeum -dot- com]
Sent: Sunday, January 02, 2000 5:02 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: WORD numbering problem
Hi,
My editor has the following headache. I don't know what to tell her. Can
someone please help us out? (It's Word 97)
Thanks!
- Benzi
===========
I was hoping you'd be able to help me with a Word problem. I can't seem to
get the numbering to work properly. It's all fine until I start a second -
or third - numbered list, when I can't seem to be able to get the list to
start with "1" again. I'm using two styles, one called Numbered 1 where the
count is supposed to start with number 1 again, but it remembers the
previously used Numbered 1 and starts with 2. I then tried to go to
Format>Bullets and Numbering to have the numbering restart, but that "stole"
my paragraph format, too.
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