Singletsigma

Dear Colleagues,

Can anyone help please? My current problem is, having created muti-level numbered lists, I finds that, when reloading the file, the lists and numbering have changed and the changes are not reproducible?

I am editing material for a scientific book in WORD 2007 (Vista home premium operating system) and have each chapter in a separate DOC (2003 compatible) file. There is the "normal" style sheet and another from the publisher which is attached. There are four levels of headings and subheadings for each chapter, all of which are numbered or lettered. Each of them is linked to a "heading" style. The general form is (for chapter 4 say) 4, 4.1, 4.1.1 etc. There are similar multilevel lists in each chapter. The "Automatic numbered lists" is activated in WORD 2007 options.

The problem is simply that, having sorted out the multilevel list in one chapter and stored the file, the numbering sometimes changes when the file is reloaded. I have seen all sorts of variations: the chapter number has changed in heading 1; the chapter number has changed in all the headings, the chapter number has disappeared in just heading 1, or even no change (what I want!). This is with just one chapter - if one has worked on another before loading the first, the chapter number in the first might well have changed to that of the second!

The most irritating thing and probably an indication of the root cause is that often, the connection between the list level and the heading style has been severed, and one has to make the connections all over again.

As you might guess, I have tried almost everything, including setting up multilevel list connections in the style sheets (yet more interesting changes in the files).

The help files simply envisage making such a list for the first time so provide no information on the interactions between the lists, the styles and the style sheets.

If anyone could help, I would be most grateful, thank you.

Singletsigma.

macropod

Hi Singletsigma,

Are these independent documents, or are you using Word's 'Master Document' feature to manage a set of documents? Do you get the same behaviour if you save the files in the Word 2007 file format?

Singletsigma

Thank you for the prompt reply, Macropod.

The documents are all independent since I was not aware of the possibility of a "master document". They all use the same two style sheets.

Peter

macropod

Hi Singletsigma,

Multilevel list numbering can be tricky if you try to change anything in the sequence starting from anything other than Heading 1. In previous Word versions, the most reliable approach was to use Format|Style to modify the Heading 1 Style and, with the numbering dialogue box open, alter the subordinate levels from there. I suspect a similar approach might work best with Word 2007.

I'd recommend avoiding Word's 'Master Document' feature - it's been problematic ever since it was introduced and has been responsible for much grief - in the form of massive corruption and loss of content. The jury's still out on whether it's any better in Word 2007.

Singletsigma

Dear Macropod,

Many thanks for your helpful remarks. Things seemed to be going better yesterday with chapter 4 but this morning, with chapter 5, it is as bad as ever: the chapter appeared with the headings and numbers disconnected and then, after correction and storing, the wrong chapter number appearing in the headings. A new trick it produced, was to find that all the headings were ok except the first occurrence of heading 2, which had a different chapter number. This upset all the remaining heading 2 numbers which started at the second occurrence!!

There are several points -
a. You are quite right: I found early on that one should always make the list and any subsequent changes in the topmost heading 1, of which there is only one occurrence.

b. I cannot see, in WORD 2007, how to format the style with the numbering dialogue box open, as you suggest. You cannot do anything, while the box is open.

c. I shall steer clear of the "master document" approach!

If you have any other ideas, I would like to hear them - its nice to have some encouragement. I shall be at this for another month - in the last resort, we can number all the sections by hand.

With best wishes

Singletsigma