atw: Word Numbering issues.

I am not yet using Office 2007. I am having too nice a day to start a brand
new day - brand new office fiasco.
 
Now Word numbering. 
 
Since the last update of Office 2000, Word numbering has been pretty stable.
It has, if anything slightly and steadily, improved. 
As long as:
1. Make sure you start with a bespoke template, don't base anything on
Normal.
2. You use a List Number style or List style from the Standard Styles and
formatting menu selections.
3. You link that List Number style to ONLY one of the Formatting and
Numbering templates found via the Formatting and Styles dialog.
4. You don't link a second style to the numbered list template again.
5. When you create the style, make sure indents and spacing is changed in
the Formatting and Numbering template. Sometimes what you see in the
Paragraph dialog is different after that step - trust Word, it is doing its
own thing but working...
 
And you know, I agree, Word and numbered lists is a monster. At a recent
site, the person who had set up numbered lists and bulleted lists had made a
mess of it all. Using the numbering format in the Styles and Formatting
menu, (even linking some of them to heading styles) the outcome was a
nuisance of monumental proportions. There were a variety of inconsistencies
and overall, working with the template became a confusing series of
problems.  
 
However, in the last few years I have had few if any problems using a
minimal collection of numbered list styles, and strictly sticking to the
five steps above. I am not claiming it is all perfect - far from that. But I
have not had to use SEQ fields or LISTNUM fields for some time. What I have
managed to achieve is a stable Word document with sometimes hundreds of
numbered lists at the end of each project.
 
If numbered lists in Word are linked to a template (not Normal), that is a
template that is created away from Normal, and they are styles, based on the
various templates, then Word will now relatively reliably keep the
formatting you created. However subtle changes in the formatting, and
spacing and so on will not necessarily update automatically throughout the
document, so try and avoid changing your formatting mid way through! 
 
I have also found that once you have used a template you created yourself,
unless a user deliberately sabotages the document, the document stays stable
and formatted the way you started. I have tested this using a number of
versions of Word on a number of different machines configured in multiple
ways. I am still getting good results.
 
The only problem I have had in the last few years with numbering is that
bewildering default setting "continue previous list" which is an
abomination. To solve that, I found the VB command associated to turning
that default setting to off and have linked a macro to my List Number style.
So that now operates to format the numbered list and reset it to "1.". It
works quite well. This macro is also embedded in the template, and/or
documents I produce.This means that the Normal styles found on an
individuals Normal template generally no longer interfere. In fact I have
not noticed this problem.
 
What is more, I have been able to nest bulleted lists into numbered Lists,
and have also nested information lines and other paragraphs into numbered
lists as well. I have NOT tried to embed multiple numbered lists. Although I
think you could conceivably do that. 
 
So that is my experience, and obviously, it won't work for everyone, but you
can more safely use Word numbering now than we could in the past. 
 
Regards all,
Warren.
wjlewington@xxxxxxxxxx
 
WJL Consulting.
PO Box 404,
Liverpool, NSW
Australia, 1871
www.wjl.com.au <http://www.wjl.com.au/> 
Phone/facsimile: +61 2 9876 5345
Mobile/cell phone: +61 0408 612 752

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