Heading 2 numbering not resetting to follow preceding Heading 1.

Anonymous

I have a document in Word 2007 that I have created for use as a template. I have done this via the modification of another document that was already fomatted with TOC, headers and footers, page numbers, heading numbering etc. I have been modifying/creating new "styles" rather than just formatting text.

This all seems to be working well except for heading 2 numbering, which is not resetting to follow the preceding heading 1 number. For example: -

Heading 1; is followed by 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
Heading 2; followed by 1.4,1.5..... (carried on from previous list)

Heading 3 is resetting to follow the preceding heading as it should (i.e. 1.2 is followed by 1.2.1, 1.2.2 etc.).

There is no "restart numbering" option when I right click over the numbering in text. When I try to modify Heading 2 in Styles and select format>numbering the field does not recognise that the numbering is secong tier (i.e. 1.1, 1.2..etc) and only shows first tier options (i.e. 1, 2, 3...etc). I cannot seem to find any option in the modify style dialogue box to link the numbering.

When I base heading 2 on heading 1, formatting reverts to mimic heading 1 exactly and I cannot then reformat heading 2 to second tier numbering using the modify dialogue box as once again it is only recognising first tier numbering. The heading 2 that I am using is currently based on heading 2 from the original document and has been re-labelled "heading 2 VE".

I know that not building the document from scratch is naughty but I'm only mediocre at MS word and it would take me ages. Please tell me there's a simple trick and I don't have to start again!

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Anonymous

Did you try using the built-in numbering scheme before you created one from scratch? If you don't have any customizations to the number formatting or style, indents, and such, the built-in scheme is all you need.

You can "start over" by putting the cursor in the first heading 1, clicking the multilevel list icon, and in the list gallery, clicking the built-in numbering badge that shows this: 1 Heading 1, 1.1 Heading, 1.1.1 Heading 3, etc.

Even if you want only minor customizations, though, you may want a list style in your template. So after you have applied the built-in number scheme and with the cursor still in the first heading 1, go back to the list gallery and click Define new List Style (name the list style) > Format > Numbering. The dialog will show all the settings of the current list (where the cursor is) except that no headings will be linked to the numbering levels. Customize the settings and add the heading links.

One of the advantages of starting with a built-in list is that the number fields and restarts are already there and correct. But the biggest one is that you don't have to do all of those steps and clicks!

Pam

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K MVP Volunteer Moderator

You must set up the heading numbering as a multilevel list linked to the heading styles. If you select the 1 Heading 1, 1.1 Heading 2, 1.1.1 Heading 3 list type in the Multilevel List gallery, the list levels will be linked to the styles automatically, will have the numbering you want, and will restart after higher levels. For more on this, seehttp://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/numbering20072010.html.

Once the numbering is linked to the styles, you can modify the formatting of the styles any way you like (in the Modify Style dialog) except wrt numbering; any changes to the numbering or indents (left or hanging) must be made in the Define New Multilevel List dialog.

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2013-06-07T18:03:59+00:00

The styles you link to your multilevel list don't have to be heading styles. Provided the outline level of the linked styles is Body Text, the numbered items won't be included in the TOC. You could start with the built-in List Number style series (List Number, List Number 2, List Number 3, etc.).
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Anonymous

2015-01-25T12:17:47+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I am still having problems. It is not allowing me to Click Level 1. It only gives me the the drop down options to Click level 2 or Click level 3.

Can you tell me what exactly you mean by "Go to the level 4"? I think i am not doing this properly. Do i go into "Define new multilevel list"? Or some other means? Like right-clicking on Heading 4?

Thanks again for the help.

Hi I also have tried making entire new heading formats. My analysis of the entries above is that there is in fact a problem in the application.

When creating Heading level 3 and i try to set previous level to 2 in the doplist box it automatically changes back to level 1 even if both options are available. Tried everything i cannot get the standard 1 heading 1, 1.1 heading 2, 1.1.1 Heading 3, at all which i recon would be the industrial and legal standard.

Interesting also to see that part of the problem is visible in the preview see picture

Could you please just fix your bugs!

And notify me when you have done so!
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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2015-01-25T15:04:50+00:00

You haven't stated what version of Word you're using, and this dialog doesn't exactly match either the Define New Multilevel List dialog in the English version of Word 2007, 2010, or 2013 or the Customize Outline Numbered List dialog in Word 2003 and earlier, but in any case it's clear that you have not linked your outline levels (at least not Level 3) to a given style. To set up outline numbering properly, you need to start with Level 1 and define all the levels at the same time, linking each level to a paragraph style. For complete instructions, see http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/numbering20072010.html (since this site is temporarily unavailable, you can find the information at Archive How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010).

Also, please be aware that you are not addressing Microsoft here--just other users. In any case, there is no "bug" here, and if there were, Microsoft would not notify you when it was "fixed."
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