Automatically-Numbering Headings – how? (All, but mainly XP)

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I’m rather embarrassed to say that I’m having a lot of problems with Styles and Headings, where I am trying to get automatic numbering to take place, and I can’t seem to determine how to get it to work properly .

I’m trying to get a result something like the following (intervening text thankfully omitted):

1 Heading level 1
1.1 Heading level 2
1.2 Heading level 2
2 Heading level 1
2.1 Heading level 2
2.2 Heading level 2
2.2.1 Heading level 3
2.2.2 Heading level 3
2.2.3 Heading level 3
3 Heading level 1
and so on
which I would get simply by formatting the required text with the appropriate Heading sytle.

As far as I can see my Heading 1 style should have the 1 in Customised Numbered List/Number Format greyed out (or whatever it’s called here), and Heading 2 should have 1.1 greyed out, and Heading 3 should have 1.1.1 greyed out. But the default for all three headings is to have a greyed-out 1 followed by a full-stop (ok, period). I suspect I need to change the greyed out bits to correspond to 1.1.1 (say, for Heading 3) – but I can’t see how to do this.

After a lot of mucking about, the eight Bullets and Numbering/Numbered options are thoroughly screwed up.

And do I chose Automatically Update, and make the Heading 3 style depend on the Heading 2 style, which in turn depends on the Heading 1 style?

What I need is a Good Article/Description which will make the whole sorry mess utterly trivial, so all suggestions are welcomed!

Thanks!

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I read a really good article on Words’s numbered lists but someone else will have to point you to that because I’ve forgotten. But here’s a solution.

When you do heading numbering, all numbering should be customised in Heading 1. Choose numbering scheme for Level 1 in Heading 1 style, then Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, etc., all while formatting numbering for Heading 1. On the top right of the menu, click “More” for options, such as “link level to style __” and “restart numbering after __”. If you choose Heading 2 to go with level 2, and tell it when to start renumbering after level 1, and so on, you should be fine. Hope this helps.

Nancy Potter

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Does post 162243 help?
Some of the replies to post 169590 may be helpful too.

Make sure you modify the numbering for ALL 9 Headings on a single visit to the dialog box, or it will get confused again, see post 76976 for more info.

StuartR

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Thanks to both of you for suggestions – I have printed off several trees, and will read through them. Stuart’s screen shot seems particularly apposite!

There’s no chance of Microsoft making this area of Word entirely simplistic in a future version, is there, do you think?

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I have a document that may help and a website to recommend. The website is http://www.microsystems.com/publications.htm%5B/url%5D . Take a look at all the documents there. Microsystems is a great resource! They are wonderful. Also go into the Ask Teresa section for some great information. I have attached a document from this site below called “The Seven Laws of Word’s Outline Numbering”, which I found on the Microsystems website. I hope this is helpful.

FYI….You may want to look to a 3rd party solution for Outline numbering. Microsoft doesn’t seem to have changing their numbering anywhere near the top of their list, especially if you are doing Legal number. MacPac 2000 is a wonderful product that makes numbering a snap. Payne consulting also has some tools that are useful with numbering.

Good luck!

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You may want to check out the MVPS site
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/index.html
and click on the Numbering tab. (Sorry I don’t know how to set up th URL as a direct link). Hope this is of value to you.

Ron M

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Thanks to the further contributors; more reading, fo which many thanks!

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