Word Templates, decimal point & number lock

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I have a word document template (which I inherited from someone else) that is a number of little boxes in which I type numbers and letters to create call numbers for book labels. When I am in the template, if I want to type a “.” using the number pad I have to hit it twice. If I only push it once I get nothing. The rest of the number pad works okay and the period on the regular keyboard works okay, it is only the decimal point on the number pad that does this and it seems to do this with any font I use, and only in the template document, not it regular documents. I have both caps and number lock on at the time.

Does anyone out there know how I can get the decimal point to type the first time I push it?

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Are you dealing with a form field, table cell or text box?

Is it possible that the dot is being added to the left or right of the cell and only scroll into view after you add more? Check the paragraph indents for this.

It is almost impossible to work out what someone may have done so can you post the template here for me to have a look.

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I think it is just a text box, but I don’t actually know. I am (hopefully) attaching the file so you can see it; this is the original blank file that I fill in. If you want a partially filled one I can send that too.

It is not simply scrolling off the right. If I continue typing the info shows up, and it just skips the decimal point. It’s highly annoying!

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okay, once more I will try attaching the file — if it doesn’t work this time, I need someone to walk me thru how to attach a file….

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The file attached fine.

The boxes are cells in a table.

and (of no help to you) it works fine for me.

What about restarting Word? And restarting the computer?

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I’m with Geoff, I can’t see anything especially wrong with the file (yep they are table cells) and I can’t figure out what is happening on your machine.

Do you get the same behaviour in other documents in Word? What about in other applications? Is it possible that you have a keyboard command attached to that key?

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It’s not a restart type problem, as it has been consistent any time I used the form over the last umpteen months.

It isn’t anything I have attached as a keyboard command, but that doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t who used the computer before I started here. How do I check this?

For what it is worth I have a Gateway E-4200 with a Gateway 2000 keyboard. Could it be a hardware thing?

Could it be something set in the default for the table or cell? How do I check that? (Microsoft help seems to have an aversion to calling anything “default.”)

Since it works fine on your systems it must come from somewhere outside that particular document. I just checked Word and indeed it happens in a regular word document also, not just in the template. Ack!

I don’t get it in Outlook, Access, or in our DOS-based online catalog, and any other programs I use so seldom I really don’t know. (I only just now found out that it does it in all Word, not just this particular form, by trying it.)

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Well that has removed your template supplier from blame.

I don’t know how, but one of your add-ins or Normal.dot itself is probably to blame. Try this…

Exit Word and find the file on your hard disk called Normal.dot and rename it to something else (Normal.old or OldNormal.dot will do). Now open Word and turn off your add-ins (In Word 97 this is “Tools|Templates and Add Ins”) Untick anything in the global section.
Now try the point key. Does it work properly now?

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Nope, did what was recommended and it still is giving me the decimal point only after it’s pushed twice….

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Hmmm. You could try starting Word from the command line just to be sure:
Start/Run & type winword.exe /a

I wonder if it could be the keyboard or a driver…

Does it only happen in a table cell, or whenever you press the period?

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You may want to check with Gateway. Their keyboards are highly programmable.

Since the period key on the numeric keypad also substiutes as a delete key (on my keyboard) when the numeric keypad is off, someone may have decided to do this as a protection. Which makes me think of something else it could be… The first time you press the key, is there a message in the status line something like: “Delete Block? [Y/N]” If so, someone turned on WordPerfect Compatibility options.
Tools | Options | General (tab)
Uncheck both boxes having to do with Word Perfect.

Hope this helps.

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The WordPerfect options fixed it! — I think I may have turned them on myself, as when I started with this computer I was far more familiar with WP than with Word.

You are a God! Happy Happy, Joy joy!

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Oops — spoke to soon…. If it is the first thing I type in a cell, I get the decimal point on the first linte, but if I type anything ahead of it, I don’t get it until the second push. It beeps on the first if that is any help.

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Rhiannon,

Did you uncheck both options?

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Yes — I even went back and checked to make sure. Ack!

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Rhiannon

Try recording the action that causes the beep. Double click the REC on your status bar (bottom of screen) and then type the .. and then stop the recording. Now have a look at the macro and tell us what you just recorded.

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Here is what I typed:

…………………………………. .456.456.

Here is what Word thinks I typed:

……………….. 456456

And here is what the macro recorded:

Sub TEST()
‘
‘ TEST Macro
‘ Macro recorded 01/31/01 by Barbara McCormack-Dunfee
‘
Selection.TypeText Text:=”……………….. 456456″
End Sub

I don’t think this got us anywhere, but it was a good try…

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Sorry Barbara, It was worth a try but now I am completely confounded. I have no idea what the problem is but it also appears that even the points before the number were reduced. It must be an option on your machine.

As a possible fix, go to a machine that doesn’t have the problem. Start recording a macro and then visit the Tools|Options dialog and click on each tab then close the dialog and stop recording. Now put that macro on your problem machine and run it. This will apply all the options on the good machine to the dud one. If it is in the Options area then that will fix the problem. If it doesn’t then I think it is a hardware/system issue.

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Hi Barbara:

I still don’t know if you tried starting Word from the command line, as I mentioned in a previous post. Also, copy the table by selecting it & copying it without the last paragraph mark. Paste this into a new document & save the new document as a template. See if either of those fixes the problem.

Also, I’m curious about something. Double click a blank spot on a toolbar & then click the keyboard button. Turn NUMLOCK off & in the “press new shortcut key” box, type the numpad period. What shows up below the box?

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I tried starting it from the run box, and that made no difference.

The keyboard assignment with numlock off places “delete” in the box, and underneath says “currently assigned to: editclear”

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Sorry,
I downloaded your document and didn’t experience any problems here. (Word 2000 w/ PC Concepts keyboard)

(Although your document did trigger a macro warning on my machine.)

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Hi Barbara:

I got the macro warning too, but couldn’t find any macros. I just tried to download it again, but then couldn’t open the template…got a message that the path wasn’t valid.

I had it open before & couldn’t find a problem, just like everyone else. Since you get the problem even if you start Word from the command line, it’s not a corrupt normal.dot or an add-in.

You might try exporting the Data key from the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftOffice9.0WordData

& then deleting the key. Word will rebuild a new key when it’s restarted (you lose all your customizations). This will let you know if the Data key is corrupt. If that doesn’t fix the problem, you can delete your new data key & merge the old one that you’ve saved.

The other thing you could do is to copy the table to a new document, save it as a template, & see if that works. If it does, you can get rid of the old one. You may never know what went wrong, but at least it’ll work. If not…I think my bag of tricks is empty. Wish I could help.

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This has happened now a couple of times to me. I downloaded the attachment (couldn’t do it by double-clicking either). However, when I try to open it, it says the document path is not valid. Can’t figure out what’s causing it.

Any idea?

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I don’t know why this is happening, however when I first posted the attachment, it did the same thing. Today I can open it. ??!!!??!!?

Maybe due to a web problem, rather than the document itself?

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I still haven’t figured it out. If I double-click the attachment, I get a screen of gibberish. If I right click & choose “save link as…”, I appear to download it, but when I try to open, it says the document path isn’t valid.

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When I first posted it, I tried opening it to see if it was really there, and instead of opening it in Word, it tried to open it as (I think) an HTML file. I know I got a line of gibberish, followed by a lot of black space….

I will try attaching it again and we’ll see if your machine likes this one better.

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oops…. forgot to attach it before I posted….

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well…and now you have it twice….

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oops…. forgot to attach it before I posted….

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