Changing space between bullet & text

[msmall]

Version: 2004
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)

When I create a bulleted list, it is automatically creating a tabbed space between the bullet and text. I went into the "Customize" part of Bullets and Numbering and changed the "tab space after" value to 0, but it didn't change anything. None of my custom changes seemed to make any difference. How do I fix this? Thanks.

 

[CyberTaz]

Well, it's not a tab, it's an indent, and you can't have the bullet (which
is a formatting attribute) & the first character of the paragraph in the
same place. Even if it could, having no space between the bullet & the first
character of the paragraph would present a readability problem.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[msmall]

I simply want one character space between the bullet and the first character in the text. What I'm getting is about 5 character spaces.



Well, it's not a tab, it's an indent, and you can't have the bullet (which

 

[John McGhie]

Now for the really bad news

You are working with a proportional-spacing word-processing application.
There is no such thing as "a character space" either

In the modern fonts, applications and printers vary the width of "spaces" to
line things up. So you cannot depend on a "character space" being a set
measurement unless you work in a mono-spaced font (a typewriter font).

However, you can define your own bullet format, and if you do, you can
follow the bullet with a "space" instead of a tab. And if you do that, you
will get one space after each bullet.

And if you change to a monospaced font, that space will be the same width on
each line. Which is what you are after.

First, I would apply the style "List Bullet" to a paragraph. List Bullet is
a built-in style that you can customise, and it already has a bullet defined
in it. It will not appear in the document until you apply it to some text.

Then select the paragraph and go into
Format>Style>Modify>Format>Numbering... (A bullet is simply a special case
of "number" to Word).

Now, change the Type to "Outline Numbered". Outline numbering has advanced
settings that are not available in the other kinds.

Choose a pattern (any one, but it is best to choose a bulleted pattern so
you do not upset any of the other definitions that may be in use for
something else in your document).

Now, at the bottom left corner of that dialog, you will see a blue
down-arrow. Click it to reveal the advanced settings, and set Follow Number
With to "Space".

Make any other settings you want (for example, go into Format>Font and
specify a monospaced font) and OK your way out.

Apply that style to any text you want with spaced bullets.

There: Job's done.

Cheers

I simply want one character space between the bullet and the first character
in the text. What I'm getting is about 5 character spaces.



Well, it's not a tab, it's an indent, and you can't have the bullet (which

--
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Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[CyberTaz]

If you're creating a "living" document that will have to endure over time &
survive revisions along the way pay close attention to the advice from John.

OTOH, if that isn't the case you were headed in the right direction - You
just took a wrong turn (or stopped before you got to the final destination).
In the same dialog directly below where you changed the Tab setting there is
a setting for Text Position Indent. Set that to approximately .125 - .250
greater than the Bullet Position Indent.

Alternatively, you can use the Hanging Indent marker (lower triangle) on the
Ruler Bar to make the adjustment.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac