Styles being knocked 'out of line'

[Jackie]

I've recently updated the styles of a lot of our documents. I've had a
couple of occasions where users seem to have clicked and dragged
something to make the indent of the numbered paragraphs change. I've
had to go into the style formatting and modify it to fix it but I
haven't been able to replicate the problem to explain it properly. As
anyone seen this happening before.

 

[Jezebel]

It happens if the style is set to 'automatically update' as part of its
definition.

 

[Jackie]

Thanks for replying Jezebel, but this is definitely NOT in any of my
style definitions.

 

[Shauna Kelly]

Hi Jackie

Numbered paragraphs don't respond well to being copied and pasted between
documents. That might have caused the initial problem, and users' attempts
at fixing that might have made it even worse.

For each troublesome paragraph, triple-click to select it and do
ctrl-spacebar and ctrl-q. That takes out any direct formatting and returns
the paragraph to its original state.

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word

 

[Jackie]

Thanks Shauna. I've tried that but it doesn't work, it's as though the
paragraph style has been updated, as Jezebel says above. Is there
any way a user applying direct formating to one paragraph can update
the styles without them realising? And is there anyway a user can
have something ticked in their options which would do this? The
copying/pasting is possibly the link here as this will have been done.

 

[Jonathan West]

Thanks Shauna. I've tried that but it doesn't work, it's as though the
paragraph style has been updated, as Jezebel says above. Is there
any way a user applying direct formating to one paragraph can update
the styles without them realising? And is there anyway a user can
have something ticked in their options which would do this? The
copying/pasting is possibly the link here as this will have been done.

I hope you haven't been modifying the indentation of numbered paragraphs
using the Format Style Dialog. If both the list template and the style try
to set the indentation, Word can get a bit confused.

For numbered paragraphs, define indentation in the list template *only*, and
attach the various styles to the appropriate levels of your list template.

--
Regards
Jonathan West - Word MVP
www.intelligentdocuments.co.uk
Please reply to the newsgroup
Keep your VBA code safe, sign the ClassicVB petition www.classicvb.org

 

[Jackie]

I'm not trying to modify the indentation. I set up the styles as per
the recommended method on these boards, following the instructions to
the letter. They work beautifully. However some users seem to be
adjusting the indentation and then the style is picking up that
formatting and updating. I can't understand how that can be
happening.

 

[Jackie]

I managed to replicate and what I think is happening is, that some
users are trying to change the indent of my numbered styles. They
must be going into format bullets and numbering and trying to amend it
from there, as when I do this the style seems to be updated for that
document. I didn't think this could happen. Is this not the same as
applying direct formatting and therefore re-applying the style should
over-write this?

 

[Paul]

In one of my documents I found that using the Restart Numbering command on
the context menu altered the indent of the that paragraph (but not the other
paragraphs in the list) and no amount of reapplying the style would fix it.

I ended up 'tweaking' settings on the style until the behaviour stopped (for
now at least).

 

[Jackie]

Hi Paul. This sounds exactly like my problem, and in one specific
case it was when she restarted numbering it happened. Very annoying,
as I am trying to encourage users to use the styles and telling them
they won't have to do any paragraph formatting. When things like this
happen it's not good for credibility.

 

[Paul]

I hear that! I have the same issue with my users.

I can only say that after quite a lot of tweaking (I may even have deleted
and recreated the style) I eventually ended up with a style that appeared to
be able to 'survive intact' the restart numbering command.

Good luck with it!

 

[Jackie]

Could one of the MVPs confirm then, that sometimes, if a user attempts
to modify a style (or in some cases restarts numbering) then the format
of that style can update itself and will apply in that format through
the document? Surely this can't be right?

 

[Klaus Linke]

Could one of the MVPs confirm then, that sometimes, if a user attempts
to modify a style (or in some cases restarts numbering) then the format
of that style can update itself and will apply in that format through
the document? Surely this can't be right?

Hi Jackie,

If the document isn't protected, any user can modify any style.

"Restart numbering" should not mess with the styles, if they are properly
set up.
(I am carefully not saying it can't happen... only that it doesn't seem
likely)

But if a user makes modifications in "Format > Bullets and numbering", then
yes, these changes will be applied to the styles.
And (as has been said) if users copy numbered paragraphs from documents
based on your template to some other document (or vice versa), pretty much
anything can happen (...usually bad things).

In Word2003, you can protect documents against formatting changes, and allow
certain styles only.
"Format > Bullets and numbering" and a lot of other things will then be
grayed out (so users can't restart lists any more either, unless you supply
special macros for that).

:-( Klaus

 

[Robert M. Franz (RMF)]

Hi Klaus, Jackie

"Format > Bullets and numbering" and a lot of other things will then be
grayed out (so users can't restart lists any more either, unless you supply
special macros for that).

Or unless you use what might be called the "Aldis" -approach (unnumbered
1st level of the list, either with a real or a dummy style)

How to restart style-based numbering (by Margaret Aldis)
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/numbering/ListRestartMethods.htm

Also refered to in:

Ins and outs of bullets and numbering in Word
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011376791033.aspx

HTH
Robert