Word 2007 inserting undeletable tab characters

[bruce968]

I am encountering a problem in Word 2007 that has me entirely stumped.

When I paste a paragraph or apply a paragraph style, Word is inserting a tab
before my paragraph.
I cannot select the tab or backspace over it. It may go away if I use the
mouse to drag the indent marker on the ruler one way and then back to where
it was.

Another possible clue: the style I'm trying to apply, that's adding the
indent, is called "Requirement Tag". My style list also includes a style
called Requirement Tag + Hanging: 0". As you might guess, the hanging 0
style has "Hanging" selected on the paragraph options and a size of 0"
selected. Applying that style gets rid of the mystery tab. When I try to
set Requirement Tag to "Hanging 0" my change is ignored -- going back to the
paragraph options shows the selection changed from "Hanging" to "(none)".

In Googling this problem, I ran across some references to a "virtual hanging
indent" that occurs when there are no tab stops defined in a document but it
was not clear what versions of Word that applied to, and I didn't see any way
to turn it on or off.

I've tried turning off the auto format as you type option "Set left-and
first-indent with tabs and backspaces" And I've turned off all of the "Apply"
options on the AutoCorrect | AutoFormat tab.
Can anyone help me stop this behavior?

 

[bruce968]

(Oops. Should have put this in the Word group, not office.misc)

 

[grammatim]

When you say "inserting a tab," you don't literally mean that you see
the Non-Printing Character for a tab, do you? You just mean that the
first line of the paragraph is indented?

It means that whatever Style you're using (and you _are_ using a style
every time you type anything whatsoever in Word) is set to have an
indent. You can manually override it at any point, but as soon as you
reapply the style, it "fixes" it back to how it's supposed to be.

I'm surprised that something called "Hanging 0" even exists, because
that's the equivalent of "(none)." In the Format > Paragraph panel
that you open when you Modify the Style, simply set the indent to
(none), not to Hanging 0".

 

[bruce968]

Yes, I do mean I see the non-printing character for a tab. My style does
have an indent, but my text is not showing up at that indent. It's showing
up at the next default tab stop AFTER my indent, which is why I'm so annoyed.
I agree that Hanging:0 makes no sense, but it does get rid of the rogue Tab
and allow my text to go back to the style's indent position, so it's a good
kind of nonsense.

When I compare the paragraph settings in my extra-indented paragraph with
the settings on a nearby paragraph with the same style, I don't see any
difference in the indent settings. Just the extra tab character in front of
the paragraph I touched.

I just converted the document from an earler Word format, if that makes any
difference.

 

[grammatim]

Just guessing ... some sort of automatic bullets or numbering is
applied to the style, but the number field or the bullet has been
deleted via the B&N dialog?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Exactly. The tab is part of the "numbering" applied to the style.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

Just guessing ... some sort of automatic bullets or numbering is
applied to the style, but the number field or the bullet has been
deleted via the B&N dialog?

 

[bruce968]

When I use "reveal formatting," the section with the rogue Tab does not show
any Bullets and Numbering section like I see when I select something that's
actually in a list.

On the bright side, I did find out that I can modify my style and set its
indent to "Hanging: 0.01" which is treated as "Hanging: 0" and allows me to
apply my style without creating the rogue Tab.

[some time later....]
AAAUUUURGH! While I was unable to post the information above due to
"service unavailable" messages from this fine Microsoft web site, I stumbled
upon the real source of the issue: TRACK CHANGES.
Apparently, when I go to the end of a header line (with a numbered format)
and hit Return, it inserts the new line, formats it as a header, then
REFORMATS it as the style I actually wanted (the pasted style, or the
header's following style), deleting the number and the tab which would have
followed the number. Now, you might think that deleted Tab would be red like
all the other changed text in the document, but you would be wrong! And of
course I can't select it or delete it, because it is already not there.
Brilliant!

I still don't understand the Hanging:0 thing, or why that would cover up the
Tab-which-is-not-there, but at least I know my text will go back to the right
place when I turn off Track Changes.