Word paragraphs should have a "Keep with previous" format option

B

Brian F. Albee

Example: Document automated with multiple optional paragraph. Don't know
how many paragraphs are going to be inserted or which will be the last
paragraph. The last paragraph needs to be kept with the next paragraph, but
the previous paragraphs do not need to be kept with it.

Setting all the optional paragraphs to "Keep with next" won't work because
Word will ignore it if it is more than one page (Word cannot keep multiple
pages of text on one page). However, if the next paragraph after the last
optional paragraph were set to "Keep with previous," then it would work.

Example:

This is an optional paragraph that does NOT need to be (and should not be)
kept with the next optional paragaraph.

This is another optional paragraph that does NOT need to be (and should not
be) kept with the next optional paragaraph.

This is yet another optional paragraph that does NOT need to be (and should
not be) kept with the next optional paragaraph.

This is NOT an optional paragraph that follows the last optional paragraph
before it (we don't know which of the above paragraphs will be the last
optional paragraph) and that should stay with the paragraph before it. "Keep
with previous" would allow for this.
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

This option has repeatedly been suggested by the Word MVPs to the Word dev
team. I hope you get enough votes on your suggestion to get Microsoft's
attention! The most common application for this is the Complimentary Close
at the end of a letter or the signatures at the end of a contract. Neither
should appear alone on a page; at least one paragraph of the document text
should precede them.
 
J

jp

Let's think about this. Sounds like the problem arises when you have multiple
"Keep with previous" -- same as "Keep with next" problem. If you have several
"Keep with previous" in a row, Word is eventually going to get into a "no
solution" situation. It is going to pull the paragraphs to the next page.

There would need to be a rule that if you format a paragraph with "Keep with
previous" then it would have to turn off the "Keep with previous" attribute
of the preceding paragraph.

And then you have another "Autoformatting" nightmare. "Why did Word do
that?!!" When you format a paragraph with "Keep with previous," Word should
warn the user if it changes the previous paragraph to avoid confusion.

I can see how it would be a programmer's nightmare because Word does a
sequential layout, page 1 to 99. This feature would make it reverse itself,
and change the layout of the previous page, which then again might change the
previous page... and the cycle could continue for thousands of iterations.

Gets my vote anyway. They can figure it out and I would sure like it.
-jp
 
A

antman

I agree.

Another application is in meeting minutes where the action and due date
follow the last paragraph in the section, but should not be separated ontl
the next page.
 
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