Restart Numbering when Working with Word Multilevel Lists

Numbered Lists are a problem that Restart Numbering exacerbates – makes a whole lot worse.

If you are interested in how to set up numbering so that it is fairly reliable, go to this procedure:

Setting Up Word Numbering and Multi-level Lists 

If you want to understand how numbering works and what to do when it corrupts, go to this procedure:

Working with Word Multilevel Lists (2007 & 2010)

If you want to understand a little bit more about why Restart Numbering causes so many problems, read on.

“Restart Numbered Lists” is Buggy
I am not sure if everything to do with numbered lists is buggy, but restart numbering is certainly buggy. Word MVPs admitted this for 2003, but there is a deafening silence from Microsoft for the issue in 2007/10.

I cannot promise you this will solve all your problems, but it might help.

Some Revision on Setting Up Lists

In my previous articles I explained how I set up all numbered lists AND bulleted lists in a single Multilevel List Gallery Box, as shown.


I have been working on a set of styles for a particular document when I can actually manage to get all my styles into a single box.

The image to the right shows how this looks.

There are a few peculiarities with this list, but it does show how the system can handle complexities.

1. Note that every level of this list I am using is associated with a paragraph style. You cannot see this, but the formatting of the margins and tabs for the paragraph style is identical to the margins and tabs shown here. They must be or your list will corrupt. 
2. Note that my document starts as part 5 so I have placed that number in manually. 
1. Level 1 numbering starts with 5.1. 
2. Level 2 numbering is 5.1.1 Level 2 is dependent on Level 1 as shown in this image: 

The 5 never changes – I have typed it in manually.

The “Restart list after:” field

The critical field I am pointing out is “Restart list after: Level 1”. This causes the numbering to return to 1 when the level above increments. This means it goes from 5.1.1, to 5.1.2, to 6.1.1.

If your standard lists are not set up like this, go back and fix them before you continue.

Use Setting Up Word Numbering and Multi-level Lists as a reference to do this correctly.

Bullets and the “Restart list after:” field

Note that the next level after my two numbered headings is a Bullet 1. It is not dependent on the numbering but as it always occurs after my Level 2 numbering, I have put Level 2 in the “Restart list after” field. I’m not sure it is necessary, but it doesn't hurt. Sometimes we just have to do things in Word that don’t make much sense. Don’t do this if you don’t want to, but if things go pear shaped, go back and put it in. It might help.

The next level is a Bullet 2 which is dependent on Bullet 1. So this is and must be set to Restart List after: Level 3. The same applies to Bullet 3 which must restart after Level 4.

Table Lists and the “Restart list after:” field 

Now this is where the trouble starts. My table lists are not dependent on anything. Wherever I have a table, I may need a list, and then again, I may not. I have a Paragraph style to apply the list and it works just fine until I get to the second instance of the list.

When I press “Restart Numbering” to set it to “1” manually, sometimes it works and sometimes all my lists and margins throughout the document are re-set to something seemingly nonsensical.

In this document, my numbered tables happen to all occur in different chapters so I have put Level 1 in the “Restart list after:” field. Find a List Level to put here. You will need to look and see if your tables with auto numbering in them all start after a particular list level, and use that list level here.

Restart Numbering
If you have not already done so, you can place the Restart Numbering button on Quick Access Toolbar.

1. Right click in any blank area of the Ribbon. 
2. Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar. 
3. In the Choose Commands from field, click All Commands. 
4. Scroll down to Restart numbering and highlight. 
5. Click Add. 
6. Click OK. 

Conclusion
That’s it. No promises, but your numbering will be more robust than it was before if you do all this.

Note that I have not promised that it will be robust, just that it will be more robust than it was.

There may be an easier way of setting up robust numbering, but this is the path I went down and followed through.

If you find anything easier AND more reliable, please let me know.

Alternatives
If you don’t like my instructions you can try these.

Shauna Kelly
http://shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/numbering20072010.html

As I normally find myself modifying an existing List Style in dirty pre-existing templates and not creating a new one, I rarely find myself starting from this point, but if you have totally clean templates to work with, you may want to.

My instructions modified 
You can use my instructions and try multiple style gallery boxes for different lists which will get around the restart numbering problem, but which brings a different range of issues with it.

SEQ number fields 
If you don’t like either of them, you can use SEQ fields instead of Multilevel Numbering. The professional technical writers responsible for huge documents do this – they have no choice. There are some good instructions here.

http://cybertext.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/word-2007-setting-up-seq-fields-for-numbering-pt-1/ 

If you choose to do it any of the four ways I know of, you have a big set-up at the start to avoid problems down the track. Bite the bullet and take the time to do your set-up properly. You won’t regret it.

Myths and fears, and the disappearance of the toolbars

Word 2003 users are resisting upgrading to 2007 because they fear loss of functionality and most importantly, loss of workplace efficiency. There is a pretty hefty body of misinformation and myth perpetuating and supporting these fears, but they are groundless with a single proviso.

• If you upgrade and do not take the time to learn some functions and to customise your system, your productivity WILL DECLINE.
• If you take that time out to set your system up properly, your level of productivity WILL INCREASE.

The really critical and perhaps major complaint of new users is the disappearance of the toolbars. This is the only potentially big issue as far as I can see for converting from 2003 to 2007. To someone who has not yet worked logically through 2007, that would seem like a terrible loss, but it is not as bad as it seems initially. It will consume some time, if you are a big toolbar user, to re-think your use of toolbars and to re-configure, but not as much as you think.

Where are my toolbars?

If you open your 2003 documents in 2007, your toolbars are still there but one layer deeper. If you have toolbars, you will see an Add-ins tab.

1. From the Ribbon, click the Add-ins tab. Your toolbars will be displayed.
   
2. Select the command you want from the toolbar.
   

The Quick Access Toolbar

The toolbars have been partially replaced by a single, mostly user-defined Quick Access Toolbar.

You can place any command and any macro on the QAT. I have 44 buttons on my QAT, and there is room for more. I do have a wide screen, so part 1 of your upgrade solution is:

• Get a wide screen monitor if you do not already have one – there are two reasons you need a wide screen as you will see later.

Then you must:

• Learn how to use your QAT and start setting it up to suit your personal needs. It is so easy to add and remove buttons that you do not need to get it right first time; you can let it evolve. You can also set up QAT components that are document, add-in or template specific. For instructions for how to set up your Quick Access Toolbar click here.

Styles

The one thing you cannot put on the QAT is styles - which is perhaps the most common thing we do put on toolbars. If you remove styles from all your toolbars, you will probably find you have more than enough space on the QAT for the rest. To get round the issue of no styles on the QAT I work with my Styles pane open, and I rank my styles so that the most commonly used 30 or so (defined by the height of my screen) are ranked number one and so always show. As these are template dependent, my ranking can change from template to template.

• Learn how to use set up your Styles. For instructions for how to set up your Styles click here.
  

This is the second reason I like a wide screen. It makes it much easier to leave the Styles pane open.

This combination of QAT and the Styles pane has effectively replaced toolbars for me. Perhaps there are some users with such complex needs that they cannot be satisfied by 40+ commands on the QAT and 30+ styles, but for most of us, we have more than enough commands that are visible on the screen at all times and that can be accessed with one click.

But what about the keyboard shortcuts?

There is a vast amount of misinformation about keyboard shortcuts.

There are now TWO systems for keyboard entry, the 2003 system that uses the Ctrl key and a new one that is ribbon and command based and uses the Alt key. If you can't find a command in one system, you certainly will find it in the other. I am told that a very few of the old keyboard shortcuts have changed, however, you are still able to assign your own keyboard shortcuts, so if you are unhappy with the given shortcut you can change it.

• If you are a shortcut user, check out both systems, and redefine any shortcuts you can't accommodate. For instructions for how to re-define shortcuts click here.

How to set up your Quick Access Toolbar

One of the first things you must do when you start using Word 2007, is to set up your Quick Access Toolbar.

Set up your Quick Access Toolbar.

The Quick Access Toolbar is a customizable toolbar onto which you can place the commands that you want to see all the time, no matter what tab is currently displayed.

When you first start up Word 2007, the Quick Access Toolbar is located in the upper-left corner next to the Microsoft Office Button, but you can move this below the ribbon if you prefer. You can also collect the commands you commonly use and place them on this toolbar. This will reduce the number of keystrokes it takes to perform the command.

To customize the Quick Access Toolbar

1. Click the Office button, Word Options to display the Word Options dialog box. OR
   
2. Click the More down arrow to the right of the Quick Access Toolbar and click More Commands. OR
   
3. Right click in any blank area of the Ribbon. Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar.
   

You are taken to the Word Options menu with the Customize button highlighted. From here you can add, remove and re-organise your Quick Access Toolbar icons.

1. Check through the options listed in the Choose commands from: drop down list.
   
2. Highlight a command you use frequently.
   
3. Click the Add button to display the command in the right side column.
   
4. Do this a few times to add some useful commands to the Quick Access Toolbar.
   
5. Organise the items in the list into the order you will want to see them on the toolbar, using the up and down
   arrows.
   
6. Separate groups with a Separator which you will find at the top of each of the lists.
   
7. Tick the Show Quick Access Toolbar below the ribbon check box to move the toolbar to the location below the ribbon.
   
8. Click OK.
   

You are returned to your document, but now you will see a new bar underneath your ribbon with the commands you selected.

The Quick Way to insert a single command

1. Right click on any command on the Ribbon
   
2. Click Add to Quick Access Toolbar.
   

The command will be placed at the right hand end of the Quick Access Toolbar.

Advanced QAT functions

Although the core QAT buttons always remain the same, and do not change from template to template, or document to document, it is possible to customise specific documents and templates with different QAT buttons. For more information on how to do this, go to my book, Enjoy Upgrading to Microsoft Word 2007.