multilevel lists Word 2007 NOT numbering correctly

  • Thread starter Thread starter mt_si_dad
  • Start date Start date
M

mt_si_dad

I have this list in Word 2007:
1.
1.1
1.2
2.
1.3
1.4
1.5
3.
1.6.
1.7.1
1.7.2

and so on

what I ***WANT*** is this
1.
1.1
1.2
2.
2.1
2.2
2.3
3.
3.1
3.1.1
3.1.2

and so on

I've tried the multilevel lists, tried creating a new list, tried modifying
the multilevel list style - nothing is working.

What's going on here?
 
The setting that you are looking for is "Reset List After" and is located on
the right side of the dialog box. Have you adjusted this?

Are you linking the levels of your list to styles? I would highly recommend
that you do. It really helps the structure of the document.
 
Yes, the styles are linked.
H1 is linked to "(no style)"
h2 is linked to h1
h3 to h2, h4 to h3, and so on

I've set the "restart list after" feature both on and off, updated the style
to match the selection, and in no case does it work - the lists remain
stubbornly set to an incomprehensible numbering style.
 
I've even deleted the normal.dotm template, thinking that maybe there's an
odd numbering style hidden there.
 
Ok, I got it to work, but this is how I did it. It doesn't make sense, but it
worked.
1. I created a NEW document, and styled the content using Headings 1-4.
2. I defined a NEW multilevel numbering style & attached it to Heading 1
3. I clicked a Heading 2 paragraph, defined a NEW multilevel style, made
sure it was "level 2" in the popup window. NOTE that this sets the numbering
style wrong.
4. While still in the Heading 2 paragraph, I clicked the multilevel style
drop down, but I clicked the EXISTING style used for Heading 1.

This numbered the paragraph correctly.

But I don't know why.
 
Note that in order to edit a multilevel/outline list created in an older
version, you can place the insertion point in the first numbered paragraph
of the list (for example, the first Heading 1 paragraph of the document if
this is heading numbering), and then click Home tab | Multilevel List |
Define New Multilevel List; this displays a dialog box similar to the
Customize Outline Numbered List of Word 97-2003 (and the advice given at
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/OutlineNumbering.html is still
helpful).

As a long-term solution, of course, creating a list style is a better
choice.
 
Both of these were helpful responses, but honest to $deity, I tried looking
in online help for this.

I seriously *cannot* imagine what would possess the Word developers to make
this such an ugly and unhelpful experience. I know of *no one* who would want
a multilevel list that would be numbered the way the list is numbered in my
first example.

I've been using Word 2007 for about 9 months now, and have used Word since
the days of MS-DOS--based Word 1.0 (I used to train people how to use it),
and this is the ugliest & most profoundly broken functionality I've ever
seen.

In previous versions this just worked. I cannot imagine why this
functionality got broken, what user base said "Hey, we want oddly numbered
nested lists! Yeah!", and what problem this change solved.

Yeah, rant, I know. I've been a Word partisan for years, but you know, this
is the first time I've seriously considered changing word processors. I'm
glad that I haven't upgraded at home -- this feature is broken not just in
functionality but in a complete and utter lack of understanding of the user
base.
 
Here are the steps to create a list style where all levels are attached to
paragraph styles in Word 2007:

On the Home tab, click Multilevel List, and then click Define New List
Style. In the Modify Style dialog box, type a name for the list style. To
define the numbering properties, click the Format button, and then click
Numbering; this displays the Modify Multilevel List dialog box, where you
can change the number format, indentation, attach paragraph styles to the
numbering levels, etc. (For more on the options of the dialog box, you may
still find the article at
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/OutlineNumbering.hmtl useful.)

The list styles of the active document are displayed under "List Styles" at
Home tab | Multilevel List. You can click a style to apply it to text, but
if you've attached numbering to paragraph styles (which I would recommend),
you'll find it easier to apply the appropriate paragraph style directly. To
edit a list style, right-click it and choose Modify from the context menu.
 
I completely agree.

mt_si_dad said:
Both of these were helpful responses, but honest to $deity, I tried looking
in online help for this.

I seriously *cannot* imagine what would possess the Word developers to make
this such an ugly and unhelpful experience. I know of *no one* who would want
a multilevel list that would be numbered the way the list is numbered in my
first example.

I've been using Word 2007 for about 9 months now, and have used Word since
the days of MS-DOS--based Word 1.0 (I used to train people how to use it),
and this is the ugliest & most profoundly broken functionality I've ever
seen.

In previous versions this just worked. I cannot imagine why this
functionality got broken, what user base said "Hey, we want oddly numbered
nested lists! Yeah!", and what problem this change solved.

Yeah, rant, I know. I've been a Word partisan for years, but you know, this
is the first time I've seriously considered changing word processors. I'm
glad that I haven't upgraded at home -- this feature is broken not just in
functionality but in a complete and utter lack of understanding of the user
base.
Click to expand...
 
I tried everything.. and saw a lot of posts on the web with someone having this same issue.. drove me nuts!!! So thought I'd post my fix.

I read in one of the posts that the problem was in previous versions of Word. I had created the document to save it in previous versions (prior to 2007).

That gave me the idea... I created a new word document (2007) and then copied and pasted the content from the existing document I was using over to it.... it instantly fixed the issue, and the numbering works... so I am getting 2.1 now under 2, whereas before, I was getting 1.6 etc.carried over from previous number 1, under 2.

Hours on this thinking I wasn't following directions correctly, nope!, just needed to be in a fresh doc... that's all I had to do. Hope this helps someone else!:dance:
 
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