Cross Reference to Numbered List Shows Wrong Number

[Colin Higbie]

I am running Word 2002 (XP) on Windows XP Pro.

I have a numbered list using the standard Style-based numbered list built into
Word 2002. In various places I refer to the numbered list items as in: "blah
blah, as defined in Section 3..." where the 3 is just a Cross Reference to the
3 in the list. That way, if I later insert a new #2, the one in the list will
update correctly and automatically to 4.

However, when I put in the Cross Reference it said 2 instead of 3, even though
it even said 3 in the Cross Reference list where I select the paragraph to use
for the reference. I tried selecting and pressing F9 and Alt-F9. No change. I
tried inserting Cross Reference to #4, it also came up and said 2. I saved,
closed, and restarted Word, no change. Then suddenly I inserted another one
and it was correct. The old one was still wrong, and the F9 refreshes still
did not work. I replaced it with the newly working Cross Reference.

While I'm glad that it started working in the end, I'm very worried that these
references will screw up again in the future. Is this a known issue? Is there
a sensitivity to Cross References and/or numbered lists I need to be aware of?

Thanks,
Colin

 

[Alan Taylor]

Hi Colin:

There is a bug with that type of cross-reference if anyone
adds a new paragraph to the numbered list in a certain
place in a certain way.

Namely, let's say you're referring to paragraph 3. Then
you add a new item between 2 and 3, by starting with
cursor at start of "3" and hitting Enter.

Then if you update the x-ref it'll be wrong. This is
because it uses a hidden bookmark, and that
edit "stretched" the bookmark too far.

If the same addition of a new paragraph was made from
above instead of below, then no problem.

I find a safer type of cross-reference is to put a named
bookmark near the relevant text. Name it something easy
to remember. (Use Tools / Options / View to make sure
bookmarks are displayed)

Then you cross-reference to that bookmark (you choose this
under "Reference type"). Elsewhere on the cross-reference
dialog you specify Insert reference to Paragraph number.

 

[Colin Higbie]

That sounds like a different problem - the problem I observed occurred before
I had ever changed/inserted any additional list items. It show #2 instead of
#3 and also instead of #4 (showed 2 for both 3 and 4).

It is possible (not sure) that the problem occurred after I had inserted an
'a' and a 'b' as subsidiaries to #2 (so I guess that would mean that I did
sort-of add list items after #2). I got rid of those and it was working again.
I don't know if this was a cause-effect relationship, or even for sure that I
have the timing/order of these events exactly right.

Could this be a new bug? Do you still think this is from the problem you
described? What about the #4 also displaying #2?

- Colin