Detecting custom list extent

[Bear]

What do you think of this idea?

Here's the application...

We use SEQ fields and supporting macros to create numbered lists for
procedures. Currently, I detect the extent of the list by looking on either
side of the insertion point or selection, and examining the style. If it's
one of two specific styles (Step Action or Step Comment) then the list
extends that far, etc.

In other words, the list ends when I encounter some style other than Step
Action or Step Comment.

The idea...

What if the extent of the list was determined by a specific paragraph
indent, whether part of the underlying style or manually applied? I'd look on
either side of the insertion point or selection and extend the list until I
found a paragraph with no left or hanging indent, and that would mark the
start or end of the list.

That way, any style could be inserted in the list.

That's both the pro and the con. As it is now, the authors are discouraged
from inserting anything between steps in a procedure, and that's good. But it
is a hassle when one utterly needs to insert a bulleted list or figure
between two steps.

As it is now, my VBA needs to think of that as two lists, jammed together,
with the second list starting at something other than 1.

Bear

 

[Russ]

Why aren't you using Word's built in bullets and numbering formatting?
<http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/numbering/OutlineNumbering.html>

 

[Bear]

Russ:

There are still too many surprises with autonumbering in a
mutliple-authoring environment. Even when styles are defined programatically,
we still get conflicting numbers and bullets when sharing work outside our
group.

Bear