Formatting column breaks...

[Dunazee]

Hi all,

I have a Word doc that is set up in two columns throughout. If I insert a column break, the paragraph formatting of the text at the top of the new column is also applied to the "invisible" area (the dotted line with the words Column Break at the bottom of the column) regardless of whether I have invisibles turned on or off.

SO, my paragraph heads (set up as a paragraph style) are white text with a shade applied to the line. The column break at the bottom of the previous column also has the shading applied, although there is no text there. I do not want to have to put in a paragraph return at the top of each column (which so far has been the only workaround).

How can I get that bottom line to be "clear"?

I am considering inserting a 1-row table and formatting the cell with the background color and white text, which I think will work, although this will for sure confuse the next user of the document.

Technical specs: Mac OS10.4.11, Word 2004.

Thanks! --d

 

[John McGhie]

Yeah, this is an issue that is inherent in the Word design.

A "Column Break" is not actually a "Character", it's an "Attribute" of a
Paragraph, so it is actually part of the paragraph and gets the formatting
of the paragraph.

I would create a new Column End style specifically for use at the bottom of
a column. That style would not have the border, its only purpose would be
to contain the column break (so you could set the line height to one point
high if you wanted to save the space).

Then use a "Column Start" style that does have your border for the first
paragraph after the column break.

Hope this helps

Hi all,

I have a Word doc that is set up in two columns throughout. If I insert a
column break, the paragraph formatting of the text at the top of the new
column is also applied to the "invisible" area (the dotted line with the words
Column Break at the bottom of the column) regardless of whether I have
invisibles turned on or off.

SO, my paragraph heads (set up as a paragraph style) are white text with a
shade applied to the line. The column break at the bottom of the previous
column also has the shading applied, although there is no text there. I do not
want to have to put in a paragraph return at the top of each column (which so
far has been the only workaround).

How can I get that bottom line to be "clear"?

I am considering inserting a 1-row table and formatting the cell with the
background color and white text, which I think will work, although this will
for sure confuse the next user of the document.

Technical specs: Mac OS10.4.11, Word 2004.

Thanks! --d

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Dunazee]

Thanks, John.

Anyway, the problem is that the formatting for the top of the column gets applied automatically to the end of the previous column. Is that something I can turn off? When I try to apply a different style to it, it adds a paragraph return at the top of the next column. If I delete the paragraph return, it deletes the column break. I think I'm not understanding you, not because you aren't explaining it correctly, but because of my own ignorance.

Creating a 1-row table with the appropriate formatting does work, but the column breaks then don't work. It inserts a paragraph return at the top of the column. So I've had to go in and put in paragraph returns to get the columns to break correctly, which I just know is gonna not work when it gets transferred to others' computers.

Hmmmm... Maybe something with Keep All Lines Together, or Keep Paragraphs together? Trick it into compliance.

What about creating a character style instead of a paragraph style? Is that where you're going?

This document was originally laid out in InDesign and distributed as a PDF. They now want to be able to edit it themselves... which is just fine by me. But if we had known it was going to be converted we would have designed it differently. Classic graphic designer's dilemma. And, I might consider doing it in "The Dreaded Publisher" (LOL) except that it doesn't exist for Mac.

I will try the character style vs. paragraph style, see if that helps me. If you have any other thoughts, feel free to share.

Thanks. --d

 

[Dunazee]

Okay, the character style is working, so far. I'm new here. Can I send you an email attachment, or post it up here somehow?

 

[John McGhie]

Hi:

Sorry, this forum does not stretch to individual email replies. We have
300,000,000 other guys in the queue, individual emails ‹ we wouldn't live
long enough to read 'em

Then again, there are some meat-heads out there who believe we work for
Microsoft, and drop us a copy of every new virus or spam they discover.

So my email is set to automatically delete anything with an attachment
before I see it, unless I ask for it (in which case, I will give you a code
to get through the Spaminator...)

Personally, I would use a Paragraph style for this duty. The border is an
attribute of a paragraph, and so is the column break. So a Character style
cannot set either.

You missed the part about "... A column break is an ATTRIBUTE of a
paragraph." If you delete the paragraph, you delete the attribute, and so:
no column break.

The column break is "part" of the paragraph mark that immediately follows
it. So the column break "will" have the same formatting as the first
paragraph at the top of the next column. But that paragraph does not need
to have any text: it can be one point high with zero leading above and
below. In which case, the border will not appear until the Second paragraph
in the column, which is where you want it.

Not elegant, but it's the best you can do with a design where you have to
force column breaks manually.

For a more professional look, try using "Keep with next" and "Keep lines
together". If you set your body copy with "Keep Lines together" as a
property of the style, either all of the paragraph or none of it will appear
in the column.

If you set the paragraphs you then want to move to the next column with
"Keep with next", the entire block will be moved automatically by Word if
needed to make them all fit in the new column.

If Word moves the paragraphs, it won't need the column break, and you won't
thus get the border.

When paginating in Word, the secret is to realise that it is designed to
flow text. The trick is to tell Word where you DON'T want a page or column
break, rather than insert one whee you do. Word will then lay up the
document automatically for you, not only saving you a lot of time, but
making for a much lower maintenance document.

Hope this helps

Okay, the character style is working, so far. I'm new here. Can I send you an
email attachment, or post it up here somehow?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[Dunazee]

Thanks again, John. I hear ya on the emails, lol. This question is definitively answered, for me at least. Feel free to ask me if you need any InDesign advice. --d