How to create bulleted to-do list using two styles?

[Blaq]

• I want to create hierarchical to-do lists based on two styles: "Checkbox" and "Checkbox - done".
• Each style has a different bullet (the checkbox and checked box symbols, WIngdings characters 111 and 254), along with other formatting (bold, background color)
• Once I've completed an item, I'll change its style to "Checkbox - done".

Problem: I need the indent to remain unchanged if I switch a paragraph from one style to the other. I've tried everything I can think of to define the styles, but either the indent gets modified when switching styles, or I'm unable to increase/decrease the indent.

How can I define this type of list? Thanks for your help.

 

[macropod]

Provided both Styles have the same paragraph definitions, there is no reason for the formatting to change. To ensure consistency, you could define one of those Styles, then base the other on it rather than on another Style. Do note that, if you're manually adding indents and thus overriding the Style definition, that overriding won't hold when you change Styles.

 

[Blaq]

Since applying a style wipes out direct formatting, I will later define macros to stash Selection.Paragraph's .Format.leftIndent and .Format.firstLineIndent, switch the style, and reapply the stashed values. Until then, let's troubleshoot the basic styles.

I was forced to recreate "Checkbox - done" from scratch, based on Normal, since basing it on "Checkbox" would give me different "Bulleted" align/indent values in the style description. I deleted both styles and started from scratch:

• Create "Checkbox" style:
  • Based on "Normal"
  • Format > Numbering > Bullets tab > (Wingdings checkbox)
• Create "Checkbox - done" style:
  • Based on "Normal"
  • Format > Numbering > Bullets tab > (Wingdings checked box)

At this point, the description for each style is:

• Checkbox: Indent: Left: 0.25", Hanging: 0.25", Bulleted + Level: 1 + Aligned at: 0.25" + Indent at: 0.5", Style: Quick Style, Based on: Normal

• Checkbox - done: Indent: Left: 0.25", Hanging: 0.25", Bulleted + Level: 1 + Aligned at: 0.25" + Indent at: 0.5", Style: Quick Style, Based on: Normal

Applying each style, in turn, to sample text, changes the bullet but not indents (as expected, since both styles have identical positioning values.)

Now onto indentation:

I open the Reveal Formatting window (with "Distinguish style source" enabled); under Bullets and Numbering, I see List: / Bulleted / Level: 1 / Aligned at: 0.25" / Indent at: 0.5".

If I increase the indent (using the standard Ctrl + ]) of a Checkbox paragraph, it jumps by 0.5" and its bullet changes to an open circle. The formatting is now Paragraph > Direct Formatting > Indentation: Left: 0.75" — Bullets and Numbering > List: / Bulleted / Level: 2 / Aligned at: 0.75" / Indent at: 1".

Indenting the paragraph changed its list level. In the ribbon, the Bullets button is highlighted. Opening the Multilevel List button shows the "Current list" with my checkbox on level 1, open circle on levels 2/5/8, and normal bullets on the remaining levels.

At this point, should I define a multilevel list style using the Checkbox paragraph style on every level?

 

[macropod]

If you're using these with multiple indents, you could simply create a separate Style pair for each Indent level and use the pair appropriate to the level.

 

[macropod]

Now cross-posted at: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...possible/139856b1-5b5d-4368-ad6d-924980f2e621
For cross-posting etiquette, please read: http://www.excelguru.ca/content.php?184

 

[Blaq]

Thanks for the suggestion, but separate styles has nowhere the same functionality.

With a multilevel list, I can promote/demote items with Backspace and Tab; I can also promote/demote a group of items by selecting them first — while maintaining their relative hierarchy.

Word is so powerful that there's got to be a solution for multilevel lists with two possible styles per paragraph.