Mixed Numbered/Bulleted Substeps

[Joshua]

Hi -

After discovering the MVP site, I started using styles and avoiding the List
Template dialog back when I was working with Word 97.
I have been digging deeply into the archives and MVP site. And I am slowly
parsing the VBA samples for list setup (thanks for your efforts, MVPs and
others!).

The situation: I am doing technical documentation, and want the flexibility
to add bulleted lists or numbered substeps in my procedures, as necessary.
For example:

1. Make sure that:
- you have read the warrantee information
- your computer has the necessary disk space
- you have the installation password
2. To install the program:
a. insert the diskette
b. when the Autorun window appears...
c. enter the following information:
- your email address
- your company's name
d. click Next to continue
etc.

In other words, sometimes the sublist is strictly sequential and must be
numbered, other times the sublist is not sequential, and bullets are
appropriate.

Question: What is the simplest way to maintain this flexibility while
avoiding list restart glitches in Word 2000?

Previously I just defined a series of simple numbered and bulleted styles,
at identical indents, and applied them as necessary. I find I am doing a lot
of manual list-restart-fiddling in Word 2000.

Thanks for your help -
Joshua

 

[Shauna Kelly]

Hi Joshua

This is what I do. It's not a pure, conceptually strong method, but it works for me.

I set up 2 list templates using VBA.

One list template is for the headings, and I attach Heading 1, Heading 2 ... Heading 9 to the 9 list levels in that list template.

The second is for bullets and I attach appropriate bulleted styles to the levels in that template. Sometimes I just use the built-in
List Bullet, List Bullet 2 styles, adding a bigger indent to each style in the series. I find the most flexible approach is to put a
little space before and a little space after these styles, so you can get away with using them both within a series of dot points
and as the last dotpoint before the next full paragraph. Other times, in more complex documents, I'll create a whole lot of custom
bullet styles with different combinations of left indents and space after paragraphs.

The result would be something like the following (where H1 means Heading and LB1 means List Bullet 1):

1. Make sure that: [H1]
- you have read the warrantee information [LB 2]
- your computer has the necessary disk space [LB 2]
2. To install the program: [H1]
a. insert the diskette [H2]
b. when the Autorun window appears... [H2]
c. enter the following information: [H2]
- your email address [LB 3]

There are conceptual problems with this, of course, because it's inconsistent. But then the requirement is inconsistent<g>, so I use
that as the excuse to intermingle styles from two different list templates. FWIW, I find users cope with using styles like this
quite well.

And for what it's worth, I have a self-imposed rule that I *never* re-start numbering. It seems to me that whenever I feel the urge
to do this that I simply haven't thought through the structure of my document sufficiently clearly.

Hope this helps.

I'll be interested to hear if other people do this differently.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word
Melbourne, Australia

 

[Joshua]

Shauna -

Thanks for your reply - and since I have made good use of your website,
thanks for that, too!

One question: Your working method basically is the same as my existing
solution - except I don't use the built-in Heading styles, I just define
"list1" list2' styles of my own. Since Word's Heading styles have special
uses (outline mode, etc) - what is the advantage of using them for numbered
lists within the document body?

And for what it's worth, I have a self-imposed rule that I *never*

re-start numbering. It seems to me that whenever I feel the urge

to do this that I simply haven't thought through the structure of my

document sufficiently clearly.

... this seems like quite a limitation! Some of my clients (particularly
defense contractors) do not accept the more modern, "flat" documentation
style where subprocesses are broken out as separate procedures - so I very
often have consecutive major steps, each of which has its own subprocedure.
This requires restart of the 2nd level list... which is a pain in Word 2000.

Thanks again for your suggestions.
Joshua

 

[Shauna Kelly]

Hi Joshua

For advantages to using the built-in heading styles see

Why use Word's built-in heading styles?
http://www.ShaunaKelly.com/word/numbering/UseBuiltInHeadingStyles.html

Hope this helps.

Shauna Kelly. Microsoft MVP.
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word
Melbourne, Australia

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think what Shauna meant is that *she* never restarts numbering manually;
she depends on Word to restart numbering (but not create a new list) using
the "Restart numbering after Level X" command in the Outline Numbered List
setup.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word