Paragraph Numbering with Fixed Numnber of Digits

[Ury Fischer]

I need to create a document in which paragraphs are consecutively numbered
using a 4 digit number padded with zeros if necessary. For example, the
paragraph numbers would follow this sequence:

[0001]
[0002]
....
[0099]
[0100]
[0101]
....
[0999]
[1000]
[1001]

and so on.

I have been using the standard numbered list which has been customized to
use the (01, 02, 03 ...) numbering style and includes a prefix of "[00" and
a sufix of "]" in the number format. This works great until I get to
paragraph no. 100 in which I get "[00100]" instead of "[0100]". I suppose
the easiest, most elegant way of accomplishing what I want would be to
create a custom numbering style which forces 4 digits, instead of 2, and
pads with zeros. That way, I do not have to bother with entering the zeros
as a prefix in the number format. However, I have looked high and low and
cannot figure out how to do this.

Can anyone help?

 

[Shauna Kelly]

Hi Ury

Word's paragraph numbering can't accomplish what you want. I think the
best way is to use a SEQ field, as follows.

Do ctrl-F9. Within the brackets, type
SEQ para \# "[0000]" \* MERGEFORMAT

Press F9 to update the field.

Since it will be tedious to enter this field every time you want to
number a paragraph, you could create an AutoText. Select the whole field
and choose Insert > AutoText. Having created the AutoText, you could
then assign a keyboard shortcut to insert the AutoText.

Note that fields don't update automatically. F9 will update the field
under the cursor. Ctrl-a, F9 to update all fields in the document. Make
sure that you have ticked the box at Tools > Options > Print > Update
Fields to be sure that the fields update before you print.

There's more in Word's help about SEQ fields and how they work.

Hope this helps.

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

 

[Bruce Brown]

Ury

Use the SEQ field.
* Ctrl-F9
* Type the following inside the field, using any name you'd like:
{ SEQ MySeqName \# "0000" }
* Add brackets:
[{ SEQ MySeqName \# "0000" }]
* Copy and paste it in front of your paragraphs.
* Make an AutoText entry out of it if that helps.
* You have to keep updating the SEQ field each time you use it:
Ctrl-a, F9
* First use may require more than one update before it works.

- Bruce

 

[Ury Fischer]

Thanks Shauna and Bruce. You have saved me a ton of time looking in vain
for a solution "built into" Word. I'll try your suggestion.