Paragraph Shading Carrying extending to Page Break Lines

[Alisande]

I have several places in a document I'm creating where I have used 3
paragraphs - the top & bottom lines blank, the middle one containing white
text - which I have formatted to be shaded (using format, borders & shading,
paragraph), to serve as "title" headings for various sections of the
document.

I am having problems when I try to insert a page break just prior to the
shaded text. What happens is that the "page break" line on the page above
the shaded text also appears as a shaded bar. When I highlight only that
line and try to remove the paragraph shading, the shading is also deleted
from the three paragraphs on the next page that I do want to appear shaded.

I am sure that it is due to something really simple that I can change, but
have not been able to figure out what it is. I did devise a "workaround" by
inserting a line just above the paragraphs I want shaded and reducing the
font size to very small, and then removing the shading from that paragraph
(which I can do - it's only the page break that affects those below it) but
it seems like there should be an easier/better way to do it.

Can you help me fix this problem - or tell me if there is an alternate way
to format my title sections to avoid the issue altogether?

Thanks!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Instead of inserting a manual page break, format the paragraph after the
desired break point as "Page break before."

 

[Jay Freedman]

Hi Alisande,

In your first attempt, the page break (which is really just a character) is
in the same paragraph with the text you're trying to format. There can only
be one paragraph shading per paragraph. Your workaround works because the
page break is no longer in the same paragraph with the text.

A better method is to select the paragraph with the text, go to Format >
Paragraph > Line & Page breaks, and check the box for "Page break before".
Click OK. Now delete the page break above the title, which is no longer
needed.

The best method is to define a paragraph style specifically for your titles.
That style can include the font, the shading, extra space before and after
(instead of the blank lines), and the "Page break before" setting. Just
apply that style to any paragraph, and it instantly is formatted just like
all the other headings. Also, if you change your mind about something --
say, to change the color of the shading -- you only need to change the
setting in the style, and all the headings will change together. For more
information, see
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/concepts/styles/index.html
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/concepts/rules_enterparagraphs/index.html
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/styles/TipsOnStyles.html

 

[Alisande]

I just tried that and it inserted not one, but four, blank pages before the
paragraph.

This is not a document I created, and it's been edited by someone else
before it got to me, all three of us using different versions of Word (BTW,
I'm using Office XP - Word 2002). Could that be contributing to the problem?

Or - is there a way to view the underlying formatting codes so that I can
try to troubleshoot what's happening here?

Thank you for your help.

 

[Jay Freedman]

I think you got four blank pages because you formatted each of the three
paragraphs with "page break before", plus you still have the manual page
break. Get rid of the blank paragraphs and the manual page break, and use
Space Before or Space After paragraph formatting instead of the blank lines.

 

[Alisande]

Thanks much....I appreciate your help.

I think you got four blank pages because you formatted each of the three
paragraphs with "page break before", plus you still have the manual page
break. Get rid of the blank paragraphs and the manual page break, and use
Space Before or Space After paragraph formatting instead of the blank lines.