Resequencing footnote numbers that are "off"

[Alarik]

Dear List,

Like a bad penny, I return. Perhaps someday, in a decade or two, I'll
be able to help answer a question. Now I seem only to nag. First it was
macros, then effacing my identity from a file. By the way, that was
achieved at last (after many shenanigans) simply by sending the file to
a friend with Word 2004, having him zap me, and then forwarding the
stealthily edited file to the unsuspecting powers that be and that pay.

Now it's footnote numbers. In this essay, I've contrived to have the
embedded note numbers run from note 51 to note 54. (This was the result
of switching sentences around and messing up the notes.) The current
note 54 should be note 52. There are two duplicate notes in the
footnote section of the file; however, there are no corresponding
superscripts in the text, so I cannot delete the duplicates (since
there are no superscripts/codes to delete)--hence the numbering is off.


I have been using track changes extensively. I tried the trick of
turning on paragraph marks, selecting all and backing off on the last
paragraph mark, and then pasting into a new document. This fixed (!)
the note numbering. However, I then lost my track changes. The actual
changes were there, of course, but the highlighted record of the edits
was gone.

In searching this list, I came across Dayo Mitchell's observation that
"if you happen to be tracking changes, Word won't adjust the [note]
numbers until you Accept All Changes." Does this mean that if I were to
Accept all my own changes that the footnote numbering would correct
itself? If so, that would defeat the purpose, which is, of course, to
let others see what I've done and to repudiate all my good work.

Is there any other way to rectify erroneous in-text note numbering? By
the way, the notes themselves all are correctly attached to the text
they pertain to.

I thank you for your help and forbearance!

Alarik

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

I fear that no one has responded because you answered your own question.

I could imagine something exceedingly convoluted having to do with moving
the footnote while track changes is off, and then turning it on to make your
changes, but then if someone were to reject your change, the note would be
in the wrong place and it could get ugly.

I would imagine that a short assurance that the notes all are correctly
attached to the proper text and Word will sort out the numbers once the
changes are all accepted or rejected will work? Here you can lean on Word's
bad rep to your advantage. I get the impression you are dealing with
academics? they ought to be willing to believe anything of Word.

I do not know of any way to manipulate note numbers, sorry.

In searching this list, I came across Mitchell's observation that
"if you happen to be tracking changes, Word won't adjust the [note]
numbers until you Accept All Changes." Does this mean that if I were to
Accept all my own changes that the footnote numbering would correct
itself? If so, that would defeat the purpose, which is, of course, to
let others see what I've done and to repudiate all my good work.

Is there any other way to rectify erroneous in-text note numbering? By
the way, the notes themselves all are correctly attached to the text
they pertain to.

I thank you for your help and forbearance!

Alarik

 

[Alarik]

Daiya,

Thank you! You make me laugh. Yes, academics. Constitutional law
scholars, in fact. Unspeakable convolution.

After seeing your suggestion elsewhere, I duplicated the file, accepted
all the changes in that file, and, behold, the numbers fixed
themselves. So be it.

I hope that will be the case when the managing editor opens the file on
her PC in Word Whatever for PC. In any case I will explain all to her.

But really, thank you so much for the only response possible but the
one that I needed.

You guys are great.

All the best,

Alarik

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Glad to help.

This is not a Mac issue, of course. The footnote numbering problem is the
same in WinWord, and I wouldn't be surprised if the editor is familiar with
it. Though perhaps not, as many academics don't use track changes.

You can also suggest that the editor use Tools |Compare Documents to see all
your hard work, or even send her your changed file and a compared file (not
totally sure how that two file thing would show up on someone else's
computer).

Daiya