vertical paragraph alignment across columns

[Paul B]

Hi. I've been doing a lot of work in Word '03 in pages divided
into two columns. They are not Tables, per se, just a two-column
page format.

The problem I often have is that assigning paragraph styles with
different before and after spacing will send paragraphs across
the columns out of verical alignment. Let me try to illustrate:


Column One Column Two


Heading 3 style para
Heading 3 style para
normal style
normal style


-----column break--- ------Page break--------


That exaggerates the problem, because it's usually only part of a
line's height out of alignment, but such are the limits of plain
text.

The problem seems to be due to Word's insistence on assigning the
paragraph style of the first line, second column to the break
immediately proceeding it. Thus, the column break in column one
above is given the Heading 3 style, pushing the first line,
second column downward. If I manually remove that H3 assignment
from the break, it's taken off the ensuing line as well. So I'm
stuck.

I've even tried "Don't add space between paras of same style" for
H3, but to no avail.

Surely there must be some way to ensure vertical paragraph
alignment across columns? I'm confounded why Word would attach
the H3 designation to the prior break.

Thanks,
p.

 

[CyberTaz]

I'm afraid you're undertaking an exercise in futility: Yes, it "can" be done
but it's a royal PITA and virtually impossible to maintain the alignment if
you change *anything* in either column. Snaking newspaper-type columns are
not intended for that type of flow.

You really need to use a 2-column table with each aligned set of content in
a separate row. With the Borders removed & Gridlines off it will provide the
"look" you're trying to obtain & will be far easier to control.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Jay Freedman]

The problem is entirely caused by not using tables. There really is no way to
guarantee vertical alignment in snaking columns. This is explained in
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Formatting/UsingColumns.htm.

The column break is really just a character, and as such it is part of the
paragraph that follows it. Therefore it must have the same paragraph style as
that paragraph. You can try inserting a paragraph mark between the column break
and the first character of the next heading, and formatting that paragraph mark
as Normal style and Hidden. But that probably won't solve the problems.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so all
may benefit.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Bob. I tried this using a full-page 2 column table,
pasting the text into one full-height row in each column, and it
skirts the column break issue perfectly. I'm not sure what you
meant by "separate row", but this seems to do the job. Once the
column break is passed, the style alignment is regular, as one
would hope.
p.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Jay. Inserting a para after the column break doesn't work,
as it just becomes part of the 2nd column, pushing everything
there down even more.

I don't understand why the column break is part of the ensuing
paragraph. This causes problems in another context - whereby
formatting the first line of a page affects the last line of the
preceding page.

That reference page you included is helpful.
p.

 

[grammatim]

Thanks Jay. Inserting a para after the column break doesn't work,
as it just becomes part of the 2nd column, pushing everything
there down even more.

Not if you give it Hidden format. (Though I don't know what that might
do to the Column Break!)

 

[Paul B]

Ok, thanks. I'll file that away for now. I think I'm going to use
the table idea, to preclude some aggravation. Because I'm often
tweaking these files and upsetting the formatting, I value a
solution that's pretty hard set.
p.