Word 2007 bug: cursor does not relocate in outlining mode

[Mike-on-Hudson]

I am using Word 2007 under Vista Ultimate. Say I'm working on Chapter 1 and
wish to relocate to Chapter 10. I collapse to outlining mode, click on the
Chapter 10 outline header. In any past version of Word (I've been using Word
since the 1980s), the cursor will relocate to Chapter 10 as soon as 1) you
return to regular edit mode and b) touch a key. I believe this is a default
behavior not controlled by any settings -- i.e. a bug in Word 2007. What to
do?

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi =?Utf-8?B?TWlrZS1vbi1IdWRzb24=?=,

I am using Word 2007 under Vista Ultimate. Say I'm working on Chapter 1 and
wish to relocate to Chapter 10. I collapse to outlining mode, click on the
Chapter 10 outline header. In any past version of Word (I've been using Word
since the 1980s), the cursor will relocate to Chapter 10 as soon as 1) you
return to regular edit mode and b) touch a key. I believe this is a default
behavior not controlled by any settings -- i.e. a bug in Word 2007. What to
do?

I don't see the problem you describe. If I click in the Outline view, the
cursor moves to that position and stays there.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Mike-on-Hudson]

Hi Cindy,

If you were in Outline view when you clicked you will not see the
problem. Let me lay it out by steps:

Step 1: Compose some text that includes several level 1 outline headers,
say, for example, headers from "Chapter 1" through "Chapter 10".

Step 2: Switch to edit mode and compose some text under "Chapter 1"

Step 3: Switch to outline mode (with only outline headers visible) and click
on the "Chapter 10" header. (This places the cursor on the Chapter 10
header.)

Step 4: Switch back to edit mode and hit any key to start editing. This is
where my cursor in Word 2007 stays back in the Chapter 1 area and will not
move to the Chapter 10 location I wish to move to.

Missing this feature, Word 2007 is useless for me. I must continue to use
Word 2003 on my laptop instead of on my new Dell Vista desktop where the 2007
version is installed.

By the way, a Dell technician in Manila repeated these steps with me in a
phone consultation and had the same problem in his Word 2007.

Thanks for responding and looking into this.

Mike

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi Mike,

Mmm, we have a communication disconnect... What do you mean by "edit mode"? I
assume Step 1 is in the Print Layout view, but where you are in Step 2 I can't
figure out.

If you were in Outline view when you clicked you will not see the
problem. Let me lay it out by steps:

Step 1: Compose some text that includes several level 1 outline headers,
say, for example, headers from "Chapter 1" through "Chapter 10".

Step 2: Switch to edit mode and compose some text under "Chapter 1"

Step 3: Switch to outline mode (with only outline headers visible) and click
on the "Chapter 10" header. (This places the cursor on the Chapter 10
header.)

Step 4: Switch back to edit mode and hit any key to start editing. This is
where my cursor in Word 2007 stays back in the Chapter 1 area and will not
move to the Chapter 10 location I wish to move to.

Missing this feature, Word 2007 is useless for me. I must continue to use
Word 2003 on my laptop instead of on my new Dell Vista desktop where the 2007
version is installed.

By the way, a Dell technician in Manila repeated these steps with me in a
phone consultation and had the same problem in his Word 2007.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[Mike-on-Hudson]

Hi Cindy,

Thanks for your response. I'll restate the problem using official
terminology this time.

Step 1: Enter Outline View (Ctrl-Alt-O) and compose some text that includes
several level 1 outline headers, say, for example, headers from "Chapter 1"
through "Chapter 10".

Step 2: Get back into Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N) and compose some text under
"Chapter 1"

Step 3: Switch to back to Outline View (with only outline headers visible)
and click on the "Chapter 10" header.

Step 4: Now switch back to Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N) and hit any key to start
editing. This is where my cursor in Word 2007 stays back in the Chapter 1
area and will not
move to the Chapter 10 location I wish to move to. In any prior version of
Word, this is not a problem.

Also, I have discovered two peculiarities about this bug:
1) The bug appears to occur only when you are trying to relocate the cursor
going downwards. That is, if you are working on Chapter 10 in Normal View
and enter Outline View, click on the Chapter 1 header with the intention of
relocating there, then switch back to Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N) and hit any
key to start editing, it relocates to Chapter 1 as it is supposed to.
2) Also, in Step 4, if you switch to Page View (Ctrl-Alt-P) instead of
Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N), the cursor does relocate to the intended location
in Chapter 10. So this is a workaround that will at least allow me to begin
using Word 2007 -- but because Normal View is my preferred editing mode, I
still consider this problem a significant nuisance.

Thanks for your attention.

Mike



Also, I have discovered a couple of peculiariaties about this bug. It is
more limited than I had thought. It osc

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi Mike,

Well, for what it's worth, I can't reproduce your problem, here. That, or
something in your steps is missing

Whether I use the keyboard or the mouse to go to the last Heading, while in
Outline view - when I switch back to the Normal view (using the keyboard, as
you describe) and start typing the cursor is where I put it.

The SCREEN is showing me the top of the document, but the cursor is where I
left it.

Hmmmm. I recall that somewhere there is (or used to be - a fairly recent
introduction, in any case) a setting that scrolled the cursor to where the
screen is focussed. I turn that off, but I'm wondering if it's kicking in in
your case?

Try going to Word Options/Advanced and deactivate "Use Smart Cursoring"

Thanks for your response. I'll restate the problem using official
terminology this time.

Step 1: Enter Outline View (Ctrl-Alt-O) and compose some text that includes
several level 1 outline headers, say, for example, headers from "Chapter 1"
through "Chapter 10".

Step 2: Get back into Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N) and compose some text under
"Chapter 1"

Step 3: Switch to back to Outline View (with only outline headers visible)
and click on the "Chapter 10" header.

Step 4: Now switch back to Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N) and hit any key to start
editing. This is where my cursor in Word 2007 stays back in the Chapter 1
area and will not
move to the Chapter 10 location I wish to move to. In any prior version of
Word, this is not a problem.

Also, I have discovered two peculiarities about this bug:
1) The bug appears to occur only when you are trying to relocate the cursor
going downwards. That is, if you are working on Chapter 10 in Normal View
and enter Outline View, click on the Chapter 1 header with the intention of
relocating there, then switch back to Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N) and hit any
key to start editing, it relocates to Chapter 1 as it is supposed to.
2) Also, in Step 4, if you switch to Page View (Ctrl-Alt-P) instead of
Normal View (Ctrl-Alt-N), the cursor does relocate to the intended location
in Chapter 10. So this is a workaround that will at least allow me to begin
using Word 2007 -- but because Normal View is my preferred editing mode, I
still consider this problem a significant nuisance.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[Mike-on-Hudson]

Thanks, Cindy. Deactivating "Use Smart Cursoring" solved the problem for me.
The cursor relocates properly when I do that. I'm glad to do without smart
cursoring, whatever that is, as long as it allows me normal function of
outlining.

Mike

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi Mike,

Deactivating "Use Smart Cursoring" solved the problem for me.
The cursor relocates properly when I do that. I'm glad to do without smart
cursoring, whatever that is, as long as it allows me normal function of
outlining.

You know the problem of scrolling through the document, and forgetting to click
at the new location before touching the keyboard? Historically, all of a sudden
you'd be back to whereever you were before you started scrolling.

Smart cursoring moves the focus to whereever you've scrolled. So it can be
useful. And the behavior is logical Noticing that focus is at the top of
the document when switching views was the key to tracking it down.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail