WD2000: Outline Numbering Changes Heading Style Indents (212205)

SYMPTOMS

When you apply outline numbering that uses heading styles to a document that is formatted with built-in heading styles (such as Heading 1, Heading 2, and so on), Word changes the paragraph formatting and the heading style definition. Specifically, Word replaces any of your previous left-indent and special-indent formatting (including the None Indentation setting) with outline numbering settings.

(To view the outline numbering settings, click Bullets and Numbering on the Format menu, select one of the predefined numbering styles that specify heading levels on the Outline Numbered tab, and then click Customize.)

CAUSE

By design, when you apply outline numbering that uses heading styles to a document, the Aligned at and Indent at outline numbering properties replace the Left indentation and Special indentation properties defined in the heading style. This happens even if your heading style sets the Special indentation format to (none).

WORKAROUND

You can customize the heading styles after you apply outline numbering, but that is not recommended. A better solution is to customize the outline numbering settings to change indents for each heading level of the outline.

Troubleshooting

Because outline numbering affects the heading style definitions, you may need to determine the source (style or direct) of some paragraph formatting in order to modify it. To reveal the source of formatting for a paragraph, press SHIFT+F1. When the mouse pointer becomes a question mark, click the text you want to check. Word displays all the style and direct formatting that is currently applied to the paragraph. To change the pointer back, press ESC.

After you determine the source of the formatting, you can take steps to change it by modifying the style, the outline numbering settings, or the direct formatting.

MORE INFORMATION

This section contains a description of how outline numbering affects the heading style definition. When you apply outline numbering that uses heading styles to a document, two things happen to the heading style definition:

Word adds the Outline Numbered property to the style definition.
Word adds indent formatting to the style definition ( 0.5 inch per level by default, or as defined by the Aligned at setting in the Customize Outline Numbered List dialog box).