Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Problems Using Words as Bullets.

Problems Using Words as Bullets

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 26, 2018)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Word allows you to customize the bullet and numbering styles defined within the program. For instance, you can pick a different character to use as a bullet, as has been discussed in other issues of WordTips. You can even synthesize a way to use words as "bullets" if you instead define numbered lists (which are closely associated with bulleted lists) that don't use the numbers, but instead have "trailing text" which effectively functions as the "bullet."

The problem with any such approach is that you are still subject to the same problems that plague bulleted and numbered lists in general. (These have been covered in other issues of WordTips.) It is possible to avoid some of the problems by relying on outline numbering instead of bullets or regular numbering, but problems can still easily crop up.

Quite honestly, most Word experts will admit that there are serious problems with Word's automatic numbering and bulleting features. There are many different things that can affect bullet and numbering styles. For instance, if the Automatically Update check box (in the Modify style dialog box) is set for one of your bullet or numbering styles, then it can cause untold problems as users make explicit changes to paragraphs within the document. Similarly, if the numbering or bullet styles are based on other styles, then changes can cascade from one style to another without warning.

To get around potential problems with formatting bulleted or numbered lists, many advocate sidestepping Word's automatic features all together. Instead, you can develop a series of macros that can handle the numbering or application of bullets. For instance, the following macro can be used to explicitly format a paragraph using a word as a bullet:

Public Sub BulletText()
    Dim sBullet As String
    Dim myList As ListTemplate

    sBullet = InputBox("Enter bullet text:", "Bullet Text", "Note:")

    ' Add a new ListTemplate object
    Set myList = ActiveDocument.ListTemplates.Add

    With myList.ListLevels(1)
        .NumberFormat = sBullet
        .TrailingCharacter = wdTrailingTab
        .NumberPosition = InchesToPoints(0.25)
        .Alignment = wdListLevelAlignLeft
        .TextPosition = InchesToPoints(0.75)
        .TabPosition = InchesToPoints(0.75)
        .ResetOnHigher = 0
        .StartAt = 1
        .LinkedStyle = ""
        ' The following sets the font attributes of
        ' the "bullet" text
        With .Font
            .Bold = True
            .Name = "Arial"
            .Size = 10
        End With
    End With
    ' Apply the new ListTemplate to the selected text
    Selection.Range.ListFormat.ApplyListTemplate ListTemplate:=myList
End Sub

This macro prompts you for the text to use as your "bullet" and then formats the selected paragraphs using your specification. Notice that the macro uses objects known as "ListTemplates." These objects are what you see when you glance at the palette of available bullet and numbering options in the tabs of the Bullets and Numbering dialog box. Many of the problems associated with numbering and bullets in Word are related to problems in reliably associating specific ListTemplate objects with specific styles. This macro bypasses those problems by not attempting to do so, but by creating new, custom ListTemplate objects that are applied to individual paragraphs in your document.

The downside of using a macro such as this is that you are relying on explicit formatting rather than on styles. This means that you loose the major benefit of styles, which are consistency and the ability to make universal changes to like-styled paragraphs.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1546) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Problems Using Words as Bullets.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Specifying Print Quantity in a Cell

When you print a worksheet, you can specify in the Print dialog box how many copies you want printed. If you want the ...

Discover More

Changing the Way Footnotes Are Numbered

Most footnotes in a document start numbering with the number 1 and proceed from there through the rest of your document. ...

Discover More

Recording a Data Entry Time

When entering information in a worksheet, it is common to also note a date or time corresponding to the entry. There are ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (menu)

Using Outline Numbering in a Table

If you have worked with tables in Word, you probably know how to navigate through the cells with keyboard shortcuts. This ...

Discover More

Converting List Types

There are two types of common lists you can create in Word: bulleted lists and numbered lists. You can switch between the ...

Discover More

Randomly Resetting Numbering

Have you ever been frustrated by the automatic numbering feature in Word? You are not alone. Fortunately, there are a few ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three minus 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.