Having Numbered Lists in Subdocuments Restart their Numbering

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 2, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


John has a master document with approximately 80 subdocuments in it. About 60 of them contain numbered lists. When he opens the whole thing (outline view | expand documents) the numbers in the numbered lists continue rather than restart. The numbered lists are set using a style from a custom global template based on the standard List Number style. John wonders if there is a way to make sure that the numbered lists restart at 1 rather than continue from the previous list without having to change them manually every time he expands the entire master document.

There are a couple of approaches you could use. First, at the end of each of your documents you could add a LISTNUM field to reset the numbering. The format of the field would be as follows:

{ LISTNUM "NumberDefault" \s0 }

This will set the numbering used for numbered lists back to zero. Depending on your system and your version of Word, you may end up with some visible characters generated by the LISTNUM field. If this is the case, then simply format those characters as hidden text.

Another option is to recognize that Word's built-in automatic numbering is fraught with lots of problems. (These problems are well documented and have been addressed in other issues of WordTips.) Many people abandon the built-in numbering all together and use SEQ fields to implement their list numbering. If you do this, you could use a different sequence for each of your subdocuments, and you would be sure to have just the numbering you wanted.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (3429) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

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

Counting Open Document Windows

When creating macros, it is sometimes necessary to know how many documents are open in Word. This is relatively easy to ...

Discover More

Printing Multiple Worksheets on a Single Page

Got a bunch of worksheets and you want to save paper by printing multiple worksheets on a single piece of paper? There ...

Discover More

The EDATE Function

Want to figure a date a certain number of months in the future or past? The EDATE function may be just what you need for ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (menu)

Ensuring Standardized Numbering

Want to make sure your paragraph numbering looks the same on different computer systems? It's a harder task in Word than ...

Discover More

Resetting to Factory Defaults for Bulleted Lists

If you use bulleted lists a lot in your documents, you might notice that the formats have changed over time. Resetting ...

Discover More

Converting Automatic Numbering to Manual Numbering

The automatic numbering that Word lets you apply to paragraphs in your document can create some great looking content, ...

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 5 - 0?

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.