We have a series of templates (actually documents) that should use the same styles. We made changes to one document, and used the Style Manager to import the styles into the others. However, some of the styles are losing their numbering and paragraph formats in the destination document. I can go and look at the style in the document I am using as a source, and it is correct. But when I import even one of those styles into the destination document, it comes out without numbering, bulleting, and indentation. In addition, some of the other styles (which I did NOT import) lose their numbering.



What in the world is going on here?

Automatic numbering in Word is a whole world unto itself.
Your styles need to be set up in a particular manner described at How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Word 2007 and Word 2010.

Changing the numbering on one of your styles without following this procedure will lead to what is known by the technical term "spaghetti numbering." Not what you want. While numbering done that way may work in a document until it is edited, using it in another can cause problems.

Suggestion. Set your numbering up fresh in a new template (not document). Create new documents or templates based on that template. Copy your content from your old documents into the new ones using the styles and formatting in the destination (new) document.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not at all sure that is possible because of the way we are using the documents. I'll have to check with the person who deals with that end of things.

I still would like to know why the import process isn't working properly. The styles work in the source document, but when they are imported, they don't work properly.

Even stranger - I've done this before with other styles - essentially the same except for the names - and it worked.

If the styles involved numbering and the numbering were not rigorously set up, you've been lucky!

The problems with numbering in Word are set forth in a monograph by John McGhie. See Word's Numbering Explained (also in a downloadable pdf file in letter size for you to give to "the person.") Numbering in Word 2010 is better, but still not fixed. Shauna Kelly's page is essentially a step-by-step method for avoiding the problems shown in the monograph without the why's.