I use Word 2010 and need to manage numbered lists. I find many of the control mechanisms available through Word 2010 (e.g. the dialog box to adjust list indents) to be cryptic and incomprehensible. I should add that I do know how to select a numbered list - the problem is that I need to tailor it.

With that perhaps discouraging introduction, here is what I need to be able to do:



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Adjust the quantity of white space between the terminating character of the list "number" and the text that follows it. For example, consider the following:

a. Deliverables

I need to adjust the "distance" between the "." and the "D".

I also need to ensure that all the text lines up on the left.

Thus, I do not want this:

a. Deliverables: The contractor shall provided three copies of its annual report.......

Instead, I want the "r" in "report" to line up directly under the "D" in "Deliverable"

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Adjust the distance between the first character of the list identifier and the left "margin":

Adjust this:

a. Deliverables

....to this:

a. Deliverables

I am assuming that the forum is not displaying this as you expected to show us.

Are you using a tab as the white space and using a hanging indent on those paragraphs?

__________________
Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

Have you read and used the instructions in this article?
How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Ribbon Versions of Word by Shauna Kelly

Thanks for answering. I am not sure I understand your first question. My post appears as I intended it to appear, if that is what you are asking.

I am using a tab and I am using a hanging indent.

Thanks for answering, but I really do not think this is what I am after. Please see my follow on post.

I appreciate the feedback, but what I believe would really help me is if someone can explain to me:

1. Precisely what each of the various settings in the "Adjust List Indents" dialog box actually mean.

2. How these settings can interact with each other.

3. How these settings can interact with settings implemented through other dialog boxes (such as the "Paragraph" dialog box).

Try to put yourselves in my shoes. When I see a setting in the "Adjust List Indents" dialog box titled "text indent", and then I also see a setting titled "Indentation" in the "Paragraph" dialog box, my head starts to spin, frankly.

At the end of the day what I want to do is really simple (I think). Given that I have implemented a numbered list, all I want to do is to adjust the amount of "leading white space" to the left of the number as well as the amount of "white space" between the number and the text. And, of course, I want subsequent lines of text (within the body of the numbered item) to all align on the left.

While the link that Charles provided above would point you in the right direction, perhaps this less informative 'googled' link will help you with indents:

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001351.htm

Shauna's page may be more than you think you want, but it will give you what you want, along with a stable numbering system. The thing is, it is all tied in together, at least it is if it is done properly. The buttons on the ribbon work fine for one-of documents that will not be heavily edited or shared. Not so much for documents that you will be using for a while. There is a technical term you do not want to become familiar with: spaghetti numbering. (For more on this term, Google "spaghetti numbering microsoft word.)

Numbering in Microsoft Word

OK, I will be patient and give it a careful read - I appreciate your feedback.

Most of what you have asked would be covered in Shauna Kelly's article, but here is a brief version:

"Number position" is the position of the numbered item. "Text indent" determines where the second and subsequent text lines start. "Add tab stop" defines the location for the text following the number (on the first line). Note that all measurements are from the left margin of the page.

If you want a hanging indent for your list, "Text indent" and "Add tab stop at" should be identical.

The indentation in the Adjust List Indents dialog box (or the Multilevel List dialog box in the case of multilevel lists) should always be used as these override the corresponding settings in the Paragraph dialog box.

Attached Images

adjustListIndents.PNG (6.0 KB, 18 views)

__________________
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional