Greetings,



I'm a new user to the group and hoping someone can help me with a specific task I'm trying to accomplish in using Styles in Word 2010.

Part of my job function is to write technical manuals for automated machinery (it's a little more fun than it sounds!) and it is common in this business for things to "develop" over a period of time, which in turn changes how my manual is laid out.

One of the largest issues I have is when I add screenshots to a manual and then a new screenshot gets inserted, I have to manually go through the document and renumber all the list of figures I've previously put in.

What I'm looking to do is create a Style that will automatically number itself if I add or remove a screenshot so that I don't have to manually go through and do it all, which is not only time consuming and tedious, it can lead to erroneous references.

I've attached an example of what I am trying to achieve. In Example 1, you will see a screenshot listed Main Screen with a reference of Figure 6.1. Below that is the Alarm Screen, listed as Figure 6.2.

In Example 2, the Run Screen has been added and it is now Figure 6.2 and the Alarm Screen has been moved up to Figure 6.3. This would not be a big deal if the document contained a dozen screens or less, or was at the end of the document but most of the manuals I write have over 20 screens so having something more automated would be a big help.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has either done this before or has some suggestions of how to tackle it. It would be a bonus if the text in the description above the screens could be automated as well because that just involves the same thing, manual reformatting... not fun.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Attached Files

Figure Styles Example.docx (33.9 KB, 7 views)

Select the screenshot (click on it)
References > Insert Caption
Choose above or below and what label you want to use.
These will be formatted in the Caption Paragraph Style.
Complex Documents
Initially, you'll have a bit of work but these use the SEQuence Field and allow you to create a Table of Figures, Table of Tables, etc.

Hi Charles,

Thanks for your tip, I have it working, for the most part. I'll need to tinker with it just a bit but overall, it appears that it works as you had noted.

Interesting occupation you've got! I can see how that line of work would require a good bit of writing documents. I write technical manuals at my workplace and also historical and genealogical reports for a hobby and am realizing the powerful tools that Word has when creating complex documents.

I'll hang on to the other link you sent me, looks like some good stuff there, too!

Hi Charles,

Thanks for your tip, I have it working, for the most part. I'll need to tinker with it just a bit but overall, it appears that it works as you had noted.

Interesting occupation you've got! I can see how that line of work would require a good bit of writing documents. I write technical manuals at my workplace and also historical and genealogical reports for a hobby and am realizing the powerful tools that Word has when creating complex documents.

I have another small issue that runs along with what you suggested. When I go through tis process, the autonumbering scheme is creating it to look like "Figure 0.1" as I evidently don't have any chapters in my document. The document itself is stand-alone but will be implemented with other documents later on, so it technically has a chapter number, just not with a whole set of other chapters. Confused?

Do you know of a way I can default the autonumbering to read something like "Figure 6.x" and have the "x" increment as I ad or insert new iamges?

I suspect that what you want is chapter numbering.

How to number headings and figures in Appendixes in Microsoft Word by Shauna Kelly
Insert a Caption - Complex Documents

Attached Images

00 deleteme 1.png (46.4 KB, 20 views)