Pasting With Original Numbers From List

[BarnabyS]

Hi all,

Many thanks for your attention to my last query, I think what I have learned is that to get what you want you need to start from scratch and learn it!



However, when I read other peoples posts about the following I thought that once I had started from scratch I would be able to predict what would happen when I tried... but it hasn't!

I am writing a reasonably sized report, maybe 50 pages, I have formatted it as a multilayer list so that apart from the 'normal text' it can be referenced by heading and sub heading in the format 1, 1.1., 1.1.1, 1.1.1.

Because the report is so long, at the beginning there is a summary and I want to cut and past a certain level of paragraphs, in the format x.x.x.x under an earlier sub heading than they appear in the report.

I had hoped to use the right click on the style heading to select all, copy and paste back in to the earlier part of the document, accepting that I would have to use text only, to preserve the numbering and then have to reformat for colour and tabs etc.

This is not working as if I use text only the points renumber themselves from 1.1.1.1.

Any clues good people?

Many thanks for reading.

Kind Regards, Barney.

[macropod]

You could bookmark the ones you want to replicate, then insert cross-references to them. That way, if you re-word an item, Word can take care of the edits via Ctrl-A, F9 to update the cross-references.

[BarnabyS]

Hi Macropod,

Thanks for giving this some thought, I have looked into your suggestion, on face value, as I see it (correct me if I am wrong) I seem to have these issues:

1. I have set up each type of comment (Safety, Maintenance, Observation) as a heading style with the number format that I want. The number and location of these changes from document to document so I cannot 'batch bookmark' them by right clicking on style and selecting.

2. I can create a book mark by selecting each comment from each category and referencing them in the summary, this certainly gives the auto update facility but is almost as laborious as individually cutting and pasting.

3. When inserting referenced bookmark the numbering format is updated to match the new sub heading that they are under, I need to keep the heading numbers from elsewhere in the document so that they can be cross referenced .

I hope I am being clear, if I am offering too much or too little information do please let me know.

BR Barney.

[macropod]

If you use Word's Heading Styles, and you want to cross-reference just those headings, all you need do is insert a cross-reference to the heading - no bookmarking is required. Provided you don't insert the cross-reference into a heading Style paragraph, it has no effect on numbering elsewhere in the document.

[BarnabyS]

OK, Thanks, understood and I have now tried just cross referencing.

However, does this not mean that for each item in the summary (For each individual report) I need to select as a cross reference, insert heading number, then insert text, then put space between the two and change text colour?

Once again, seems laborious? Just a right click on style button, select all, copy and paste does everything except keep the original numbers........

All the best, Barney

[BarnabyS]

Right, I am beginning to think that I have wasted an awful lot of time learning lists to have found out at the end of the day that it has been absolutely pointless, I wonder if anyone can help?

As I said I am trying to do a big paste of numbered sub headings (up to 40) from a document whilst retaining given numbering for reference within the document.

I have tried the following with these results:

1. Copy and paste single item, paste as plain text (Keep text only)- Success, albeit I then have to re-colour code.
2. Copy all relevant items by right clicking on appropriate style in ribbon and choosing select all, right click, copy and paste as plain text.-Failure, last item is correct but the rest renumber from 1.1.1.1.
3. Copy multiple items using ctrl button- Failure, last item is correct but the rest renumber from 1.1.1.1.
4. Use Macro from here: https://www.thedoctools.com/word-mac...-when-pasting/ -Results the same as 2,3 above.
5. Reference as bookmarks- If inserted as paragraph text then numbering is started from new sub section paragraph number. If pasted as Paragraph number and then paragraph text the orginal number is inserted but it is preceeded by new sequential number.
6. Reference as numbered heading- This does work but it is a two stage operation, finding and inserting first the paragraph number, then the text, then editing spacing and colour.

So, number 6 is only real working solution and it is much worse than the aggregate copy and paste with the Ctrl button that I used to do when I was doing all the indexing and referencing myself.

Three days in..... can anyone help me out of my despair?!?!?

Thanks for reading!

Barney.

[Charles Kenyon]

What you want is not a part of the Word program.


You are asking for numbering to be automatic except when you want it to not be automatic, but you want it to change to reflect changes. Word cannot handle this.


I had a program on the Mac a long time ago called "More" that would allow cloning, which seems to be what you want. The closest thing in Word is mapped content controls which is nothing like cross-references in structure. I do not know that these would preserve numbering either.

[Charles Kenyon]

You could use SEQ fields, lock the fields, and copy paste, possibly with hyperlinks and bookmarks. This would be an awful mess to edit, though.

[BarnabyS]

Hi Charles,

Thanks for looking at this for me. I am guessing that it may not be possible as you suggest and the frustrating thing for me is that any further than simple macros I am stumped, I am not a programmer.

However, can I just confirm with you the fact that I do not want the pasted material to update with the rest of the document, I would be very happy with being able to paste the numbers and text as plain text and never have it interact again, I just need to to reflect its original number.

Thanks again, all the best, Barney

[macropod]

Originally Posted by BarnabyS

OK, Thanks, understood and I have now tried just cross referencing.

However, does this not mean that for each item in the summary (For each individual report) I need to select as a cross reference, insert heading number, then insert text, then put space between the two and change text colour?

Inserting a cross-reference the way I suggested preserves the font colours etc. from the original, though you may need to re-apply formatting that applies to the entire heading. That said, most times you'd reference such content it's not normal to apply the exact same format. The get both the heading # and the heading text, insert cross-references to both, with whatever separator you want between them (it doesn't have to be the same as the original unless you want it that way. For example, the original may have a tab separator but, for an inline cross-reference, you may want to use a non-breaking space).

[BarnabyS]

Hi Macropod, Thanks for sticking with it.

I think, if I am understanding you correctly, for each reference that I want to put in I would need to open the cross reference menu and make 2 insertions, paragraph number and text which I identify from the small listing of paragraph headings (Something over 150).

At this time when I do this I do not get the same colour and spacing but I am sure I could look at with your advice above.

However, the real bug bear is the time it takes, with a single right click I can get any given set of headings and text copied to the clipboard and all I want to do is place that somewhere else in the document with the numbers that they have been given.

I understand that this will be plain text and not 'intelligent but that is fine. Howevr, I am not sure it can be done.

Just in case I am misunderstanding you, is there an easy you tube link that you might have to hand that may show me the way?

All the best as always, Barney.

[macropod]

Maybe you should consider using a Table of Contents for this? If you don't want all headings and the ones you do want:
• employ a heading Style that's not used for other things, just specify that Style;
• are found only in one part of the document, bookmark just that range and specify that bookmark; or
are scattered throughout the document at different Heading levels, apply TC fields to the ones you want to reference and specify that,
the Table of Contents field code. Anything that requires you to manually insert 150 such references is going to be laborious; a macro really isn't going to make that any easier when, as you say:

number and location of these changes from document to document

[Charles Kenyon]

Originally Posted by BarnabyS

Hi Charles,

***

However, can I just confirm with you the fact that I do not want the pasted material to update with the rest of the document, I would be very happy with being able to paste the numbers and text as plain text and never have it interact again, I just need to to reflect its original number.

Thanks again, all the best, Barney

You can do this, not retaining any formatting, using the paste option for plain text. It will keep the original numbers.


It will not be a hyperlink to the original. It will not update.

[BarnabyS]

Originally Posted by Charles Kenyon

You can do this, not retaining any formatting, using the paste option for plain text. It will keep the original numbers.


It will not be a hyperlink to the original. It will not update.

Hello Charles, this is not the case if you copy and paste one at a time, if you right click the appropriate style, select all and paste or use the Ctrl button to selectively highlight and then copy and paste the numbers re format, even when using paste text only.

Cheers, Barney

[BarnabyS]

Originally Posted by macropod

Maybe you should consider using a Table of Contents for this? If you don't want all headings and the ones you do want:
• employ a heading Style that's not used for other things, just specify that Style;
• are found only in one part of the document, bookmark just that range and specify that bookmark; or
are scattered throughout the document at different Heading levels, apply TC fields to the ones you want to reference and specify that,
the Table of Contents field code. Anything that requires you to manually insert 150 such references is going to be laborious; a macro really isn't going to make that any easier when, as you say:

BOOM!!!

Table of contents!!!

Yep, a little bit of fiddling to exclude unwanted headers, format text and indents and we are in!!!

Thanks so much for leading me to this, days of work are now fruitful not a waste!!

All the very best, A very Happy Barney!!!!