Office 2021: Heading 6 style has continuity sequence issue,

[Jamal NUMAN]

Office 2021: Heading 6 style has continuity sequence issue,



In the screenshot provided (with the attached docx file), the Heading 6 style is not following the expected sequence. It should begin with 1.2.2(b) rather than 1.2.1(b).

What might be causing this problem?

[Charles Kenyon]

Select a paragraph formatted in your Heading 1 style. Bring up the Define New MultiLevel List dialog and change the definition for Heading 6 so that it reflects the numbers in Heading 5.


Multilevel numbering in Word is easy to mess up. It always has been.

Automatic Paragraph Numbering all starts with the Define New List Style Dialog.

You use that to create and name a list style, within that dialog, when you format numbering you go to the Define New MultiLevel List Dialog. The key is to assign a separate existing paragraph style to each level of numbering. The styles can be built-in styles- or custom styles.

If you use automatic paragraph numbering or bullets read Shauna Kelly's directions on numbering and bullets. Start with How to create numbered headings or outline numbering and her parallel page How to control bullets. For large documents you must follow these directions or you will lose your hair!
(Mac version: Outline Numbering in Word for macOS - Best Practices - Brandwares).

For styles attached this way, you also control the left indents through the Define New MultiLevel List dialog not the Ruler or the Modify Style dialog.

Again, you first want the paragraph styles existing in your document without numbering.

These can be built-in styles or custom styles or a mix of the two. You can, if you want, modify their formatting later. Then you go to the Define New List Style (Not Define New MultiLevel List! You will get to that dialog in the process, though.) Shauna Kelly's page uses the built-in heading styles. This can be convenient but the process works with any existing paragraph styles including your custom styles.

This may seem a bit convoluted at first, but it really is not. Just follow the steps. Shauna Kelly's instructions use the built-in heading styles, but you can use any existing paragraph styles including your custom styles. There are, however advantages to using the built-in heading styles when you create a Table of Contents. Here are some more advantages: Why Use Word's Built-In Heading Styles? by Shauna Kelly Note, you can modify these built-in styles to look exactly the way you want.

Even if what you want is a single-level list, you want to do this if you want the most control over your list.

Videos on this
https://youtu.be/niD6VXPvAyU?t=487
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EICWOeIhsR4

The basic idea is that the numbering is set using the Define MultiLevel List dialog with each numbering level being attached to an existing paragraph style. Once you have this set up, you should not use the buttons for numbering in the Ribbon but rather apply the appropriate style for that level.

You can save a document with this as a template for future documents if you want so you will not need to do this every time. However, once you’ve done this a few times it becomes second nature and not that difficult.

If you are feeling adventurous, you could try this vba code:
Multi-Level List on the Fly - vba code by Greg Maxey

[Jamal NUMAN]

I couldn’t figure out where the issue is and how to fix it. It persists to exist as per the screenshots below. Heading 6 is not consistent with Heading 5

The docx file is attached

[Charles Kenyon]

1) Screenshots do not help. It is like trying to diagnose an engine problem with a picture of a car, or even of the engine. Also, your screenshots are too big for me to be able to read your posts, they scroll off the screen. How to attach a screenshot in this forum.
2) Attach a Sample File Demonstrating the Problem - Here's How

[Jamal NUMAN]

With the screenshots, i just tried to show that Heading 6 is not correctly consistent with Heading 5. That's all


I couldn't fix the issue

[Italophile]

Originally Posted by Charles Kenyon

2) Attach a Sample File Demonstrating the Problem - Here's How

Charles, they already done that.

[Jamal NUMAN]

Originally Posted by Italophile

Charles, they already done that.

Right. The file that has in issue with the Heading 6 is attached

[Guessed]

For some reason, you have labelled the third level in the numbering as "do not use", then you applied the number from this level in the third position on the Heading 6 list numbering. If you wanted to skip an outline position number then you shouldn't make use of it three levels later.

[Italophile]

Originally Posted by Guessed

For some reason, you have labelled the third level in the numbering as "do not use", then you applied the number from this level in the third position on the Heading 6 list numbering. If you wanted to skip an outline position number then you shouldn't make use of it three levels later.

Also, you need to follow the instructions that Charles Kenyon provided you with links to on Shauna Kelly's site. The option you need is Define New List Style, as clearly stated in Charles's post, not Define New MultiLevel List

[Jamal NUMAN]

I couldn’t figure out how to fix the 4th heading. It is supposed to be with 4 numbers, however, currently it has only three.

How this could be fixed?

The docx file is attached

[Italophile]

You have already been given links to instructions to correctly setup multi-level numbering, so why haven't you followed those instructions?

Originally Posted by Charles Kenyon

If you use automatic paragraph numbering or bullets read Shauna Kelly's directions on numbering and bullets. Start with How to create numbered headings or outline numbering

[Jamal NUMAN]

The resources are generic and don’t respond to the specific issue I have here

[Stefan Blom]

For level 4, you have to add the numbering from levels 1, 2 and 3 using the "Include level number from" drop down.

[Jamal NUMAN]

The only way I got is to fix level 4 list is to select one of the multilevel lists from the library.

[Italophile]

Originally Posted by Jamal NUMAN

The resources are generic and don’t respond to the specific issue I have here

The resources are specific to creating stable numbering. They are only generic in the sense that numbering schemes vary.

If you keep repeating the same mistake you cannot expect a different outcome.