WD97: Numbered List Restarts at One After Saving to HTML

ID: Q165473

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

When you save a document in HTML format from Word 97, if you have the document formatted so that a bulleted or numbered list is located inside another numbered list, the outer numbered list is broken into two numbered lists, and the second part of the list is renumbered to start at 1.

CAUSE

This occurs due to the limitations of converting to HTML.

In Word, items in the same list are placed non-contiguous in the document. In HTML, each list is an individual entity that starts with the <OL> tag and ends with the </OL> tag.

This is an example of a common numbered list:


   1. primary list item
   2. primary list item
   3. primary list item
        1. embedded list item
        2. embedded list item
   4. primary list item
   5. primary list item

When saved in HTML format, the following HTML tags are applied:


   <HTML>
   <HEAD>
   </HEAD>
   <BODY>

   <OL>
   <LI>  primary list item
   <LI>  primary list item
   <LI>  primary list item</OL>

   <OL>
   <LI>  embedded list item
   <LI>  embedded list item</OL>

   <OL>
   <LI>  primary list item
   <LI>  primary list item</OL>

This returns the following:


   1. primary list item
      2. primary list item
      3. primary list item
           1. embedded list item
           2. embedded list item
      1. primary list item        <-- This item is now numbered
                                      incorrectly.
      2. primary list item

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods.

Method 1: Create Two Separate Numbered Lists

Use the following steps to manually reformat the list:

Open the original Word 97 document.

Select the lines of text you want numbered in the second part of the original list.

On the Format menu, click Bullets And Numbering.

Click Customize.

In the Customize Numbered List dialog box, click Start At, and select the number you want to use to start the numbering sequence.

You now have two separate numbered lists. When you save this document in HTML format, Word 97 converts the list with the proper HTML code, which adds the <OL START=X> tag (where X is the number with which you start the second list).

Method 2: Use Multi-Level\Outline Numbering Instead of a List

To create a simple outline using outline numbering, follow these steps:

In a new, blank document, type the following and press RETURN:

My Outline

On the new line, type:

Level 1

On the Format menu, click Bullets And Numbering.

Click the Outline Numbered tab.

Click the second sample from the left on the top row. Click OK.

Number 1) should appear to the left of Level 1.

Press RETURN.

Number 2) should appear on the new line. Pressing TAB and SHIFT+TAB before you type any text increases or decreases the indentation for this new line and updates its numbering appropriately.

After you have typed some text on the line, you can still promote or demote that line by using the Increase and Decrease Indent buttons on the formatting toolbar. These entries can be more than one line in length. As you type, the lines automatically wrap, using a hanging indent.

Another method of making changes to a numbered list is to press and hold the CONTROL key while you click an entry. This presents you with several options.

As you continue typing text in these entries, you continue to get new lines with the appropriate numbering each time you press RETURN. However, if you press RETURN twice without typing anything, the automatic numbering stops. It can be restarted by clicking the Numbering button on the Formatting toolbar. You can also use the Numbering button to remove or add numbering for any entry. To do this, move the insertion point to the appropriate line, and click the Numbering button to toggle numbering on and off.

Place the insertion point in the entry where you want the numbering sequence to be restarted.

On the Format menu, click Bullets And Numbering.

Click the Outline Numbered tab.

Click Restart Numbering.

Method 3: Modify the HTML Document

Manually reformat the incorrect list in the HTML document to start at the correct number, by following these steps:

Position the insertion point at the start of the text for the incorrectly numbered paragraph.

The insertion point will be immediately to the right of the number and the tab that follows it.

Press the BACKSPACE key on the keyboard to delete the numbering for the paragraph.

Type the correct number, followed by a space.

The autoformatter applies the new numbering scheme to the paragraph, and the list is internally connected to the first half of the list.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

This problem has been corrected in Word 2000.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbusage kbnumbering
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug