WD97: Lists in Word Cause Numbering Problems When Saved As RTF

ID: Q182336

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK)

SYMPTOMS

When you save a document in Rich Text Format (RTF) in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows to generate Help (.hlp) files with the Microsoft Help Compiler, unwanted line numbering may precede paragraphs in the help source file. The document does not show these line numbers in Word 97.

CAUSE

This problem occurs in Word when you choose to continue a previous list, but there are non-list paragraphs between the two lists. The list can be either a bulleted or a numbered list.

Word places RTF codes after the first list which indicates that line numbering should continue silently, as in the example below:


   {\*\pn \pnlvlcont\ilvl0\ls0\pnrnot0\pndec }

The codes in the example above specify the following:


   \*\pn = line numbering

   \pnlvlcont = continue line numbering but silently (don't display on
   screen)

   \ls0 = the list id that should be continued

   \pndec = the list is decimal (1,2,3)

However, these codes are unnecessary. Word relies on the list id (/ls#) to determine whether a list should continue a previous list. When you take those codes out of the RTF file, Word still renders the file correctly. Hence, the additional RTF codes cause the Help compiler to place line numbers on every paragraph between the two lists.

WORKAROUND

The Help compiler does not allow you to continue a previous automatically numbered list. To generate this effect, turn off automatic numbering. To turn off Automatic numbering, follow these steps:

On the Format menu, click AutoFormat, and click Options in the AutoFormat dialog box.

Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab, and click to clear the Automatic Numbered Lists check box.

Click OK twice.

You then have to type in the numbers for the list manually. Note that this is only necessary if you have two separate lists, and the second list needs to continue numbering where the first list stopped.

NOTE: Because bulleted lists do not provide the option to continue a previous list, this situation is more rare. When it occurs it is more difficult to solve, because you can not turn off the "continue previous list" option for bullets.

MORE INFORMATION

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http://www.microsoft.com/mcsp/

For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

The following Word 97 code fixes any RTF document where bulleted lists are causing the problem. The code cycles through each paragraph. If the current paragraph is in a list, it copies the formatting of the list. It then removes the list attribute and reapplies it. By default, these actions remove any continuation of previous lists. Note that this will cause separate numbered lists that were previously continuous to begin renumbering after each break. However, since the Help files can not render this type of list, that problem will need to be dealt with separately anyway by manually typing in the list numbers.


   Sub BulletFix()
   '
   ' BulletFix Macro
   '
   Dim par As Object

   ' Cycle through all paragraphs in document
      For Each par In ActiveDocument.Paragraphs
         ' Select paragraph
         par.Range.Select
         ' Save its ListTemplate (its formatting)
         Dim lt As ListTemplate
         Set lt = Selection.Range.ListFormat.ListTemplate
         If TypeName(lt) <> "Nothing" Then
            Dim FirstLine As Double
            Dim LeftIndent As Double
            FirstLine = Selection.ParagraphFormat.FirstLineIndent
            LeftIndent = Selection.ParagraphFormat.LeftIndent

            ' Remove Bullets/Numbers
            Selection.Range.ListFormat.RemoveNumbers _
               NumberType:=wdNumberParagraph
            ' Restore the list format
            Selection.Range.ListFormat.ApplyListTemplate _
            ListTemplate:=lt, ApplyTo:=wdListApplyToWholeList

            ' Restore Indentation Settings
            Selection.ParagraphFormat.FirstLineIndent = FirstLine
            Selection.ParagraphFormat.LeftIndent = LeftIndent
         End If
      Next
   ' Go back to the beginning of the document
   Selection.HomeKey Unit:=wdStory
   End Sub

Deleting the problematic RTF codes should be the last option. In this case, keep a backup copy of the RTF file (in case the wrong codes are deleted). The file could become corrupt and unreadable by Word.

For more information about the Listformat Property, while in the Visual Basic for Applications Editor, click the Office Assistant, type "Listformat," click Search, and then click to view "Listformat Property."

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If the Assistant is not able to answer your query, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q120802 OFFICE: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program of Component

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q173707 OFF97: How to Run Sample Code from Knowledge Base Articles

This problem also occurs with bulleted lists when numbered lists are converted to bulleted lists.

Although there is no continuation option for bulleted lists, a bulleted list can inherit this behavior from a numbered list. If you look at the RTF code, the same problem RTF codes immediately follow the bulleted list, although they specify "\pndec" (referring to a numbered list.)

REFERENCES

Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification

For additional information about the Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q86999 WD: Rich Text Format (RTF) Specification 1.5 (GC0165)

Q188889 FILE: RtfFix.exe Corrects Line Numbering in HLP Files

Additional query words: access devtools developer Help Workshop RTF Numbers Paragraph Acc97

Keywords : kbdta kbconversion word97 kbnumbering
Version : WINDOWS:97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb