Upon further investigation, if I go back five versions (50 examples, 1 month) on my paper, it works normally there, but the problem just started happening today… The other 4 older versions have the problem. This is bizarre.
Restart/Continue Numbering flag cannot be stored in a style definition. It can only be applied manually. By chance, did you copy and paste a block of text containing a restarted example (the flag is also copied)?
No. As I described, “Whenever I apply the Ex. style to a page it always restarts at (1) and there is no way to make it continue the numbering.”
A comment on Update (1):
I thought the normal behaviour is to NOT continue numbering between different list styles.
A list item is formatted by a paragraph style associated with a so-called list style (in fact a sequence number definition). Several paragraph styles may be associated with the same list style, in which case they belong to the same sequence even though they look different because of different paragraph styles.
Exactly. So it is weird when the numbering continues BECAUSE the list style changes.
UPDATE: I think the quick solution is to just apply a different style to the buggy paragraph, then turn of numbering for that paragraph, then re-apply the desired style (which uses numbering). If you have problems all over you document then you can do the steps below.
Furthermore, the cause of the problem seems to be that I regularly have different paragraph styles between each numbered Ex. paragraph, and these other paragraphs were somehow getting invisible numbering applied to them (numbering was turned on but there wasn’t actually a number showing at the beginning of the line). I use a macro to create these examples, and I guess it was causing this weird invisible numbering and throwing things off. I can’t actually replicate the buggy behaviour by manually inserting a numbered paragraph and deleting the numbering. I do wonder though why Writer allows you to delete the number but the paragraph is still considered numbered. Seems like that is asking for trouble.
ORIGINAL POST:
I managed to fix the problem.
- Convert all the numbered examples in the document from Ex. to an unused style, with Search and Replace.
- Some random examples still had numbering on them, including the last example I had tried to insert, so with all the examples selected I just right-clicked on one and went to Bullets and Numbering > Numbering Off. Ctrl+Shift+F12 apparently.
- I then reapplied the Ex. style to all the examples. I then had to go to the beginning of each chapter and restart numbering for the first example of each chapter. There was one chapter, in the middle, where the first two examples seemed to be in their own world and it took some wrestling to get them back in line with the rest of the document.
Somehow that solved the problem. Now when I insert new examples they continue numbering like they are supposed to!
That had me scared and I am still a bit worried. One thing about MS Word that I hate, from experience, is constant wrestling with buggy numbered paragraphs that change when you aren’t looking and have bizarre glitches that ripple from one numbered set to another. I have been glad to never have to deal with that in LibreOffice, but now I am worried that it may keep cropping up in this document.
Formatting lists is probably the most daunting task in Writer and it is easy to get it wrong (I’m talking with a long experience). It is of utmost importance to be consistent: either you number with toolbar buttons (allowing to add numbers to any paragraph style), or exclusively with specifically crafted paragraph styles.
From your fixing procedure, I fear you had (unintentionally) a mixed strategy. This is very difficult to detect.
I have only been using paragraph styles, and everything has been going fine on the document for the past 2 years. (Almost 600 numbered examples.) I think some rare bug must have occurred.
Comment on your UPDATE: macros allow you to fiddle directly with the internal representation of the document. If you don’t understand thoroughly the ODF structure, you can easily mess up the XML in very subtle ways and put it in off-specification state though still usable (apparently).
I’m experiencing the same annoying bug, which has yet to be fixed. My solution is simply to remove the bullet points in text separating my new title from the preceding one. The title numbering then proceeds normally, after which I restore the bullet points. It’s a bore though!
@oliverjames1: please describe what you do with more details. Remember you must never mix chapter numbering with bullet. They are both some form of numbering and a paragraph can have only one. Trying to add a bullet to an already numbered heading is doomed to fail. However this can be done by configuring Tools>Chapter Numbering. If this is what you need, explain.
The issue under discussion seem to relate to text with numbered headings, that also contains bullet points.
Have used bullet points one cannot insert a numbered heading with sequential numbering. To do that I temporarily remove the bullet points from the text so as to have the correct heading number.
Another solution is to remake the heading styles but that requires more work.
To have both bullet and chapter numbering, insert the bullet as the Before Separator (or After if you want the bullet between number and heading) in the desired level configuration in Tools>Chapter Numbering. No need to modify the Heading n styles.
But for your own sanity and Writer reliability, never never NEVER add a bullet with the toolbar button to an already numbered paragraph. Bullets and numbers conflicts because they are based on the same internal implementation. In addition, you probably mix paragraph style and direct formatting which adds another degree of conflict. And finally, if you also saved as .doc(x) instead of native .odt, you’re guaranteed to end up in a complete mess because M$ Word and LO Writer completely diverge about the feature.
All,
I also noticed the “Continue Previous Numbering” option no longer exists under the “LISTS” and must for proper operations of lists. Some body in the programming overlooked this important option in this version!
This is not a solution to initial question and should have been posted as a comment.
I assume you create your lists with Format>Bullets & Numbering or a toolbar button. This is the context where the issue occurs because Format>Bullets & Numbering is a quick’n’dirty compatibility feature for creating lists in a Word-like way. The feature is a one-size-fits-all one, i.e. full of compromises and approximations.
This creates two problems:
- instantiation of “logical” lists
A “logical” list is an abstract definition for bullet/numbered paragraphs covering the same significance. Since the command or button creates lists as direct formatting, you can’t tell the item belongs in such or such “logical” list. Writer then follows a heuristics where all contiguous items are supposed to be member of a single-occurrence logical list. Another block is another logical list. - extension of a list occurrence
Once again, due to direct formatting, Writer can’t understand if intermediate paragraphs between numbered items are “explanations” or “comments” on the item. When you revert to a numbered item, the previous heuristics prevail and you start a new list.
The solution is to use list style. A list style is clearly a marker for a logical list. Then, as long, as numbering is not reset, numbering will continue in sequence, even if you have paragraphs in between (with same or different paragraph styles).
You have more controls with list styles but the concept is not as immediate as pressing a toolbar button.
That said, “Continue numbering” label has been changed to Add to List. I don’t know who fancied that; it is much more obscure than “Continue Numbering”.
Unable to continue the list as the option is no longer in the “right click” menu where it used to be!
I found I can work around this by deleting the list & reinstalling it, but removing the “Continue list” option from the “right click” menu list was a total NO NO!
TBNK
@TBotNik Have you read my last remark? The option is still there (both in the Format menu and the contextual right-click menu) albeit as the obscure name Add to List. In the contextual menu, you must follow down to second-level List menu.
Tested with 24.8.4.2 (you didn’t mention your LO version).
You obviously have absolutely no concept of the problem!
the scenario is you have an <ol> ordered list, then you have to enter a nested sublist <sl> Simple list. Then you finish the sub list and your next item in the <ol> ordered list must continue. The “ADD TO LIST” is not correctly labeled as it is “Continue Current List”; not at all “Continue Previous List” nor “Add to List”, which the “Continue Current List” did, before this was removed, which allowed you your next entry in the previous <ol> Ordered list.
Now I write books & contracts, & Libre Office has so many guffhaws that out of an 8 hour day, I spend 3+ hours screwing with the formatting issues & this is one of the most serious formatting errors. This is not an issue in MS WORD, so why are the LO programmers so ignorant?
Additionally, this totally violates the 2 unbreakable cardinal laws of IT & Life; which is obvious none of the under 40 programmers know as they constantly & forever violate them which are:
- Never ever assume anything,
- Never ever be ambiguous.
This issue is an obvious violation of rule #1.
Hope you now fully understand the issue!
There is a workaround, which is:
- Start and work your <ol> Ordered List & do not embrace the temptation to start a nested list,
- Add one or more ordered list items, after your current entries, before starting a nested list,
- Go back to where you need to add a nested list, insert a 1 row, 1 column table, making sure it is a, “Align from left” table & sized according to the current paragraph intentions,
- In the table start the <sl> simple list & input all the simple list items.
- When the simple list is finished, exit the table & return to the previously entered (can be blank item lines) & continue the <ol> Ordered list.
Now you see why loosing this one majorly needed function of "Continue Previous List is so necessary & time consuming without it! Remember without these full function Features LO is a second rate word processor & can never take leading role in the Word Processing effort!
Cheers!
TBNK
There is absolutely no problem with nested lists in Writer. Writer manages correctly “nested lists” and “intermixed lists” but you must understand what list styles are and how different they are from Format>Bullet & Numbering (or button toolbars) which are equivalent to the (badly designed) Word feature.
You’re right, I have no idea of the problem (probably because of the now described issue with “nested” lists. Best is to attach a small example file exhibiting the problem. The solution is probably in correct structuring of the document.
PS: why have you interspersed HTML tags like <ol> in your post? This creates a faulty HTML encoding for your comment and make it unreadable.
I include the HTML tags because anyone, at the senior level, doing WP also does HTML and you can always do nesting effortlessly in HTML!
Understand I wrote the 1st 3 books for the internet & was also SE Region Print Support for IBM, so I have been in WordProcessing since 1985. I started with PC WP in 1985 with WORDSCRIPT, then migrated to WORDPRESS, 1987-1988, then MS Word in 1988, & While at General Dynamics 1985-1992, wrote the IBM GML to SGML translator!