Change numbering level automatically when switching paragraph styles

[gtessa]

Here are my requirements for a document model I’ve been trying to create:

• 4 numbered heading styles, each using a different configuration in terms of (bold,underline etc.), like this:

1.HEADING LEVEL 1

1.1. HEADING LEVEL 2

1.1.1. HEADING LEVEL 3

1.1.1.1. HEADING LEVEL 4

• 4 paragraph styles, 3 of them numbered following the same numbering scheme as above, and 1 not numbered.

1.1. This is a paragraph level 2…

1.1.1 This is a paragraph level 3…

1.1.1.1 This is a paragraph level 4…

This is a paragraph without number

I managed to create that model, by creating a numbering style that fulfilled my needs and associating it to every new numbered heading style and paragraph level style created, and it is working like a charm, except for the fact that when I switch the style for a paragraph (or heading), the numbering doesn’t automatically reflects the new level. For instance, if I have a level 2 paragraph

1.1 This is a paragraph…

and I need to convert this to level 3 paragraph, after I select level 3 paragraph style the style box, all the formatting is applied, but the numbering level continues level 2 (in the example above, “1.1”). Every time I need to go there and hit TAB to correct the numbering level, and this very much annoying and error prone.

Is there any way to configure this to change numbering level automatically? Maybe I got the wrong idea about numbering style, I don’t now…

For the record, I did select the correct levels in outline and numbering tab, while creating the heading and paragraph styles, but that don’t seem to affect the numbering.

[oweng]

Is there any way to configure this to change numbering level automatically? Maybe I got the wrong idea about numbering style, I don’t now…

In simple terms you do have the “wrong idea” about outline numbering, as it requires every level to have a leading identifier. From your examples it sounds like you are somehow expecting a paragraph that has no leading identifier (i.e., outline level number) to act as a reset for subsequent lower-level paragraphs. This will not happen. For example, it appears you are expecting this to occur:

1. Heading 1

Body Text

1.1. Body Text level 2

Body Text

1.2. Body Text level 2

…and instead this is likely happening:

1. Heading 1

Body Text

1.1. Body Text level 2

Body Text

1.1. Body Text level 2

To clarify, outline numbering is essentially level-based and resets each time a higher level is encountered. No leading identifier = no outline numbering. If you had a level 1 paragraph style with a leading identifier, then you would be fine. In this case you could achieve what you require by assigning (Tools > Outline Numbering…) the 4 heading styles and 4 paragraph styles to the first eight levels of outline numbering.