The "Continue numbering" function is not appearing

English
#1

When I create a numbered list, and I select the items to include, and I click on the list name to apply, I am not seeing the function, “Continue numbering” when I put my cursor into the list > Right Click > List > and a menu opens up with options: one is to restart the number, which I use a lot. But sometimes I want to continue with the previous numbering sequence. That option used to be there in this menu, but now it doesn’t appear?

I took a picture and uploaded to my computer, but I don’t see a way to download it here. Here’s the link to the document from my Google Drive folder: Job Hazard Analysis 11-10-22.odt - Google Drive

I’m having some other issues with the list app in Writer. On some of the list it bolds the numbers when I haven’t set this up. Sometimes in a sub doc it doesn’t bold the numbers, but when I upload it to my Master Doc, the number get bolded. This is really driving me batty. I have tried many things to undo this but to no avail.

Another issue is when I demote an item in a list like from Level 1 to Level 2. If it’s small case letters, they will start off with (q), (p), instead of (a), (b), etc. When I click on the “Restart Numbering” app next to the Level 2 letters, the letters in the Level 2 item restart, but so does the following list of numbered items. And I have to undo the whole list and try again. I have worked around this by setting Level 2 to a bullet, instead of a sequence item. But this is not what I want.

I will really, really appreciate any help. I am revamping and updating a 300 + page Safety Manual for my employer, and I have to get this right.

Thanks so much.

Moshe.

#3

Hi @MosheAriel, you did not write that your text most likely is derived from a DOC/DOCX file. That can cause lots of problems. Have a look on page styles or list styles - I can find loads of converted ones. This is a first glimpse and this means that your problems are difficult to solve…
Probably @ajlittoz can give you a helping hand. - Cheers

#4

Renumbering a .doc(x) document is necessary. Don’t trust the imported numbering because the concepts are too divergent between Word and Writer.

I can’t tell from the screenshot if your items (like 1.I, 1.II, II.a) belong in a list or headings. I’d go for chapter headings and assign them Heading n paragraph styles with numbering tuned by Tools>Chapter Numbering, but I think I already suggested this. A precaution is to remove any inherited formatting before restyling: remove any eventual manual (list) numbering, clear direct formatting.

The issue with list item numbering is probably related to some inconsiderate use of the list toolbar button (a form of direct formatting). The problem with the generic Format>Bullet & Numbering (connected to the toolbar button(s)) is the same as with any direct formatting: you don’t know for sure if two consecutive “objects” in the DF range pertain to the same semantic construct.

Anyway, without a look at a (short, please) sample document, I can’t assess the cause.

PS: attaching an image is done the same way as uploading a document. Use the Upload tool, the “outbox” icon with an up-arrow.

#7

Hi @ajlittoz, yes importing from Word is a big problem, and I don’t know how to delete all of those imported styles at once. Is there a place on my computer where they are all stored, and I can check the boxes next to each unwanted style and delete them wholesale this way?

I don’t use the direct formatting function ever, so this is not an issue. I try to start with a Template, in this case it is Cal_OSHA.ott, and with every update of any kind, in any document I try to immediately save the change in my Template.

I am using the Tools>Chapter Numbering function.

Please see the Reply I made to @mikekaganski an hour ago.

And now I am having another issue with the numbering function, again probably an artifact from importing from Word. Here’s the link to the document: IIPP 11-9-22.odt - Google Drive Here’s a screenshot:

Bold Number issue
Bold Number issue1678×1376 967 KB

The last item in this list, the number 6 is bolded. I didn’t set this. I have tried to eliminate it by highlighting the item and clicking F12. I goes to Default Paragraph. Then I click on the Style function again, in this case H&S Numbering, and it goes right back to bolding the 6. I have tried F12, then putting the cursor at the end of item 5 and hitting the delete button, then Enter to make it part of the list again - but the same thing, still a bold 6.

This is our official company Safety Manual and I would like it to look professional. It goes out to all of our clients and is the face of our company’s Safety Policy. I just added a new safety program, required by one of our clients, and now by boss wants to print the updated manual. Not like this.

I sure hope you and the rest of our LO members can help me get this cleaned up.

Thanks for you help.

#11

The bold “6.” case

I never saw such a behaviour! It is likely it comes from the conversion out of DOCX and the Word-induced direct formatting. Contrary to you assertion, you indeed use direct formatting instead of character styles (for bolding words mainly) because Word doesn’t know of character styles (if it is not you, it is the original author).

Your H&S Numbering style is not guilty, though it would be more innocuous with Consecutive numbering unticked (which is what most users expect, i.e. separate numbering per level). Since there no character style, your number should look the same as formatted by the paragraph style (here Default Paragraph Style, see below), i.e. not bold. But this list item is the only one which ends with a bold sequence. If I create a new list item and copy the full 6. one, the number turns bold. Now, I copy only the non bold part and the number is OK. I add a few spaces and paste the bold part in the middle of the spaces and the number remains non bold. I delete the extra spaces and everything remains OK.

As far as I remember, Word keeps formatting information in the paragraph mark at end of paragraph. It is possible that ending the item with bold direct formatting (but this is the only way of doing it with Word) has confused Writer about what to do with the number, all the more since the list is created with a reduced form of direct formatting (manual application of H&S Numbering.

Direct formatting

As can be seen from the Applied Styles list variant on character styles, absolutely no character styles are applied to your text. This means that all stylistic variants are direct format.
Also, your first and only Heading 1 ("Prevention program) is heavily direct formatted. It would be better to customise Heading 1.

Default Paragraph Style usage

This is an important divergence between Word and Writer. In Word, it is the “standard” style for the discourse. In Writer, it is the ancestor of all other paragraph styles, so that any modification cascades down to them all. It is then an ideal place to define shared attributes, contributing to give a characteristic look to the document. The “standard” style for the discourse is Text Body.

If your document is intended to be maintained on the long run, you could have interest to restyle it completely in a way I call semantic styling where the emphasis is put on significance/importance of contents, not on appearance, the latter being a consequence of the former, not this inverse (this leads to make a distinction between sequences of bold when they have not the same meaning for the author, e.g. regulatory constraint vs. simple advice).

Style dictionary

It is stored inside the document. You have no other choice than to delete the spurious styles one by one manually in every document. Don’t forget the template which might also be contaminated.
A possible faster procedure is to cleanse the template first, then create new documents where you paste text as unformatted and restyle it. Take this opportunity to apply character styles instead of direct formatting.

#12

This is beyond great feedback @ajlittoz, I think I know some things about LO and I find that after years of using it professionally - I am woefully deficient in knowing so much that is important.

I did find @mikekaganski replied that the Bold 6 item could be eliminated by just selecting it and clicking on the Clear Format button. But how and why it even appeared? And unchecking the Consecutive Numbering solved the other issue.

I will have to read and re-read your reply above and see what I can apply. I am going to go into my Cal_OSHA template and delete one-at-a-time all of the useless number styles and paragraph styles. A major project.

Thanks again for all your kind help.

Have a pleasant evening.

#13

You’re welcome. This is morning here. :wink:

EDIT:

Don’t forget also the countless Converted x page styles but they probably only appear in the documents, not in the template. You should probably consider creating your own dedicated page style(s) to have a clear rigorously consistent layout across the document. A page style is something like a “signature” for a logical part, e.g. cover, TOC, front material, chapters, tail material, back cover.

#14

… And lately, some substantial work has been done to support this Word’s behavior for interoperability, so documents originated from Word would keep all their bad formatting :wink:

#2

Look how “Restart Numbering” is active in this particular item, and clicking it disables it:

SwitchOffRestartNumbering

#5

Thanks @mikekaganski for this quick reply. Yes I see how opening this List menu gives me the option to click on Restart Numbering, and 1. turns into the right sequence of 4. My issue is that let’s say I started a new paragraph and started another list, using the same list app as above - and I wanted to continue the same numbering, in this case 1, 2, 3, 4 on to 5. LO does continue the previous numbering automatically. Like so:
7. Test 1
8. test 2
9. test 3
10. subtest a
11. subtest b
12. test 4

I click on the Restart Numbering and I get this:
1. Test 1
2. test 2
3. test 3
4. subtest a
5. subtest b
6. test 4

All to be expected.

Now I highlight “subtest a” and “subtest b”, and click on the Increase Indent function and I get this:
1. Test 1
2. test 2
3. test 3
(d) subtest a
(e) subtest b
6. test 4

This is H&S Numbering - One Level : Level 2 (Yes it is inappropriately named, but it has 2 levels)
When I put my cursor next to “subtest a” and Right Click - I can’t bring up the menu that gives me access to the Restart Numbering and I’m not sure if this is a problem with my mouse or what. A menu flashes and then disappears. So I have looked for keyboard clicks in the “Insert”, “Format”, and “Styles” menus but don’t see an access to this issue.

It seems that I did succeed in accessing the menu to click on the Restart Numbering button in a previous situation, and what happened in that, yes the (d) and the (e) did change to (a) and (b), but then the #6 Item, “test 4”, changed to number 1, not number 4 as I would expect. And I could not figure out how to get it right without highlighting the whole sequence and clicking on F12 to remove the numbering completely and try again. This is where I looked for the “Continue Numbering” in this menu, hoping it would just continue numbering the 1, 2, and 3 items, leave the subtest (a) and (b) alone, and change the 1 to a 4. But there was no “Continue Numbering” selection. It used to be there, I’m pretty sure.

So this is a serious issue for me, as I do have a major document I am responsible for updating. I will appreciate any help you, or any of our kind forum members, can give me.

Thanks so much all.

#6

image

#8

Hi @mikekaganski, Yes I did look at this and I have checked the box for Consecutive Numbering.

It has to be all the artifacts from importing documents from Word. F12 doesn’t seem to clear them, and clicking on the “Clear Formatting” doesn’t seem to work.

Thanks for your kind help.

#9

And that indeed resulted in

It must be unchecked to give

  1. Test 1
  2. test 2
  3. test 3
    (a) subtest a
    (b) subtest b
  4. test 4

Yes it brings lots of formatting artifacts with every conversion. But clearing direct formatting does work. E.g., in case of bold “6” that you mention above, selecting the whole paragraph by four-clicking, and then clearing direct formatting, fixes it.

1 Like
#10

Wow! - Unchecking the “Consecutive Numbering” solved that problem! Awesome Mike.

Also, the bold number 6 was corrected by simply doing a “Clear formatting” for the paragraph. Simple!

So I’m good to go forward now with revamping our Safety Manual.

This is such a relief. Can’t thank you enough.

Have a great week.

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