Troubleshooting

What You Will Learn

(this guide table of contents) ------- (MS Word New Users FAQ)

Changes in Word's Document Structure with Word 2007-2013

I have been told and believe that Word's new document structure is less prone to corruption than earlier versions. Microsoft Word 2010 Bible by Herb Tyson, MVP. Nevertheless, a firm grasp of how Word works and the methods shown here can be useful.

Troubleshooting Numbering - First, See Numbering in Microsoft Word

Word provides numerous options for formatting an outline numbered list. There are a few additional things that law firms typically want to do that are covered in this section.

A very common numbering scheme involves the first level of the numbering scheme to be centered, with the text under it as shown in this example:

Article I.

Introduction

If you try to set up a numbering scheme to do this, you will notice that your number disappears when you press ENTER to type the text or the text may seem off-center. The following exercise walks you through centering text beneath a number.

Practice: Center Text Beneath a Number

1. You should still have the document open from the last exercise.
2. Position your cursor in the first paragraph (Article I. Introduction)
3. Choose Format > Bullets and Numbering.
4. Select the Outline Numbered tab.
5. Select the second box in the top row.
6. Click Customize. In the Level box, Level 1 should be selected.
7. Click More to expose the entire dialog box choices.
8. Set the Number position to be Left.

Styles with numbering would prevent you from having to center each paragraph.

Add Formatting to Text without Affecting Paragraph Number

If you want numbered headings to be underlined, but do not want a line under the number, it can be difficult if you don't know how it works. This is because by default, the format of the number follows the format of the text that follows it. For example, let's say you want to underline a paragraph in a Heading 2 style. Chances are it will look like this:

1.1  Definitions

when you expected it to look like this:

1.1  Definitions

This formatting must be applied through the Customization dialog box of Bullets & Numbering.

1. Select paragraph 1.1 Definitions.
2. Apply underline formatting by clicking the Underline toolbar button. Notice that the number also becomes formatted with the underline.
3. Choose Format > Bullets and Numbering.
4. Select the Outline Numbered tab, and then select the second option on the top row of the gallery positions.
5. Click Customize.
6. Select Level 2.
7. Click Font. When the Format Font dialog box displays, nothing is available to be changed.

This formatting is changed on a level-by-level basis. You will need to customize each level of numbering that you want to use.

You may notice that when you are customizing an outline numbered list, you do not have an option to set the value of the tab that follows the number. You can only choose whether a tab, space, or nothing follows the number.

(And Only Have Heading Appear in the Table of Contents)

Word uses styles to create Tables of Contents. A common practice in law firms is to generate outline numbered styles that have bold or underlined heading text immediately followed by paragraph text on the same line. Because the paragraph is formatted with a style, Word tries to place the entire paragraph in the Table of Contents.

One solution is to format the heading with the style and follow it with a hidden paragraph mark. You should format the text in the next paragraph with a style that is not included in the Table of Contents. A hidden paragraph mark keeps the text together on one line when it is printed, even though it is actually two separate paragraphs. The Table of Contents command picks up only those paragraphs with heading styles and places them into the Table of Contents. Later versions of Word (2002+) do this also with a Style Separator.

Practice: Format Heading for TOC and Non-TOC Text on Same Line

1. Create a new blank document.
2. Type Agreement and press the SPACEBAR.
3. Format the word Agreement with Heading Style 1 (you can press ALT+CTRL+1).
4. Press ENTER after the word agreement.
5. Type This should not be included in the TOC. Make sure that you are viewing non-printing characters by clicking the Show/Hide button on the toolbar (the button with the paragraph symbol on it). You should see paragraph marks next to the word Agreement if you are viewing these characters.
6. Select the paragraph mark that follows Agreement.
7. Choose Format > Font. Check the Hidden option, and click OK.
8. Hide non-printing characters by clicking the Show/Hide button on the Standard toolbar. When the document is printed, it appears as though the heading text for the TOC and the plain text are on the same line.

A Sequence field tracks differently numbered lists within a document. Combining Sequence fields and AutoText entries give you a fast and easy way to insert Interrogatories, Requests for Production, and Requests for Admission.

Practice: Use Sequence Fields

1. Type INTERROGATORY NO. followed by a space.
2. Press CTRL+F9 to insert field characters.
3. Type SEQ Rog within the field characters.

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Troubleshooting Styles — Issues To Watch Out For

While styles are an integral part of using Word in a law firm or any environment, there are a few things that cause users difficulty. This doesn't mean that you should not create your own styles; you just need to know how to solve some common problems and understand how you can avoid them in the future.

A style has changed unexpectedly

Check to see if automatic updating is turned on for the style. With automatic updating, a style is updated automatically when you make additional changes to the style, meaning that every paragraph in your document assigned to that style changes automatically. To turn off this feature, choose Format > Style. In the Styles dialog box, select the style, and then click Modify. If the Automatically update check box is selected, clear it.

Your style may have been based on another style that has changed. Changes to a base style affect other styles in the document that are based on it. For example, if you change the font in Normal to the Arial font, Word changes the font for the styles used in footnotes, headers, footers, page numbers, and other text. If you don't want a certain style to change when you change the base style, make certain your style is not based on another style. Choose Format > Style. In the Styles box, click the style you want to modify, click Modify, and then click (no style) in the Based on box.

Sometimes when you apply a style that has specific formatting attributes to text already formatted this way, the reverse formatting may occur. For example, when you apply a style that contains bold formatting to a paragraph that contains some bold text, the bold text may lose its bold formatting. This problem will not occur if you apply character formatting— either through a character style or direct formatting — after you apply a paragraph style. Apply the style first, and then select the words to have other formatting and apply the formatting directly.

Often a style will be applied within a document, and then later specific text in the document is selected and additional formatting is applied without updating the style. This is called direct formatting. While direct formatting may be your intention, if you share documents with others, it can be confusing because text formatted differently can have the same style name.

To remove direct formatting, select the paragraph, including the paragraph mark, and then press CTRL+SPACEBAR to remove character formatting and CTRL+Q to remove paragraph formatting.

Practice: Remove Direct Formatting & Return the Style to the Original Definition

1. Apply a style such as Heading 1 to text.
2. Apply formatting such as Bold, Italic, and Underline to this text.
3. In the same document, apply the same style to different text and note that the text displays the same style name but appears with different formatting.
4. Select the Heading 1 text that has the directly applied character formatting applied in step 2.
5. Press CTRL+SPACEBAR to remove the directly applied character formatting.
6. Indent and center the text so that paragraph formatting is now directly applied on top of the style.
7. Press CTRL+Q to remove the directly applied paragraph formatting. Both paragraphs should now look the same.

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Troubleshooting Complex Documents

I see "Error, Bookmark not defined" instead of my page numbers in my table of contents.

You need to update your table of contents by clicking within the table and pressing F9 on your keyboard, and then selecting Update entire table.

Why do I see { TOC \o "1-3" } instead of my table of contents? (Or alternately, { TOA \h \c 1 \p \f } instead of a table of authorities.)

What you are seeing is the field code that Word uses to complete the resulting table of contents or table of authorities. If you press ALT+F9, you will toggle the field code back to the result of the code seeing the expected table.

I deleted a footnote, but now my footnotes seem to be off by one.

When you delete a footnote, you must delete the reference mark from within the document text. If you do not, even though the text and the reference mark are gone from the footnote pane, Word will not delete the footnote reference mark from the document. Highlight the reference mark for the unwanted footnote, and delete it. Your references should now be numbered correctly. Deleting the reference mark from the document also deletes the footnote attached to it.

I tried to edit my footnote by deleting a paragraph mark and "Not a valid action for footnotes" appeared.

You can format this paragraph mark, but it cannot be deleted.

I pasted a selection that contained a bookmark into a new document, I tried using GoTo to find it, but it wasn't listed in my bookmarks.

Make sure the selection contains a space before the bookmark. Then when you paste the selection into the new document, the bookmark will be there.

I edited a heading I had already cross-referenced, and I went to update the cross-reference it didn't update.

You probably deleted the bookmark brace ([ or ]) that contained the reference. When editing a heading that has been marked for cross-reference, remember that the heading has been marked as a bookmark. This is how Word knows where to find the reference in the document.

When editing a cross-referenced heading try this method: Click before the last word in the heading, type in the new/additional text along with the last word, and delete the next instance of that word. That way you will not delete the bookmark brace. You can now update the cross-reference.

Deleting a Page in Word   

Why is this a problem?

In all versions of Word (at least through Word 2019), Word does not really see "pages" as a construct. It sees sentences, it sees paragraphs, and it sees Sections. It does not see pages. Pages are created, on-the-fly in combination with the current printer driver.

For example, if you insert a manual page break (Ctrl+Enter) at the end of a paragraph you start on a new page, but Word sees the beginning text on the new page and the text on the previous page immediately before the page break as being in the same paragraph. So, if you apply the Heading 1 style to the text at the beginning of your new page, the last paragraph on the previous page will also be in Heading 1 style because, to Word, they are part of the same paragraph.

This is not true if you insert a New-Page Section Break or if you apply "page break before" paragraph formatting.

See Moving/Reorganizing Pages In Microsoft Word

How to Delete a Page

Use the Mouse or Arrow keys to select text on the pages to be deleted. Press Delete.

Note that a "blank page" may not really be blank and that you can have problems deleting a blank page following a table. Both of these problems are addressed in Deleting "Blank" Pages by Suzanne Barnhill.

Troubleshooting Page Count

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Troubleshooting Sections, Headers and Footers

Why is the spacing off in the footer of a landscape page?

1. Check first to see if there are section breaks setting off the landscape page.
2. Even though the footer will look the "same as previous," that option must be turned off.
3. After turning it off, move the center tab to 5.5 inches and the right tab to 10 inches.
4. Continue to the following section and, again, turn off "same as previous."

The page number was formatted to show A, B, C. It's not appearing in the footer.

Although the number was formatted correctly, it was not inserted. First format the number to get what is needed; then insert the number in the footer.

I can't see the headers and footers.

If you are in Normal View, it is necessary to click View > Header and Footer. If you switch to Page Layout View (Word 97) or Print Layout View (Word 2000) you will see them as grayed out text. Double click in the header or footer and the Header/Footer toolbar will be accessible.

The section break doesn't allow me to have both portrait and landscape text on the same page.

Unfortunately, Word will not allow this by the use of a section break. To achieve the desired effect, you must insert a text box.

CK Note: See How to set up a document with front matter numbered separately by Suzanne Barnhill.

   See also: Header/Footer Settings Recap - Ribbon Versions or Header/Footer Settings Recap - Menu Versions
 

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Troubleshooting Tables

How can I make a pleading caption in Word?

There are a couple of different methods you can use to create a pleading caption in Word, but tables are one of the best ways to do this.

Practice: Make a "Scalloped" Caption Using Tables

1. Perform steps 1 through 5 in the "Insert a Table with Draw Table tool" in the preceding exercise.
2. At this point the bottom left border needs fixing. Click in the left-most cell, and choose Format > Borders and Shading. Click the diagram on the right side of the dialog box to have only a bottom border. Click OK.

If you have a lengthy caption (you've probably seen some that go on for pages), you may have noticed that the scallops don't automatically copy down the center column of the table. If you don't find this acceptable, consider another way to make a caption where you use a border line separating the parties from the pleading title. Many courts now accept captions prepared this way—check your court rules to see if you can use this type of caption.

Practice: Make a "Bordered" Caption Using Tables

1. In a blank document, create a table with two columns and only one row.
2. Remove the printing borders by clicking inside the table, and then pressing ALT+CTRL+U.
3. Fix the bottom left border as described in step 2 in the "Make a "Scalloped" Caption Using Tables" example that preceded this exercise. While you're in the Borders and Shading dialog, turn on the printing border for the right side of the left-most cell as well.

In this type of caption, the border automatically extends as you add cross-complainants or type a long pleading title.

How can I get the first row to repeat at the top of each page throughout the table?

In lengthy tables such as file or pleading indices, holdings lists, and other legal documents, if a table spills onto subsequent pages you can make headings repeat at the top of each new page that contains a part of the table.

Practice: Create Table Headings

1. In a blank document, choose Table > Insert Table (Table > Insert > Table in Word 2000).
2. Create a table with two columns and 250 rows.
3. In the first cell of the first column, type Attorney.
4. In the second cell of the first column, type Extension.
5. Select the first row of your table, and then choose Table > Headings (it's called Heading Rows Repeat in Word 2000).
6. Go to Print Preview and view your handiwork.

Word also allows you to have more than one row repeat at the top of the page. Just select the rows that you want to repeat and perform step 5 above.

Continued Note in Heading Lines (CK Note)

How to have the word "continued" in the headings of multipage tables on continuation pages.

There is no automatic way to do this. Several Word MVPs have posted the following solution, though, and it works.

Put the word "continued" in the heading line on the first page. Then create a textbox or autoshape anchored outside the heading row and use it to cover the word. The shape or text box should have no border and white fill. This way, the word continued will not appear on the first page but will appear when the row (without the textbox or shape) is repeated on subsquent pages.
 

When I have a lengthy entry in one of my cells, the text can break over a page. Is there a way to turn on the equivalent of "Block Protect" or "Keep Lines Together" in Word?

It's possible to have it either way in Word—you can have your cells break over a page or not, depending on your preferences for the job at hand. By default, the text in a table breaks across a soft page break in both Word 97 and Word 2000. Let's explore the options in the following exercise.

Practice: Prevent Cells from Breaking Over Soft Page Break

1. In a blank document, choose Table > Insert Table (select Table > Insert > Table in Word 2000).
2. Create a table with 2 columns and 250 rows.
3. Make sure you're in Page Layout view (Print Layout view in Word 2000).
4. Go to the bottom of the first page and type in one of the cells until you see text both above and below the Soft Page Break.
5. Make sure your cursor is anywhere in the table, and then choose Table > Cell Height and Width (Table > Table Properties in Word 2000).
6. In the Cell Height and Width dialog box, find the check box Allow row to break across pages. If the option is checked, the text can break over a page. If not, the row that contains the cell that broke over a page is moved to the next page in its entirety.

This does not prevent cells from breaking over hard page breaks. Also, if you have more than a page of text in a cell, a soft page break must exist somewhere in that text, and the text breaks over a page even though you've cleared the checkbox in step 6.

Is there an easy way to make a file index in Word? I had a macro in WordPerfect and now I've got to make them from scratch.

The bad news is that you do have to make it all over again; the good news is that you'll only have to create it once. Using the power of tables together with AutoText, you'll be able to make a killer file index that you can use repeatedly.

Practice: Create a File Index Using Tables

1. Open a blank document, and choose Table > Insert Table (select Table > Insert > Table in Word 2000).
2. Create a table with as many columns as you need (we'll use 4 in this example) and 2 rows.
3. In the first cell of the first column, type Number.
4. In the first cell of the second column, type Document Name.
5. In the first cell of the third column, type Date Filed.
6. In the first cell of the fourth column type Description.
7. Click in the second cell of the first column, and then turn on numbering (On the Formatting toolbar, click the Numbering button). This will give you a numbered column down the left side.

As you add rows to your table, the numbered list on the left side increments. Try it! If you save your finished product from the exercise above as an AutoText entry, you can retrieve it as many times as you like in the future.

My table column resizes as I type…

Table columns in Microsoft Word 2000 automatically resize to fit text or graphics. If you type a word that is longer than the width of the column, the column adjusts to accommodate the text. If you don't want your columns to resize when you type, click in the table, click Table > Table Properties > Table. Click Options, and then clear the check box next to Automatically resize to fit contents.

I am doing very simple math in my Word table. Is it possible to create subtotals?

It's possible to take any value in just about any part of a Word document (it doesn't have to be in a table) and run it through any number of math functions against other values in other parts of a Word document. The way to do it is to use bookmarks. An example of how this works is shown in the next Practice exercise.

Practice: Work with Subtotals in a Word Document

1. In a blank document, create three separate tables with values in the first two cells of the first two tables.

2. We're going to derive subtotals for the two tables and then a grand total of the two subtotals in the single-cell table at the bottom. Click in the third cell of each of the first two tables and click the AutoSum button at the far right side of the Tables and Borders toolbar.
3. Select the first sum field (it should say "1500" if you've used the example above), making sure not to select the end-of-cell marker after it (it kind of looks like a spider).
4. After selecting the first sum field in step 3, choose Insert > Bookmark. For keyboard users, CTRL+SHIFT+F5 gets you to the Bookmark dialog box.
5. Give the selection a bookmark name like "Table1Total".
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for the second total ("450" if you're following the example above), calling it "Table2Total".

If you get a result which says "!Syntax Error,", try the exercise again, making sure that you don't select the end-of-cell marker after the number when book marking.

I never could understand sorting in Word tables. Is it possible to sort dates and numbers as well as text?

It's easy to sort dates, numbers and text in a Word table. If a simple, one-level sort is all you're after, you'll be surprised at how easy it is. All you have to do is click in a column that has a list of things you'd like to sort (like filing dates, for example) and click one of the two sort buttons near the right side of the Tables and Borders toolbar. The practice exercise below should give you an idea.

Practice: Sorting Dates in Tables

1. In a table, enter an array of dates that are near each other but have varying formats, like the following:

2. Click anywhere in the column and click either one of the sort buttons at the right side of the Tables and Borders toolbar. One button sorts in Ascending order, the other in Descending order.

Word automatically converts dates in many different formats behind the scenes so it can sort them correctly.

You've probably set an exact row height that's smaller than the text you are trying to display. Click in the cell and then click Table > Table Properties > Row. In the Row height is: box, select At least.

Can I insert an Excel worksheet into Word?

Microsoft Office is so popular in good part because of how the programs work together. Excel is a spreadsheet program that makes number crunching, organizing and presenting data very easy — even for the mathematically challenged.

To insert an Excel worksheet into a Word document, click the Insert Microsoft Excel Worksheet toolbar button on the Standard toolbar. Select how many rows and columns to be created and release the mouse. Once the Excel spreadsheet appears in your Word document, you can double-click to activate the Excel worksheet and gain the toolbars and menu options available in Excel. Now you have the full functionality of Excel without leaving the Word window.