Master documents: List numbering problem when using custom styles
The problem
When custom numbering styles are used for lists, the first item in the first list in a file does not retain a Restart numbering setting when the file is saved.
When files are used standalone, this is not a problem, but when they are combined (as in a master document), the first list in each chapter continues its numbering from the last list in the previous chapter. To correct this, the first item in the list must be manually changed—but any manual changes in subdocuments are lost when the master document is updated.
The solution
Create a hidden section near the beginning of each document. Put one paragraph in that hidden section and assign your custom numbering style to that paragraph.
Because this first list is hidden, it does not matter if the number is wrong. Now when you select Restart numbering on the first item in the first real list in the document, that setting will be retained.
Good to know!
Is there any advantage to using a hidden section vs. a plain hidden paragraph?
This workaround may break when Issue 36611 is fixed. Should numbering in hidden content have side effects on non-hidden numbering? Hopefully the lost setting will be fixed first so the workaround won’t be needed.
Issue 100262 (which looks to me like a duplicate of your 51519) has a comment to the effect that giving the first item an explicit “start numbering at 1″ setting, rather than a simple “restart numbering” property, will not be lost. That might be an alternative workaround, but I haven’t tried it–maybe I’ve missed something important.
http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/buglist.cgi?issue_id=36611,51519,100262
I don’t know of any advantage or disadvantage, though there may well be one. I used the section because someone suggested it, and at the time I was unable to make a paragraph hidden all the time; it seemed to require a condition, and I didn’t figure out a condition that says “all the time”. Since then I’ve realised that I can make another variable field, give it a value, and set the condition as Variable=Value. Duh. I haven’t done this in so long, I had forgotten how!
Thanks for the pointer to that issue. No, numbering in hidden content should NOT have (unwanted) side effects on non-hidden numbering.
Looks like a duplicate to me, too. And thanks for the pointer to that setting. It’s fairly new, and I had forgotten about it. I’ll write that up as a new blog entry, but also summarise it here: Right-click on the first list item in the first list in the document, choose Paragraph, go to the Outline & Numbering tab, and under Numbering, choose Restart at this paragraph and “1″ for Start with. Works fine AFAIK. Note: If you do not explicitly choose “1″ for Start with, the setting is not retained!
> … it seemed to require a condition, and I didn’t figure out a condition that says “all the time”.
Any value other than zero is considered true, so you can just enter a 1, or any other non-zero value, to hide the paragraph all the time.
You can also enter “true” (w/o quotes), or an expression that’s always true, like 1 eq 1, but–always on the look out for a chance to do even less work–I just use a plain “1″.
Thank you, Joe! I hope I can remember this when I next need to use it. –Jean