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• • April 14, 2014 at 12:08 pm #67954
    Ena Harvey

    Member

    When a Level 3 paragraph follows a Level 1 paragraph (with no Level 2 in-between), list numbering does not restart on the level 2 element/number. This can lead to a paragraph numbered 2.3.1 coming BEFORE a paragraph numbered 2.1.

    Is there any workaround or script that will automatically produce a 2.0.1 (or even 2.1.1) list number in the example above? Or am I doing something wrong?

    TO REPRODUCE THE BUG/FEATURE:

    Check the box for “Restart Numbers at This Level After Any Previous Level” while creating 3 paragraph styles (at Levels 1, 2 and 3 respectively).

    Level 1 Number: ^1^t
    Level 2 Number: ^1.^2^t
    Level 3 Number: ^1.^2.^3^t

    Style a few paragraphs at successive levels to see the “normal numbering”.

    Finally, style a Level 1 paragraph followed IMMEDIATELY by a Level 3 paragraph. Here’s what happens in my CS6 (8.0.1) document:

    1.
    1.1
    1.2
    1.3
    2.
    2.3.1
    2.1

  • April 15, 2014 at 1:45 am #67959
    Masood Ahmad

    Participant

    Hi Ena,

    If I have not misunderstood your question, I think I have figured out the problem. There should not be ^1 at Level One. The number stays one step behind the Levels i.e. for Level one it should be ^# in the Number style. Let me try to explain:

    Level 1 Number: ^#^t
    Level 2 Number: ^1.^#^t
    Level 3 Number: ^1.^2.^#^t
    Level 4 Number: ^1.^2.^3.^#^t

    Just try this and let me know if it works. For your reference, given are some urls, might be useful to you…

    https://blogs.adobe.com/indesigndocs/2009/04/numbered_lists_part_ii_multile.html

    https://www.ripperdesignandmultimedia.com/2013/08/14/adobe-indesign-cs5-5-cs6-styling-multi-level-lists/

    https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/20471/getting-zero-as-previous-level-in-multilevel-list-indesign-cs3

    https://www.tonyharmer.co.uk/wordpress/?p=284

    https://creativepro.com/multi-level-automatic-numbering-in-indesign.php

  • April 15, 2014 at 8:10 am #67985
    Ena Harvey

    Member

    Hi Masood.

    I copy/pasted your ^# codes into the style settings but it still resulted in the 2.1 coming after 2.3.1. Were you able to get a different result in your test?

    I’ve never skipped a level in a numbered list before so I’m wondering if this [is a bug that] goes back to CS3.

  • April 15, 2014 at 8:57 am #67987
    Masood Ahmad

    Participant

    1. — list1
    1.1 — list2
    1.2 — list2
    1.3 — list2
    2. — list1
    2.3.1 — list3
    2.1 — list2

    In your case, I think you are applying the styles as mentioned above. You are applying List3 style just after the List1 resulting in 2.3.1.

    Level 3 needs a preceding list, in your case you have not applied List2, ideally it should be like this:

    1. — list1
    1.1 — list2
    1.2 — list2
    1.3 — list2
    2. — list1
    2.1 — list2
    2.1.1 — list3

    However, when List looks backward, it didn’t find 2.1, hence it took the list2 from 1.3, therefore, 3 is carried forward resulting in 2.3.1.

    If you apply List3 on second line i.e. 1.1, it will become 1.0.1 as there is no previous list before 1 and 2.3.1 will become 2.2.1

    It shows that the order should be consistent i.e. 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2, 2.1 2.1.1
    OR
    List1, List2, List2, List2, List1, List2, List3.

    You have to go section by section, you can’t skip a section in between.

    Just go through the url once again:
    https://blogs.adobe.com/indesigndocs/2009/04/numbered_lists_part_ii_multile.html

    I hope you got my point.

  • April 15, 2014 at 11:05 am #67989
    Ena Harvey

    Member

    I absolutely got your point. And I could see/guess ‘why’ the behaviour occurs in inDesign. I do appreciate the effort you’ve made to explain why this is an error, but I should have pointed out this isn’t my content. Like many here, my job is layout.

    I’m posting to this forum for 2 reasons:

    First, the numbering ‘accurately’ skips a level in the Word file my client supplied. In the real document, a Level 4 subhead is skipped so the list is jumping from Level 3 to Level 5. Semantically, this jump is NOT AN ERROR because the “level of importance” is logically consistent with similar subheads in other chapters/lists. I can’t therefore suggest my client edit the copy and promote Level 5 subheads to Level 4 just so that the listing they were able to accomplish in Word can be reproduced/maintained in the software I decided to use for page layout. At the same time, experience makes me fearful of taking a shortcut to manually number subheads in such a long and complex manual (with TOC and ePub coming further down the road).

    Second, the “Any Previous Level” setting in the Paragraph Styles dialog promises to do what Word managed automatically. And that is all I want/expect it to do. It doesn’t say “The Previous Level” or “One Previous Level” so, taken literally, it seems to be an error—on my part or Adobe’s.

    TL:DR The list skipping a level is not a proofreading error; the client made it work in Word; I can’t shift the list up one level or create an intermediate level subhead (just) to satisfy inDesign; and numbering this subhead manually will cause trouble down the road. I’m therefore stuck in a position I assume others before me have been in and I’m begging for help with a deadline looming.

    Help!

  • April 16, 2014 at 2:03 am #67996
    Masood Ahmad

    Participant

    Yeah, you are right Ena. It seems to be a bug in InDesign and hope it might have improved in CC though I haven’t checked. Might be David Blatner could help you in this regard.

    @David, please see if you can throw some light here.

  • April 16, 2014 at 6:52 am #67999
    David Blatner

    Keymaster

    I have a solution for this. Kind of a hack, but it works. I’ll write it up shortly.

  • April 16, 2014 at 8:59 am #68009
    David Blatner

    Keymaster

    Here you go: https://creativepro.com/multilevel-numbering-like-2-0-1.php

  • April 16, 2014 at 10:09 am #68013
    Ena Harvey

    Member

    The speedy remedy is much appreciated. Plus you gave options.

    I’m presuming that option 2 — your invisible paragraph — might cause fewer problems when generating the TOC because I’ll be able to skip it altogether.

    But will that ghost paragraph cause more problems (than option 1) when making the ePub?

    Again, thank you.

  • April 16, 2014 at 10:28 am #68014
    David Blatner

    Keymaster

    Ena: Actually, option #1 is probably better even when making a TOC. You would simply put both level 3 paragraph styles in the TOC definition, both at the same TOC level. Then both/either will be included, as discussed here: https://creativepro.com/three-small-toc-tricks.php

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