Why won't my hyperlink keep the paragraph format?

[FMdancer]

I am working in FM11. I have a bulleted list of my heading 2 name and numbers. When I add a cross-reference for source type Paragraphs and insert my heading 2, select my reference format for HeadingName_and_Number, it changes to a cross reference marker. I am trying to copy and paste one heading (with name and number) and select that one to quickly increment the heading until I go through the list. This works in some of my other chapters, but keeps changing from paragraphs to cross reference marker. How can I make it stay a paragraph cross reference? Thanks again for your help.

[Arnis Gubins]

This is normally a sticky setting in the Cross-Reference window, i.e. FM remembers the last setting that you used and IIRC, it may be per document.

When you say "it changes to a cross reference marker", what exactly is "it"? The Source Type setting? I don't exactly follow what you're doing from your explanation, especially the bit about quickly incrementing the heading.

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

I’m not getting what you mean either – can you add some screenshots (use the camera icon in the web interface) to show us what’s happening?

[FMdancer]

At the start of a section I have a hyperlinked list to the major sections as shown in the first image:

If my sections have changed slightly due to software upgrades and enhancements, the names have changed. In other sections in the same chapter I am able to copy and paste the first hyperlink (in this case it would be the Time Controls line). Then I paste it 4 times and double click to select the next new upgraded paragraph name. I set these with the cross-reference tool and select Source Type: Paragraphs. I choose Marker Types Heading2 and click Insert. Then immediately it goes back to marker types Cross-Ref instead of Paragraphs as shown in the second image:

Other similar groups keep the Paragraph marker type so it is fast and simple to copy + paste and select the updated heading to link. I don't understand why this set won't keep the paragraph marker type.

[Jeff_Coatsworth · Accepted solution]

Ok, now I see – I do the same sort of mini-TOC in some of my reference docs. Usually I set up the sections first, then I go back to the mini-TOC and set the first xref to the first section; then I copy and paste that xref line a few times for the other sections. Double clicking on the second one opens up the xrefs pod and takes me to the first xref in the list of paragraph tags that I indicated on the first line, then it’s just a matter of looking down the list and selecting the correct section heading, the Replace (not insert). When section headings change, doing an Update on the xrefs fixes them. As I advance down the list of copied xrefs, the Source Type: field always remembers the type because it’s currently an xref pointing to the first section heading.

[FMdancer]

I took over this document from another tech writer. Most mini-TOC sections keep the Paragraph tags after I switched them from marker types. This one set did not. Arnis, you were correct. There must be some hidden marker telling FM to use cross-ref markers. Because if I remake the heading and relink it with a new cross-reference, the Cross-Reference pod remembers I want paragraph markers and not cross-reference markers. Thanks also for telling me about the Edit > Update References. I didn't know about that.

[Arnis Gubins]

If you've already made a cross-ref to a paragraph and the paragraph content has changed, why are you trying to manually create new cross-refs to the changed content? FM will grab the correct content (i.e. <$paratext>) when you update the cross-references (Edit > Update References... > All Cross-References).

FM also doesn't like to duplicate markers, so if you already had a target cross-ref marker in place, FM will preferentially show you the marker list to select from. Also, note that you may have additional markers available in the same paragraph from your TOC operation, so FM wants to be certain of what to target.