Inspiring

Question

Bylaws: both Headings and numbered lists

Forum|Forum|9 years ago
January 20, 2017
3 replies
2207 views

Looking for advice. I am working on a professional-looking version of a group's Bylaws done in InDesign. The Bylaws are in Word format, which will continue to be used for editing as updates are made. I have a nice, relatively clean Word version, using the standard Heading 1, Heading 2 etc. styles which I can easily map to InDesign styles on Place of the Word file. However, under the headings are numbered lists of items, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.1.1 etc.

What is the best way to manage this? I have access to the Word file and can format as I desire in Word, perhaps with styles instead of the standard Word numbered lists. I will have to do this also with other documents organized in the same manner, so trying to figure out the best strategy to set this up with the least amount of effort going forwards. I was thinking about somehow getting Word to use styles for the numbered entries that I could match to InDesign styles on Place, but not quite sure the best way to do this, or even if it's possible.

I was hoping someone out there has tried something similar and at least can tell me what not to try.

This topic has been closed for replies.

vinny38

Legend

Hi

I respectfully disagree with Willi on this one...

You cannot map Word numbered lists as they are imported as a unique style.

So, I would start creating styles in Word: one for each level.

Then it will be easy to map, using Willi's advice on how to set up lists in Indesign.

Regards

Vinny

Edit: After creating your paragraph styles in Word, save your doc as a model.

This way, you'll be able to attach this Model to other word docs, and import newly created styles into them.

The final trick will be to search former lists and replace with proper style. Unfortunately the Word "search" feature is not as powerful as INDD, so I'm not sure how to do it, but I hope it's possible...

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

Sorry, but Word styles have a bunch of features which are not supported in InDesign but are still hidden in the definition and will always cause problems. Get rid of them. Define them from the basic in InDesign. I see no problem to create any kind of numbered list in InDesign. InDesign is here much more superior as it is more reliable than Word ist as it does never interact between numbering and text as Word does. InDesign does not change the style behaviour if you open it with a different language version of that progam as Word does. In Word you get a mess if you start in an English version and open the very same document and work in a different language version of the program, like German. All these problems will later cause problems in InDesign. Get rid of Word styles.

vinny38

Legend

Willy

I never talked about keeping Word imported styles as it.

We are discussing about mapping styles, so the question is: how do you map numbered lists while knowing than Word doesn't create a specific para style for each level? My suggestion is to create word styles for each level and then use mapping.

Get rid of Word styles? Yes indeed! How? Using mapping...

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

Set up all styles in InDesign. Don't use the Word styles in InDesign as it causes huge problems. Mapping Word Styles to InDesign styles is ok.

Automatic numbers are done in InDesign this way:

Create a List (Type Menu)
Create for each level of a headline and numbering its own paragraph style. Use the numbering and bullets section to define the numbering and level and choose there the list you have created before.

keithconoverAuthor

Inspiring

One thing I am considering; let Word take care of all the numbered lists as far as renumbering as edited, allowing the numbers to import as literal text, and then having a set of styles I can apply to the various sub-levels of the outline-numbered list quickly after import.

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