Styles and Formatting - Lists

[Guest]

Hi,

[Using Word 2003]

I am learning (probably the hard way) how to reformat entire documents using
styles and templates. I have been referring to an excellent help website
(word.mvps.org) - but am stuck on how to create a different last line style
for lists -so that there is more space underneath the last bullet point of
the list than the other points. Should I just set up a new style for that
last bullet point? This seems very cumbersome. Is there a way to say:
MODIFY STYLE>PARAGRAPH>Spacing Before: 0, Spacing After: 0 for the regular
bulleted items in the list BUT Spacing Before: 0, Spacing After: 10 for the
last item in the list?

Sorry if this makes no sense at all - I am trying to cope with all the new
vocab!

Many thanks,
Becca

 

[Jezebel]

I think it's easier to keep the list formatting constant, and vary the style
of the preceding and following paragraphs (eg Normal_BeforeList and
Normal_AfterList, with extra space below/above respectively). Works better
for me, anyway, because I have quite a few different bullet and number list
styles, but I need only one pair of before/after normal styles for all of
them.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You can also, in recent versions of Word suppress space between paragraphs
in the same style. Or use HTML paragraph spacing.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

I think it's easier to keep the list formatting constant, and vary the style
of the preceding and following paragraphs (eg Normal_BeforeList and
Normal_AfterList, with extra space below/above respectively). Works better
for me, anyway, because I have quite a few different bullet and number list
styles, but I need only one pair of before/after normal styles for all of
them.

Hi,

[Using Word 2003]

I am learning (probably the hard way) how to reformat entire documents using
styles and templates. I have been referring to an excellent help website
(word.mvps.org) - but am stuck on how to create a different last line style
for lists -so that there is more space underneath the last bullet point of
the list than the other points. Should I just set up a new style for that
last bullet point? This seems very cumbersome. Is there a way to say:
MODIFY STYLE>PARAGRAPH>Spacing Before: 0, Spacing After: 0 for the regular
bulleted items in the list BUT Spacing Before: 0, Spacing After: 10 for the
last item in the list?

Sorry if this makes no sense at all - I am trying to cope with all the new
vocab!

Many thanks,
Becca

 

[Joseph N.]

You can also, in recent versions of Word suppress space between
paragraphs in the same style. Or use HTML paragraph spacing.

Would you say a word or three more on both those approaches, please?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I haven't used either of these techniques myself, so you would have to
experiment with them.

1. HTML paragraph spacing is enabled by default in Word 2000 and above. This
means that Word combines Space After and Space Before between paragraphs,
using whichever is the larger amount rather than adding them together. For
example, if you have 6 pts Space After on a paragraph followed by a
paragraph with 12 pts Space Before, you'll get just 12 pts instead of 18.
This takes some getting used to; I'm convinced if I would bend my mind to it
I would find it useful, but so far I haven't taken the time to figure it
out.

2. In Word 2002 and above (I think), there is a check box in the Format
Paragraph dialog labeled "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same
style." So you can give your list style, say, 6 pts Space After, enable this
option, and have no space after any paragraph but the last in a list. I find
this pretty unsatisfactory because what I really want is *some* space
between the paragraphs but more after the last one, so I usually add Space
Before to the following paragraph style.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Joseph N.]

This takes some getting used to; I'm convinced if I would bend
my mind to it I would find it useful, but so far I haven't taken
the time to figure it out.

I didn't know that feature was called HTML para. spacing. I'm aware of it and think it's a pretty great idea. I generally use Lotus Word Pro, and although I think in many ways LWP has the edge over Word, I've found this HTML paragraph spacing to be one of the items in Word that I prefer.

It does seem like there should be some middle spacing alternative with lists. I've struggled with it myself, and have always just applied direct formatting to the final list paragraph. I like the alternative suggested here, though, of having a specific style for the first following paragraph, with Space Above defined.

Thanks for the explanations. (And thanks to you and to the other regular contributors here for always being so speedy and helpful.)