Numbered headings and cross-references

[stman]

My document has all numbered headings, and my cross-references are created
with Reference type: Heading and Insert reference to: Heading number, so they
look like this "see Section 3.3.2" (with only the number being a field).

When I'm editing the document and need to create a paragraph before a
heading, for example, above "3.3.2 Creating Snow", and I put the cursor
before the "C" in Creating (remember the number is a field) and hit Enter.
Word creates a blank paragraph of the same heading style above it and numbers
it 3.3.2. The original 3.3.2 becomes 3.3.3, and this breaks all
cross-references to it. If I update the cross-references to 3.3.2, they don't
change, so they point to the new heading I created, which is wrong.

I suppose this has to do with where the bookmark (or whatever is used as the
target marker) is placed. How can I avoid this? The easy way I thought was to
place the cursor at the end of the paragraph preceding the heading and
pressing Enter, but since that's a table, it just creates another row. Please
help.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

When you place the insertion point at the beginning of the heading, you get
it inside the bookmark for the existing heading; see
http://www.thedoctools.com/index.php?show=wt_cross-reference_trouble for a
video that explains the problem and how to correct it.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Jamie]

After you insert your new line are you changing the style back to body text?
That should make the original numbering come back.

A quick way to get around the issue of hard return following table might be
to cut the table out insert your return and the paste the table back.

 

[stman]

Wow! I'm amazed by TheDocsTool site and the demos. They explained the *exact*
problem/situation, and even suggested several solutions/workarounds. When a
table preceds a heading, it suggested using adding a row and then splitting
the table--very cool, and relatively quick. Jamie also suggested cutting the
table then pasting it back in--works too.

As an aside, after considering the issue and the solutions, sometimes I wish
I were back in the days of WordPerfect with Reveal Codes, where you see every
control code as you type. Or, how about working in raw XML? You see exactly
what's going on and it's easy to fix these type of errors. But it's easy to
mess things up too! Like I said, I only *sometimes* which this

Thanks, Suzanne, for the reference.