page numbers greyed out

T

tomp

MSWord 97: When I try to INSERT: PAGE NUMBERS, nothing happens. The
numbers are there, but they're greyed out, in VIEW: PAGE LAYOUT. In
VIEW: NORMAL they don't show at all. When I go to VIEW: HEADERS AND
FOOTERS, and swich to FOOTERS, the page number comes up but everything
else is greyed out. When I press CTL-F9, nothing happens. I put a
page break in the document, but both sides' page numbers stayed grey.
In FILE: PRINT PREVIEW, they work fine, but the next time I open the
file I'm in VIEW; NORMAL again. I reloaded Word97. I'm afraid to
UNINSTALL Word97, this document has an enormous amount of formatting,
it has to be just so, and I question my ability to redo it all
correctly again. Other files work fine. Everything is in the
Normal.dot template.

Please help.
 
C

Charles Kenyon

Insert > Page Numbers is the wrong way to insert page numbers. It leads to
problems like those you are experiencing.

You will never see page numbers in normal view.

They are in the header/footer range but because you used Insert > Page
Numbers they are also in frames.

Work with a copy of your document until this works...

If you can click on a page number when in header/footer view, click on the
frame and delete it. Then use the header/footer toolbar to insert a page
number field where you want it.

Note that these page numbers will still appear greyed out when in print
layout view. When you print the document, they will be fine. There is no
editing window in Word 97 that will show both the body text and the
headers/footers without greying one of them out.

If you need an electronic copy that shows both full-strength you will need
to convert to pdf. This takes a separate program which you may or may not
have. (It doesn't come with Word. I use cutePDF which is a free download.)
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
T

tomp

Thanks, I see you worked hard for me. but none of it helps. I can't
delete the frame of the footer, there isn't any print layout, page
numbers work fine in file>print preview, but I loose it when I save it.
My other files have no problem with page numbers, and they work fine
electronically and in printing. I can't send an editor a pdf file any
more than I can send him a brick. And he needs page numbers to
communicate with me.

thanks for trying tho, I see nobody else did.
 
C

Charles Kenyon

Print View is the post-Word 97 term for page layout view.

When you print, then, I assume that your page numbers print.

Your page numbers disappear when you save your document? When you reopen and
go into page layout view they are gone? They don't print?
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
T

tomp

yes. page numbers print fine. They are greyed out in page layout
where they used to be fine. They're fine in page layout in all my
other files. They are ok in print preview, but I lose that, it shifts
to page layout, when I save and re-open. No problem printing, but my
editors mostly dont' print, they look at the file on screen and pass
back and for th comments etc. I can send them greyed out page numbers,
I presume they can read them, but I'd sure rather not. I'm writing for
law review editors and they don't have a lot of experience, I want to
make it as easy as I can for them. They're amateurs, they don't have
any good way of determining whether I know what I'm doing, and my
inability to control my word processor suggests maybe I don't know my
subject so well either. At best it shows my standards are low, and they
have to trust me. . . .

I have to go out of town, back Monday. Thanks again
 
C

Charles Kenyon

I don't know how you got them to show up any different way in the past.
There is no way that I know of to get dynamic page numbers (which change as
the page number changes) to show up black on screen when the body of the
document is also black. They show up this way in print preview because that
is intended to mimic what will be printed. They don't display at all in
normal view, in page layout view (now called print view) they show up as
greyed out because they are in the background, not part of what you are
editing on screen.

If your law review editors want articles in Word format, they know this.
Start worrying about your content.

If you need to use Word extensively, I would suggest you invest some time
learning it systematically, as you have been learning law systematically. A
good place to start is in my signature line. Another is Shauna Kelly's site.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.
 
T

tomp

Ok, I'll learn to live with it. But I'm not wholly convinced. Anyhow
I know it's the best I can do.

thanks
tom porter
 

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