section breaks (again, *sigh*)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Larry
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Larry

Windows Word 2003:

I received a document from a user. It uses section breaks to switch
between column layouts and margin sizes (though not page size). At one
point, a two-column section is supposed to be balanced and followed
immediately by a one-column section, but the section break between the
two is a page section break, so the second section starts on a new
page.

"No problem," think I. I click in the second section, go to File ->
Page Setup -> Layout, set the Section Start value to Continuous and
voila! ... Hmm.... Nothing changed. It's still a page section break.
How can that be? I try again. Nope. I think maybe I'm becoming
confused in my old age. I try clicking in the first section and
switching it from Continuous to Page. It works there, except that of
course it's affecting the wrong section. I undo, and then start
"trying things"... inserting various kinds of section breaks and
deleting others and you know the drill.

So now here's what I have managed to create: a break that functions as
a page section break, but that claims on-screen to be a continuous
section break. So that I now have two problems -- a section break
that's lying about itself, and a page section break where I still need
a continous one. Then, when I get this figured out, I've got to figure
out how to do it on a Mac (Word 2004), since that's what my user is
working on. Okay, that's three problems.

Anybody want to step in here? Suzanne? Pretty please?
 
A clarification: I just realised that when I change the Start Section
value, the section break type always changes to what I've asked for.
It just doesn't do it; that is, functionally I am always getting a
page break even though I'm calling for a continuous break, and even
though Word is showing the marker for a continuous break.
 
If the two-column section is only on one page, I would simply use a two-cell
table and remove the borders. That way there's no problem if footnotes are
present, and you can just do away with the section and/or page breaks
altogether.
 
Thanks, Suzanne, but no joy. No footnotes in the document. I did look
at the solutions on those pages to see if maybe they could apply
anyway, but no. Any other possibilities?
 
Thanks, Kamran, but the text sometimes does go onto multiple pages.
Also, it needs to wrap from left column to right column fluidly; the
table approach (which I had tried in earlier incarnations of this
document) is clumsy for that purpose.
 
I have the same situation and am interested in finding a solution.
Interesting to note that when I copy the text from the document and paste in
a blank document, the section break is displayed as "next page" (different
from the original document that displays "continuous").

Some help would be appreciated.
 
I have the same situation and am interested in finding a solution.  
Interesting to note that when I copy the text from the document and pastein
a blank document, the section break is displayed as "next page" (different
from the original document that displays "continuous").

Some help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Tralissa, I have noted that if the page dimensions are not the same
across a section break, then the section break will insist on
remaining a page section break no matter what. This might apply in
your case, as it sometimes does in mine. However, I do still have a
hard-core set of section breaks that absolutely refuse to behave
rationally -- either refusing to change, or claiming to change
(displaying as "continuous") when they actually don't.

I would really love to hear from Microsoft or an MVP on this. Any
further thoughts, Suzanne? Cindy? Rob? Anybody?
 
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