I've defined a beautiful multilevel list by:
selecting a region
Going to Home-->Paragraph-->Multilevel List-->Define New Multilevel List...
"More." Apply change to: Whole list (meaning, whole document)
Get all the formats set up nicely for four levels of listing.
OK! Every list looks great! (Except that every list continues numbering from the previous, which I must fix by hand.)
However, when I then want to make a new numbered list, I don't get the one I just defined, I get some other format.
Specifically if I use the auto-text feature to make a numbered list by typing on a new line: 1. , I get some weird format.
Or, if I select a few lines that already exist, and hit the Home-->Paragraph-->Multilevel List button, the "current list" is sometimes the list definition I want but it continues numbering from the previous list. In other cases, it is a list format I don't use and don't want.
1 Answer
When you define a multilevel list and use it repeatedly in your document, you should be defining and using a list style. That is why styles exists. You only need to define it once, and it will cure your numbering issue too. Also, if you do decide to change the definition, you can modify the list style, and the change is automatically applied to every list that has that style. You eliminate having to modify each list manually. Also, if you accidentally apply direct formatting to the list, it is easily corrected by reapplying the list style.
Now, if you still want to use a multilevel list, then once it is defined, and you want to use it again, you should be selecting the list under the section titled, "Lists in Current Document". But unlike a list style, if you create a second list immediately after a first, and if the two lists have the same definition, then Word thinks you want to continue the numbering. To prevent that from happening you need to have some text between the two lists. Otherwise, you will need to select the second list, right click on it, and select either "Restart at 1" or "Set Numbering Value".
