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Can't get rid of List Bullet 3 style definition in Word 2016

Anonymous
2019-12-20T14:52:39+00:00

I'm proofreading a manuscript in Word 2016 (in Windows 10) in which I'm tracking changes and have already made over 1200 revisions even though I'm only about 1/2 of the way through. I just noticed that a Style Definition now appears at the top of the Reviewing Pane (and at the top of the document as a change) that reads "List Bullet 3: No bullets or numbering." If I added that style definition, it was accidentally, and I have no idea when -- or how -- it was added. I went back and checked the original manuscript as well as the previous backup copies I've saved as I worked and it doesn't appear in them, only in the main document that I'm proofreading and the last backup copy.  

I've tried deleting the style definition from the Reviewing Pane and deleting the style on the Home ribbon.  Also, even though it's not attached to the text but to the document itself, I've tried deleting the text where the change occurs, copying and pasting that text from a clean copy without the style definition, and copying the formatting for that text from a clean copy. I was able to copy the text without including the style definition by omitting the first page, but I lose ALL my proofreading changes (it only retains the comments). 

Nothing I've tried has worked. And, if I delete the file I'm working in order to work in a clean backup copy without that style definition, I'll lose the work I've done for the last three chapters. So, how can I get rid of this style definition?

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Anonymous
2019-12-20T18:04:39+00:00

The thing is, the style was already in the document, it is in every document at the time of creation. I'm not sure why it is that you happen to see it now and not before.

I've found that track changes makes things very much more complex in a document. All sorts of anomalous behavior can creep in.

If you want, you can correct your earlier error by marking this as an Answer. I will combine them later. Let us know if there's anything else. If you don't have any more questions, feel free to choose a rating. Thanks! (Five stars means helpful, one star means not helpful.)

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Anonymous
2019-12-20T15:06:42+00:00

Hi,

First question is why is it necessary that you get rid of the Style. Is it hurting something? "List Bullet 3" is a built-in style but you can delete it. I'm not sure what it is that you've tried when you say "everything."

Open the Visual Basic Editor (Alt+F11) and in the Immediate Window, type the following and press Enter.

activedocument.Styles("List Bullet 3").delete

If you do not see the Immediate Window (at the bottom of the VBA Explorer screen) press Ctrl+G.

This forum is a user-to-user support forum. I am a fellow user.

I hope this information helps.

Please let me know if you have any more questions or require further help.

You can ask for more help by replying to this post (Reply button below).

Regards

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-12-20T21:04:26+00:00

    Since I'm only about halfway through this manuscript, already have over 1200 changes being tracked, and anticipate having at least as many changes in the 2nd half of the document, it sounds like it might be a good idea for me to split it into 2-3 files to make tracking changes more manageable. 

    Probably not a bad idea.

    Glad to have helped. I would guess that Suzanne is correct about the source of that style. I keep most of the AutoFormat as you type options turned off, definitely the bullets and numbering ones. I know Suzanne does as well. Again, you have no control over the source, only your own computer.

    Since you are the editor rather than the author you have little control over use of styles. Direct formatting makes editing much harder. See my rant on Importance of Styles in Word.

    I have been known to take works by others and paste it into a new document as plain text and then use styles to replicate the formatting that was originally used. I have not done that with a book-length work, though.

    If you split it, make sure to maintain uniform styles in each part.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-12-20T18:16:08+00:00

    To begin with, what you're seeing is not a style but "formatting." Whenever you apply direct font/paragraph formatting to a paragraph in a given style, you will see this reflected in the Styles pane unless you disable it in the Style Pane Options:

    Access this dialog by clicking Options... at the bottom of the Style pane.

    As for how you got List Bullet 3 in your document, this could be a result of AutoFormat As You Type:

    "Automatic numbered lists" would be the culprit. Access this dialog via File | Options | Proofing | AutoCorrect Options.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-12-20T15:33:38+00:00

    I apologize for first accidentally clicking the No button on whether or not it was an answer. It was! Thank you.

    The reason for my question is that I never work with styles. I didn't know if the style definition was hurting anything, and I didn't want to have to go back and compare the 350+ page document I'm proofreading to the original manuscript to make sure it wasn't affected.

    Since, as far as I know, I never selected a style, do you know what I might have done to add that particular style definition to the document?

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