Page Numbering Off when using Continuous Section Breaks

Question

Many users are having problems with the page numbering not working when continuous section breaks are used. It seems Word reads Continuous section breaks as Next Page section breaks in relation to page numbering and you cannot get the numbering to follow previous. I am creating a form document where some sections are protected and some are free to be editied.  Therefore I have added Continuous section breaks to seperate the protected and non-protected sections.  I cannot use Next Page section breaks because the unprotected sections are within the same actual report heading.  Upon checking the internet, I see this is a very frustrating glitch that effects a large number of document specialists.  Please help!!

Answer 1

Continuous section breaks can restart the page numbering just like any other type of break. Also, note that when you insert a section break, the settings of the current section (including any page number restarts) are being copied into the new section. Although you can fix this manually via the Page Number Format dialog box, if there are many breaks, it might be quicker to run this macro on each affected document:

Sub SetContinuousPageNumbering()

Dim s As Section

For Each s In ActiveDocument.Sections

s.Headers(wdHeaderFooterPrimary) _

.PageNumbers.RestartNumberingAtSection = False

Next s

End Sub

For assistance with the macro, see http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm.

Thank you, Stefan!!  Your Macro works on the doucument in question.  I hope it will work on future documents as well.

I did know to use the page number format dialog box, however, it didn't resolve the problem. We have avoided Continuous Section Breaks like the plague because they have always caused us greif.  Perhaps now we can use features we have had to avoid in the past.

Answer 2

RANT ***

I'm sure Microsoft is well aware of the problem but most people don't use Sections and those that try it usually wind up going to another vendor. 

*** More RANT

 Most regular users of Word do use Sections, I suspect. They may not be aware that they are doing so, but they do.

*** More Rant

Anyway, my workaround does not require macros or programming.

***

That is quite the workaround! You have not identified the problem that your workaround fixes. If you did, chances are good that someone here would point you to a simpler fix.

The Page field works the way it always has and works as designed. Page Numbers in Word 2007-2016

It allows restarts, from one, or from another page.

Sections are not broken. They are somewhat complex. Most people never see the complexity or run into problems. When they do, they need to learn more about how Sections and page numbering work.

The fix for problems with page numbering involves finding and examining each section for a page number restart and making sure that it becomes continuous. People never encounter this problem unless they (1) restart page numbering in some section and (2) add sections after that. Then it does come up. Vba is not required to do this, but can assist. Even doing it manually, though, seems much less work than your workaround. I have lengthy, multi-section templates that I wrote 20 years ago that are still working and editable today. If I had put your hidden fields into one of those, I probably would be lost.

I would strongly advise against anyone using the workaround you propose. I'm glad it works for you, but to me it unnecessarily complicates things. To say that field codes are not programming is, IMO, mistaken. It is not vba; it is not macros, but it is programming.

To me, it is somewhat a miracle that this 30+ year-old program works as well as it does. Microsoft does its best to hide the complexity from the user. Most of the time, this is good. Some times, it leaves users confused. They try to sell it as a simple program, and it is not. It really does take study and training to use effectively and fully. Most people never try to use it fully. They want to write a letter or a report and it works.

As for vba solutions, there are the macros posted here; I have an Add-In on my site that allows a user to reset page numbering to continuous throughout (like the posted macro) at the push of a button. Continuous Page Numbering Add-In


In addition, Shauna Kelly worked out some code which has been molded into a vba Add-In by several of the volunteer MVPs here. It is on Lene Fredborg's site as Word Toolkit for Advanced Management of Word Headers and Footers. It makes it relatively easy to examine each section in a document. It shows sections which display no headers or footers because they are in the middle of a page.

Answer 3

You haven't specified which problem you have encountered with sections, but your suggestion to manually add a SEQ field on each page to create page numbering isn't going to help for large documents. If anything, it'll make the numbering more difficult to maintain.

Page number restarts, if that is the problem, can be fixed in the Page Number Format dialog box, which you'll need to access once for each section (in Word 2007 or later, click Insert | Page Number | Format Page Numbers).

Answer 4

SOLUTION FOLLOWS TEXT

This happens because Microsoft Word is broken.  It has serious inconsistencies in the implementation of Sections.  The band-aid fix was to automatically change section types in a programmers nightmare - self-modifying code.  Only fools do this - or programming teams that don't have a well-understood common language (i.e. English).  I'm sure Microsoft is well aware of the problem but most people don't use Sections and those that try it usually wind up going to another vendor.  As word processors go, Word is one of the worst I've ever used.   I usually spend about 30% of my time messing with it, and one day I'll probably take the plunge and dump it, I'm just afraid of other incompatibilities and inconsistencies from previous work that will crop up, causing me to correct all the workarounds that are in historical documents. 

If you need to use Sections, you may find relief and consistency from Word Perfect or some of the really sophisticated layout programs used by people who write books.  If you can afford the 30% overhead, keep using Word.  Just beware that Sections are not the only thing that doesn't work (and never has) in Word.

Many of the fields don't work - especially when you start messing with Sections at the same time.

This is called a monopoly, and its why lawmakers tried to find a solution decades ago.  Unfortunately, the concentration of wealth is a self-sustaining perpetual motion machine.

Ever wonder what happened to OLE, and why we have a kinder garden alternative today?

I long for the days of VAX and Digital Equipment Corp.

Anyway, my workaround does not require macros or programming.

1.  In your document anywhere on page 1 type CTRL-F9 and insert the following into the bracket:

     seq \h pagenum

     then close the brackets with F9

2.  In the footer where you want the number to appear type CTRL-F9 and insert the following into the bracket:

    seq pagenum \c

    then close the brackets with F9

3.  Put the hidden field (No. 1 above) anywhere on each subsequent page, and your page numbers will instantly update.   Before you publish, just run through the page numbers to make sure they are OK.  If you see them jump by 2, you will find two hidden fields on that page.  If they don't move - you guessed it - the hidden field is missing from that page.

You will notice the hidden field (with the \h) is truly hidden on the page, but it changes the page number, and since it's the "closest" pagenum sequence it gets picked up in the footer.   I'm experimenting with this solution and will update if I find any issues shortly. 

OK, just finished verifying that this solution works.  If you need to change the location of the hidden field you must toggle all of your field codes to see the hidden field, so I suggest you wait until you are done or almost done before inserting the hidden fields, but this solution has no problem with sections messing it up.

Answer 5

Sounds like the type of section break is "Odd page." You can see the "missing page" in the Backstage view (Ctrl+F2). Place the insertion point on the first page of section 10; then change the "Section start" to "Next page" in the Page Setup dialog box.

To open the dialog box, click the dialog launcher (the little arrow on the bottom right) of the Page Setup group on the Page Layout tab.