Sections cause gaps in document map?

Question

I'm navigating a large word for mac 2011 document via the document map side pane. However, since I added odd page section breaks between chapters the document map displays with massive chunks of space where the section breaks are. This make it hard to navigate - lots of scrolling... Can I set preferences to ignore section breaks in the document map?

Thanks in anticipation!

Answer 1

It isn't the Section Breaks that are creating the problem. The Document Map has no awareness of Section Breaks, its content is based strictly on paragraph formatting using Heading Styles or Styles that include the Outline Level 1-9 attribute.

Without seeing the document my first guess is that the return key has been used to manufacture 'blank space' in the document. If you'll display the non-printing characters (¶) you'll see that there is a vertical series of those symbols in the document, i.e.;

¶

¶

¶

¶

¶

¶

Those symbols represent empty paragraphs that correspond to the gaps in the Document Map Pane. Each one of those paragraphs carries the Style formatting that causes it to be recognized as a Heading. If you delete those meaningless empty paragraphs the gaps in the Document Map will be removed as well.

If there is a valid reason to have vertical space in the document there are more appropriate ways to do it rather than beating on the return key :-)

Answer 2

Update: of course you were right Bob... after yet further examination it turns out there was a sneaky paragraph symbol immediately preceding each odd page section break!

Thanks for your help!

Answer 3

Thanks Bob - I've checked carefully and I don't think it's errant empty paragraphs... I have even and odd page footers set up too but the only places that seem to have gaps in the document map correspond with odd page section breaks...