Long Section Heading causing Header render issue (Word for Windows)

Question

Followup to two different questions previously asked that is now locked due to time elapsed that are related to each other. When one issue is fixed, it creates the second issue and vice versa -frustrating.

1. Single long Heading causing multiple TOC page entries with same page number, and
2. Long Section Heading causing Header render issue (Word for Windows).

The simplest solution to the first issue would to be what John Korchok suggested, use soft return on in title headings. Thus, "... the heading will appear in the TOC in one line ...". Works great. Thanks John!

However, that creates a the second issue, long section heading render issue. I was not able to make Jay Freedman MVP suggestion work, which based on my understanding might be the best way to go. I did not fully understand Doug Robbins - MVP Office Apps & Services (Word) MVP.

How do I solve these two issues without affecting each other?

Thanks!

Answer 1

It would apply to any heading or any other text. But you would need to use a character style overlaid on the heading paragraph style.

Answer 2

I'll try to step you through the fix for the header issue.

Without being able to see the actual document, I'll assume that you have a STYLEREF field in the header, which repeats the long heading. I also assume that the document doesn't contain any section breaks or, if there are any, there isn't one immediately before the long heading. So the task is to isolate the page(s) that run between that heading and the next heading into a separate section.

To do that, put the cursor at the beginning of the long heading's paragraph. Then click Layout > Breaks > Continuous. If you turn on nonprinting characters, it will look like this:

Next repeat this step for the next heading of the same level. The part of the document between these two section breaks (which I'll call the "middle section") is now a separate section from the parts before it and after it.

So far, the headers in all the sections are the same, because each one is "linked" to the one before it. To be able to change the header in the section between the two section breaks, you have to disconnect the header in the middle section from the one before it, and disconnect the header in the following section from the one in the middle section.

Put the cursor somewhere in the middle section. Double-click in the header area to open it, and click the "Link to Previous" button in the Header & Footer ribbon to turn it off.

This will make the "Same as Previous" tag on the header's dotted line disappear.

Next repeat this step for the section after the second section break, so that section's header is not connected to the middle section's header.

Finally, go back to the middle section's header. Delete the STYLEREF field, and type in the first part of the long heading to replace it.

Because the headers of the three sections have been unlinked from each other, editing the middle section's header won't affect either of the other two sections' headers.

There can be a complication, depending on how your document is formatted. If you have turned on "Different Odd & Even Pages", what is shown above will affect only the odd-numbered pages. The even-numbered pages' header will remain the same as before. If the even-numbered pages' heading is supplied with a STYLEREF field for the same style, you'll have to repeat the unlinking and editing steps for that heading. If you have anything in the footers, they will also have to be given the same treatment.

Answer 3

Are you using a StyleRef field to echo the heading in the header? StyleRef fields can be maddening. They retain line breaks but ignore direct font formatting (except for Hidden formatting, which they honor). You might want to see http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/StyleRef.htm#PartialHeading

Answer 4

Here is Susan Barnhill's page on setting up a Table of Contents. She explains TC fields in more depth.

Jay's answer is correct, but you have to be familiar with inserting section breaks and disconnecting adjacent headers to make it work. When you don't understand a technical answer, try an internet search on the terms you don't understand. The information is almost always available with the right search terms.

Answer 5

You previous suggestion "soft return" works just fine, and TOC is displaying correctly.

Just can't seem to get past the second issue relating to header, thanks though.