Word Captions Don't Format Correctly

Question

I'm creating a Word document that currently stands at 14 chapters. Chapters are separated by section breaks, page numbers appear in the footings, each section's footings are de-linked from the previous chapter's footings, and page numbers restart at 1 for each chapter. To this point all is working well.

I've created at Word table and I want to add a caption for the table. I place the cursor where I want to insert the caption, I click References>Insert Caption and the caption dialog opens. I click on New Label... and I type 'Table 0-' (single quotes are included here so that you can see precisely what I type, including spaces) and click OK. To this point all is working well.

When the New Label dialog closes and control is returned to the Caption dialog, the Caption field contains 'Table 0- 2' because the caption is being inserted on page 2 of the current chapter. However, Word has inserted a space character after the dash, and I do not want that space. In all other respects Word creates this caption correctly but I do not want the space and I don't understand why Word is inserting it.

My question: Why is Word inserting the space and how can I prevent Word from inserting the space so that my caption reads 'Table 0-2'?

Answer 1

The offending space is part of the new label you created. Word adds a space to the end of every caption label, both built-in and custom, intended to separate the label from the sequence number. If it didn't do that, a standard table caption would look like Table1 instead of Table 1.

Word won't let you delete the space from the sample in the Caption dialog

but you can delete it from the caption that it inserts in the document. You would have to do that each time you insert a caption that uses the custom label.

Answer 2

Charles clarified for me that I misread your question. :-(

The added space is probably just Word trying to be helpful, and guessing what the user wants.

However, as Charles already wrote, I think you will have to elaborate a bit. What are you trying to do, specifically, and why do you want a zero to be part of the caption label? I am asking about your objective, because someone may be able to suggest a more practical way.

Answer 3

First, prior to inserting a caption, select the item to which you are appending the caption, in this case, the Table.

The number appearing is not the page number, it is a SEQ field.

• https://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/complex_documents.htm#Caption

I do not think you want a label "Table 0-"

Look at your caption with non-printing formatting characters displayed as well as display of field codes.

Answer 4

The caption reads 'Table 0-<space>2' and should read 'Table 0-2'. And my question is: Why is Word inserting the <space>?

I have no explanation for the added space. I take it you have verified that you haven't inadvertently added a space at the end of the caption label?

Answer 5

When a Caption references zero, the reason is usually that its STYLEREF component is referencing a heading number that has been suppressed.

EDIT: Shortened reply, since I misunderstood the question. Thanks, Charles.