Chapter numbers

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Matze
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Chapter numbers

Post by Matze »

I am writing a book with chapters and I am truly missing NWCs chapter numbers and define numbers dialogue.
Is there any chance to get that back in a future version of NWP?
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phspaelti
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by phspaelti »

Hello Matze,
while I miss the NW Classic form of auto-numbers as well, I am wondering: How do the current list based numbers not work for your case? What type of numbering did you want?
It should be easy to set up a list type ("Chapter") which numbers across the whole document and attach this to a chapter heading style, etc.
Do you need something else?
philip
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Matze
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by Matze »

Hi Philip!
What do I want? I want to type a chapternumber (and a chapter subnumber) by typing COM1 (COM 11), as I did in NWC. And I do NOT want to get a further chapternumber when hitting return afterwards, which is MS Word like and may be handy for lists, but not for chapters.
I DONT want to be forced to insert any special paragraph or style before I insert that chapter number, just the number. And if it is inserted I just want to write further.
And I want to be able to place these numbers whereever I want, into the text and into the find/replace window.
I do not see, how this would be possible with the list palette.

Best regards! Matze
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martin
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by martin »

I think Philip's suggestion to use a list style is the best one. It might not behave exactly as you remember in Nisus Writer Classic, but you should be able to achieve most of what you want. Here's what I'd recommend:

1. Configure a list style so the automatic list item shows the text "Chapter N" and it continues numbering across the whole document.
2. Create a paragraph style that enforces this list style, let's call it "Chapter Heading". Set the next style for this paragraph style to "Normal", so you don't get a second chapter heading/number after you press return.
3. Use NWP's Menu Key preferences to assign this paragraph style the keyboard shortcut "COM1", or whatever you like.

I'm attaching an example document that shows the results.

An alternate approach would be to use a separate section for each chapter. You can then insert section numbers anywhere and treat them as chapter numbers, without worrying about (or enjoying) all the automation that comes with paragraph and list styles.
Attachments
chapters.zrtf
(2.87 KiB) Downloaded 819 times
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Matze
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by Matze »

Hi Martin,

thank you for your solutions!
But how do I make a paragraph style enforce a list style?

But it is nonetheless akward, that you have to create styles although you just want to use chapters. Wouldn't it be nice NWP rather would offer the user to create chapters instead?
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phspaelti
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by phspaelti »

Matze wrote:But how do I make a paragraph style enforce a list style?
Switch to the Style Sheet view and apply the list style to the paragraph style.
Matze wrote:But it is nonetheless akward, that you have to create styles although you just want to use chapters. Wouldn't it be nice NWP rather would offer the user to create chapters instead?
The advantage of attaching the numbering to the chapter heading style is that usually you want the chapter heading to have a consistent style anyway (e.g., heavier font weight or larger font size, special font, maybe color etc.) You can also add other things. For example you can have it automatically included in the TOC, which also allows you to see the document structure in the Navigator.
Also if it's attached to a style it's much easier to change later.
philip
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Matze
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by Matze »

Hi Philip,

thank you. This wasn't obvious to me, because I do not use styles at all. I just write in Courier 12 and that's it. No formatting whatsoever. Only chapternumbers ;-)
Now, if I hit COM1 a chapternumber appears, I can write some text, hit return and go on with no further number. Great

BUT. if I decide to put a chapternumber in front of some text, because I find this paragraph to be a single chapter, than the whole paragraph is inverted. Altough I just want to have this number in front of the text, nothing else. So I have to set the ruler as well.
AND ... I can not put the chapternumber in front of any text, it appears in front of the whole paragraph, of course, it is a paragraph style. You could do that in NWC and it was very handy, so you could number whatever you wanted.

This is MS Word like. What I loved about NWC was that everything in your doc and your programm was set to be plain. If you wanted to have formats, rulers, styles, you had to do it yourself. In NWP, the software sometimes thinks for me and it makes the software do things I didn't tell it to do.
It's like autotext or grammar and orthography underlining. If I want that, I want to have the choice to switch it ON, NOT to switch it OFF.
As you said: "that usually you want the chapter heading to have a consistent style anyway" Only, and even then not necessarily, you want to have a heading. As I said, I don't want no styles in my doc at all. It is just text.
But the TOC thingy looks pretty handy ;)

Best Matze
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phspaelti
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by phspaelti »

Well here is one more idea. I have written a simple macro that inserts a number as simple text digits, marked with delimiters. In the current set-up the delimiters are 3 zero-width spaces, so you don't even see them.
Every time you run the macro, a new number is inserted, and all the other numbers are updated to stay in sequence. The macro is really simple, in that it only updates the numbers when you run it. If you delete or reorder numbers, you will have to run it again to get the numbers updated. If you (accidentally) delete the delimiters it won't work right. Also you can have only one set of numbers in the document, and the numbering starts at 1.
AutoNumber.nwm
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philip
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Matze
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by Matze »

Philip you really are too kind, as you always have been in the old dartmouth-times. Thank you!!

@nisus-team. Please reconsider NWPs chapter functions.
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martin
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by martin »

Consider it considered Matze!
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by Anne Cuneo »

In the meantime, you could also use (as I do) Section Break between chapters. I find it very useful – so useful that I had forgotten the Chapter feature of Nisus Classic, which I also used.
Anne
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CrisB
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by CrisB »

Matze wrote: I do NOT want to get a further chapternumber when hitting return afterwards, which is MS Word like and may be handy for lists, but not for chapters.
Martin sent me a macro which clears styles and everything when used, and I've set it as Option Return keystroke (using QuicKeys) when I don't want anything at all applied to the next line. Very helpful, it overcomes the current lack of Format>Remove Everything (because Remove Attributes and Styles does not always remove a List Style).

Thanks again Martin. :)
Attachments
No-list Newline.nwm
Macro to eliminate list style on newline
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Matze
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by Matze »

CrisB wrote:
Matze wrote: I do NOT want to get a further chapternumber when hitting return afterwards, which is MS Word like and may be handy for lists, but not for chapters.
Martin sent me a macro which clears styles and everything when used, and I've set it as Option Return keystroke (using QuicKeys) when I don't want anything at all applied to the next line. Very helpful, it overcomes the current lack of Format>Remove Everything (because Remove Attributes and Styles does not always remove a List Style).

Thanks again Martin. :)
Have I ever thanked you, CrisB (for posting) and of course you Martin (for that Macro)? No, I didn’t. So, thank you both!!

Best Matze
chris.sackett
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by chris.sackett »

phspaelti wrote:Well here is one more idea. I have written a simple macro that inserts a number as simple text digits, marked with delimiters. In the current set-up the delimiters are 3 zero-width spaces, so you don't even see them.
Every time you run the macro, a new number is inserted, and all the other numbers are updated to stay in sequence. The macro is really simple, in that it only updates the numbers when you run it. If you delete or reorder numbers, you will have to run it again to get the numbers updated. If you (accidentally) delete the delimiters it won't work right. Also you can have only one set of numbers in the document, and the numbering starts at 1.
I am trying to use AutoNumber with Cross-references that would also update automatically. What part of the AutoNumber should I select in order to define the bookmark? Should it be just the number, or do I need to include the delimiters as well?
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phspaelti
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Re: Chapter numbers

Post by phspaelti »

chris.sackett wrote:I am trying to use AutoNumber with Cross-references that would also update automatically. What part of the AutoNumber should I select in order to define the bookmark? Should it be just the number, or do I need to include the delimiters as well?
Hello Chris,
you are quoting the explanation about my macro (and referring to "delimiters") while simultaneously talking about auto-numbers.
Nisus style list numbers (= auto-numbers?) can be cross-referenced directly without needing to create bookmarks. That works great.
The numbers inserted by my macro, which are not "auto" in any real sense, would need to be bookmarked first. But I am worried that if you do that and then re-run the macro that the bookmarks would be removed each time. I haven't tried that at all.
philip
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