Bullets and Numbering

A bulleted paragraph begins with a bullet or other graphical symbol (triangle, arrow, etc.) followed by a tab then the text. Such a paragraph is always formatted as a hanging paragraph.

A numbered paragraph begins with a number or letter followed by a period or right parenthesis, then a tab, then the text. Such a paragraph is always formatted as a hanging paragraph.

Be sure to review the AutoFormatfeature of Microsoft Word to avoid possible frustration!

Creating Bulleted or Numbered Paragraphs

There a three ways to do this:

• Create a hanging paragraph using the ruler then enter the bullet or number
• Use the numbering or paragraph buttons on the toolbar
• Choose Format Bullets and Numbering … to open the Bullets and Numbering dialog box

The Numbering/Bullets Toolbar Buttons

The Numbering Button

Number Paragraph Button Word XP	Number Paragraph Button Word X

If the paragraph the cursor is currently in, or the selected paragraphs, are not numbered or are currently bulleted, then when you click on the Numbering button, the paragraph(s)

• is (are) automatically converted to the hanging indent style and bullets, if present, are removed
• and a code is inserted for the number so that
  • new paragraphs added subsequently are automatically numbered consecutively
  • new paragraphs inserted in between already existing, numbered paragraphs result in all paragraphs being renumbered correctly

If the paragraph the cursor is currently in, or the selected paragraphs, are currently numbered, then when you click on the Numbering button, numbering of the paragraph(s) is removed and the paragraph style reverts to standard, block style.

The Bullets Button

Bullet Paragraph Button Word XP	Bullet Paragraph Button Word X

If the paragraph the cursor is currently in, or the selected paragraphs, are not bulleted or are currently numbered, then when you click on the Bullets button, the paragraph(s)

• is (are) automatically converted to the hanging indent style and numbers, if present, are removed
• and a code is inserted for the bullet so that
  • new paragraphs added after existing are automatically bulleted

If the paragraph the cursor is currently in, or the selected paragraphs, are bulleted, then when you click on the Bullets button, bulleting of the paragraph(s) is removed and the paragraph style reverts to standard, block style.

The Bullets and Numbering Dialog Box

With this dialog box you can fully customize the bulleting and numbering of paragraphs. In Word XP, the dialog box consists of four “tabs”, Bulleted, Numbered, Outline Numbered, and List Styles. In Word X, the dialog box consists of three “tabs”, Bulleted, Numbered, and Outline Numbered.

The Bulleted Tab

Bullets and Numbering Dialog Box Bulleted Tab Selected Word XP	Bullets and Numbering Dialog Box Bulleted Tab Selected Word X

Select the bullet style you like by clicking in one of the eight windows. If a paragraph is already bulleted, clicking “None” will remove the bullets and restore the paragraph to a standard, block style paragraph.

If you click on one of the bullet styles (in other words, one of the boxes other than “None”) and then on thebutton, you will be presented with the Customize Bulleted List dialog box:

Custom Bullet List Dialog Box Word XP	Custom Bullet List Dialog Box Word X

In this box you can

• select a bullet symbol by clicking in one of the six windows
• or, if you want a different symbol, you can click the (Word XP) or (Word X) button to access the Symbol dialog box (see also Using Special Characters )
• or, if you want to use a picture instead of a symbol, you can click the (Word XP) or (Word X)button to select a picture. For Word X, note that the Picture button is on the Bullets and Numbering dialog box while it is on the Custom Bullet List dialog box for Word XP.
• in either case, if you want a different font, click the (Word XP) or (Word X) button to access the Font dialog box
• the position of the bullet symbol relative to the left margin is set by the [Indent at:] box under “Bullet Position”
• the position of the text relative to the bullet symbol is set by the [Indent at:] box under “Text Position”

The Numbered Tab

Bullets and Numbering Dialog Box Numbered Tab Selected Word XP	Bullets and Numbering Dialog Box Numbered Tab Selected Word X

Select the numbering style you like by clicking in one of the eight windows. If a paragraph is already numbered, clicking “None” will remove the numbers and restore the paragraph to a standard, block style paragraph.

If you click on one of the number styles (in other words, one of the boxes other than “None”) and then on thebutton, you will be presented with the Customize Numbered List dialog box. 

Custom Number List Dialog Box Word XP	Custom Number List Dialog Box Word X

In this box you can

• select a number style by selecting from the dropdown list under [Number style]; the style selected will appear in the [Number Format] window immediately above
• if there is not a preset number style you like in the dropdown list under [Number style], you may type your own style in the [Number Format] window; [Number style] will now read “None”
• select a starting number in the [Start at:] box
• in either case, if you want a different font, click the (Word XP) or (Word X) button to access the Font dialog box
• the position of the number relative to the left margin is set under “Number Position”
  • the dropdown list allows you to select the type of tab stop for the number position
  • the [Align at:] box sets the position of that tab stop
  • why is the type of tab stop important?

    If you are using numbers, then numbers are properly aligned by the decimal point or the rightmost digit if no decimal point is present. If your itemized list consists of 9 or fewer numbers you will not notice whether the number is aligned “left”, “center”, or “right”. However, if you list consists of 10 or more items, then only right aligned numbers will be correctly aligned. The same is true for any list containing roman numerals. Try the different number styles with left, center and right aligned and watch the Preview box.

    The bottom line: Never use “left” or “center” alignment on any numbered list with numbers or roman numerals.

• the position of the text relative to the number is set by the [Indent at:] box under “Text Position”

The Outline Numbered Tab

This tab allows you to create a type of list that cannot be created from the toolbar. An outline numbered list has multiple levels as shown in the windows when you first select this tab. Word can automatically number such lists, applying a different number style to each level, and restarting the numbering where appropriate. This tab can be very useful, the customization is the same as described above with the additional capability of setting the style differently for each level of your list. You can create some very useful and complicated outlines with this tool. For example, if you needed to created a numbered list with lettered items under each number (think multiple choice test), you should use the Outline Numbered tab.

When typing such a list, you must remember three rules of outlining:

• whenever you press <Enter>/<Return> you will make a new outline item at the same level as the previous item
• to Demote an item, press <Tab> before entering any new text after pressing <Enter>/<Return> 
• to Promote an item, press <Shift-Tab> before entering any new text after pressing <Enter>/<Return> 

	The Outlined Numbered tab of the Bullets and Numbering dialog box in Word XP. Note the 7 different preset styles.
	The Outlined Numbered tab of the Bullets and Numbering dialog box in Word X. Note the 7 different preset styles.
	The Customize dialog box for Outline Numbering in Word XP. Click onfor additional choices. Note that there are nine different outline levels available. To customize any level, first select that level in the scrolling Level list. Then make your selections. Continue with each level as needed.
	The Customize dialog box for Outline Numbering in Word X. Click onfor additional choices. Note that there are nine different outline levels available. To customize any level, first select that level in the scrolling Level list. Then make your selections. Continue with each level as needed.

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last updated August 12, 2003