Eliminate line numbers on blank lines?

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TDMedia - 30 Mar 2006 19:27 GMT

How can I set Word to refrain from assigning line numbers to blank
lines? It's a bit of a pain having to go through each document to
remove the numbers on paragraph breaks, etc.

Thanks!

Tom M

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Suzanne S. Barnhill - 30 Mar 2006 19:48 GMT

Word does not number blank lines if they are created correctly. It does
number empty paragraphs. The solution is to eliminate empty paragraphs and
create "blank lines" by adding Space Before or After to your text through
the Format | Paragraph dialog.

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Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

> How can I set Word to refrain from assigning line numbers to blank
> lines? It's a bit of a pain having to go through each document to
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Tom M

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TDMedia - 30 Mar 2006 22:10 GMT

Sorry, Suzanne. I'm not quite getting your explanation. Can you give
me a blow-by-blow, as if you're talking to an idiot? Thanks!

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Greg - 30 Mar 2006 22:22 GMT

Tom

See:
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Count_Lines_of_Text.htm
for an illustration on why your "blank" lines are being numbered.

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Suzanne S. Barnhill - 30 Mar 2006 23:35 GMT

In addition to what Greg says (and his graphics are worth 1,000 words of
mine, no matter how simple), if you insist on using empty paragraphs to
create "blank lines," then you'll have to suppress line numbering in those
paragraphs (on the Line and Page Breaks tab of Format | Paragraph), but the
only efficient way to do that would be with a style, and if you're going to
learn to use styles, you might as well save time by learning to use a style
with Space Before or After.

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> Tom
>
> See:
> http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Count_Lines_of_Text.htm
> for an illustration on why your "blank" lines are being numbered.

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TDMedia - 31 Mar 2006 02:00 GMT

All right. I guess I AM an idiot. It's amazing how I can do some of
the things I do when I can't understand a word either of you are
saying.

Suzanne: I ultimately managed to fix the last problem you tried to
help me with (forms), but it took a whole bunch of trial and error on
my own. I guess I'm not good at written directions.

Thanks, anyway!

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Suzanne S. Barnhill - 31 Mar 2006 02:13 GMT

Just look at Greg's pictures. You need to remove the empty paragraphs and
add Format | Paragraph to add space using Space Before/After.

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> All right. I guess I AM an idiot. It's amazing how I can do some of
> the things I do when I can't understand a word either of you are
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> Thanks, anyway!

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TDMedia - 31 Mar 2006 02:42 GMT

>>>>You need to remove the empty paragraphs and add Format | Paragraph to add space using Space Before/After.<<<<

Do you understand that what you've written is complete goobledeegook to
someone with no clue? I know it makes sense to you and it must be
totally frustrating that I don't get it, but the sentence above may as
well have been written in Greek. "Format / Paragraph" and "Space
Before/After" taken out of whatever context they belong in mean
absolutely nothing to me.

Sorry. I'll just keep using my "undisciplined" formatting and erase
the numbers where I don't want 'em! :(

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Greg - 31 Mar 2006 02:57 GMT

TDMedia,

You can do as you please, but it should be apparent to you that
Suzannne and I are both trying to help you and not frustrate you.

Concede if you will, that the reason your "blank" lines are being
counted (or marked with line numbers) is because they are a line. Just
like a jar that is empty is still a jar!!

You create these empty jars when you press the enter key in Word and
then press it again without putting something in the jar that you just
created.

Jars are counted and marked with line (jar) numbers regardless if they
are empty or not.

Now if you want to create space between these jars, then redefine your
paragraph format (jar definition) to include "space before" or "space
after."

You do that by clicking on the "Format" menu. Then selecting the
"Paragraph" command. Then try looking at the dialog box that opens and
see if the fog doesn't lift.

Good luck.

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TDMedia - 31 Mar 2006 15:17 GMT

>>>>You can do as you please, but it should be apparent to you that Suzannne and I are both trying to help you and not frustrate you.<<<<

That's definitely apparent, and I thank you both. I guess the lack of
emoticons on this forum made my post appear a little more "aggressive"
than it should have been.

My business (I produce custom telephone "on-hold" info programs) forces
me to express technical data in the most basic, fool-proof manner, so
that virtually anybody can understand and not feel "left out." Your
apparent assumption that I understood your references to certain menu
items and commands left me feeling like a complete moron. It's not
your fault. Perhaps this group is for more tech-headed users. I am
extremely capable of performing some of the most advanced tasks
involving my computer, but I always need the most basic instructions at
first. Once I understand the theory behind what I'm doing, within an
hour, I've usually mastered it. But when something is explained to me
in terms I've never heard before, I instantly become a bumbling
numbskull.

Thank you, again, for your input. This particular skill (eliminating
blank lines and numbers) will not likely come to me based on the
information in this post. However, I will continue to experiment and
will probably figure it out within a few weeks.

TM

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Greg Maxey - 31 Mar 2006 23:31 GMT

While removed from it now I used to assemble nuclear weapons. I thought
that I knew how to both follow and produce simple procedures. You are
testing my skill ;-)

Lets try one more time.

1. One of your documents that you have with "empty" numbered blank likes.
2. Press CTRL (the CTRL key) and Shift (the shift key) and the "*" key (the
one that shares space with the "8") all at one time.
3. You should see a backward "P" locking symbol at the end of all of your
paragraphs.
4. You will also see this symbol at the end of your empty paragraphs. You
create a new empty paragraph everytime you press the "Enter" key on the
keyboard.
5. Word counts empty paragraphs as a line. Remember the empty jar I spoke
of?
6. Now delete one of those empty paragraphs and it will no longer be
counted.
7. You want "space" between" your paragraphs not empty paragraphs between
your paragraphs. Or if you want space between every line then you want
"double spacing.
8. For the former, select your text and using the Format menu, select
Paragraph, using the Indents and spacing tab, spacing section either add
space after each paragraph (say 12 pts.) or use double line spacing.

Signature

Greg Maxey/Word MVP
See:
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/word_tips.htm
For some helpful tips using Word.

>>>>> You can do as you please, but it should be apparent to you that
>>>>> Suzannne and I are both trying to help you and not frustrate
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>
> TM

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Suzanne S. Barnhill - 31 Mar 2006 23:55 GMT

I wonder if the OP saw my post, posted 19 hours before yours, that said
pretty much the same thing.

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> While removed from it now I used to assemble nuclear weapons. I thought
> that I knew how to both follow and produce simple procedures. You are
[quoted text clipped - 48 lines]
> >
> > TM

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Suzanne S. Barnhill - 31 Mar 2006 04:11 GMT

Okay, here it is in easy steps:

1. Press Ctrl+* or click on the button that has a paragraph mark (¶) on it
to display nonprinting characters. You will see a paragraph mark (¶) at the
end of every paragraph of text.

2. Wherever you see a paragraph mark that doesn't have any text, press
Backspace or select it and press Delete.

3. In the next paragraph of text, press Ctrl+0 (zero). This will add 12
points of Space Before to your paragraph, which will be the equivalent of
the empty paragraph you just deleted.

4. Alternatively, you can go to the Paragraph dialog (by selecting Paragraph
on the Format menu, or by right-clicking and choosing Paragraph). In that
dialog, you will see a number of settings. Toward the bottom of the left
side is one labeled Spacing, with two spin boxes labeled Before and After.
If you click the up arrow in the Before box twice, you'll get 12 points
Space Before (the same thing you did with Ctrl+0). Or you can add Space
After, or both.

For reference, there are 72 points in an inch, so 12 points equals 1/6", the
same as a line space on a typewriter (which types 6 lines per inch).

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> >>>>You need to remove the empty paragraphs and add Format | Paragraph to add space using Space Before/After.<<<<
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Sorry. I'll just keep using my "undisciplined" formatting and erase
> the numbers where I don't want 'em! :(

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