How MS Word is recognizing the text as a Heading?

Question

_{Thursday, May 19, 2011 2:52 PM}

I have a word document with a custom style. While checking the attributes of Custom Style, it is not showing any "Heading" there, but word is recognizing the text as some heading and while saving as PDF, and keeping "Create Bookmarks using Headings" option ON, it is creating a bookmark also. I tried very hard but could not figure out, how word is treating this custom style as a Heading. Can somebody help me in that?
Also how I can share my word file? I am not seeing option to upload the file.

All replies (6)

_{Thursday, May 19, 2011 3:58 PM ✅Answered}

Hi Uttam,

It sounds like when you created the style you created if from a Heading style. To check this, open the custom style to modify it and look in the "Style based on:" list box. If it says Heading # then that's the issue. Change it to be based on something else, or even Nothing. Before clicking Ok select the Format button and choose Paragraph. If there's an Outline level listed you'll probably want to clear that also.

Ok out of the Paragraph dialog and before you Ok out of the Modify Style dialog, make sure you mark the button for "New documents based on this template".

Hope this helps

Wag and they wag with you, Howl and they put you outside. http://greatcirclelearning.com

_{Thursday, May 19, 2011 4:16 PM ✅Answered}

Thanks Rich for answering and it solves the problem amazingly!!

In the "Style based on:" list box, it was set to "No Style" but Outline level was set to "Level 1"under Paragraph. Setting it to Body Text solved the issue.

Can you tell me why the Word is treating it as a Heading Style if "Outline level" is set??

_{Thursday, May 19, 2011 4:22 PM ✅Answered}

Although the options dialog box in the Save as PDF option says "Headings", I think what Word actually looks at is "Outline Levels". You can apply a Level 1 etc. to any paragraph (e.g. in Outline View or in the Format Paragraph dialog), even when it is not even in a MultiLevel list.

One of the advantages of using the standard Heading styles for Headings is in fact that the Outline level is fixed for each Heading style, (e.g. Heading 2 is Level 2, and you can't change it. At least not as far as I know!)

Peter Jamieson

_{Thursday, May 19, 2011 4:26 PM}

Thanks a lot Peter :)

_{Thursday, May 19, 2011 5:41 PM}

Well, you got there first!

But I hadn't actually seen your response and Rich's when I posted. So just to pick up your question...

> Can you tell me why the Word is treating it as a Heading Style if "Outline level" is set??

Word's dialog box just says "Headings", not "Heading styles." Perhaps it is just an accident, but I do not envy the task of whoever had to decide the text even for this one entry in this dialog box. I don't suppose many users would understand "Outline Levels" or "Multilevel Lists", but "Heading Style" would arguably be incorrect. So maybe someone hit on the "Headings" compromise. 

And they have to do that in each of the interface languages they try to support and it's probably not all that helpful to "get it right in English, then translate," either!

Peter Jamieson

_{Thursday, May 19, 2011 6:05 PM}

Hi Uttam,

Glad it's now working for you and I see Peter has answered your other question.

Take care

Wag and they wag with you, Howl and they put you outside. http://greatcirclelearning.com