Problems with autonumbering AND applying style to ONLY one section

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Harvey Forman
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Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:36 pm

Problems with autonumbering AND applying style to ONLY one section

Post by Harvey Forman »

Ive been using scrivener the last few years for my project but just upgraded to Mellel 4 and moved the text into Mellel. My reason for coming back to Mellel was to autonumber paragraphs, and also for its indexing and bibliogrphy features, which I'll need this next spring (2018).

I'm having 2 serious problems and yes, I have looked at the relevent videos multiple times.

I want to have the paragraphs in the body of the text to have continuous autonumbering, but NOT the autotitles, which I'm using as "chapter titles" even though most of the book is just 1 section. Yes I have configured the TOC tab separately, but it doesn't help. And when I generate a TOC, it add the autonumbering there as well.

The second problem is configuring the generated TOC as a separate section with a different style sheet that doesn't include autonumbering. At the end of the TOC I inserted both a section break (it didn't work) and then also a page style break (it still didn't work). When I then select the text of the TOC (which should be a separate section and appears to end with a section break icon and page break icon), and apply the default style to the selected text, it applies the default style to the entire manuscript, bit just the separate section I am selecting.

I've since figured out how to make scrivener do autonumbering through the compile process, so I could go back to scrivener for the autonumbering I need, but that won't help me with indexing or bibliography.

I understand the long-term benefits of using style sheets, but it seems Mellel needs to be more user-friendly in configuring them. I've browsed the forum and see other people with similar, still unresolved complaints.

Any help or suggestion will be greatly appreciated. Also, have a happy Thanksgiving!

regards,
Harvey Forman
Icelander
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Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2014 10:59 pm

Re: Problems with autonumbering AND applying style to ONLY one section

Post by Icelander »

Hello Harvey,

I want to have the paragraphs in the body of the text to have continuous autonumbering, but NOT the autotitles, which I'm using as "chapter titles"

1. To auto number the paragraphs you use List. Select the paragraphs you want numbered, and make sure that there is only one Return after each of them (otherwise the empty paragraphs will also be numbered.) Click on the right arrow in the List palette to start the list. Change the symbol type from •Bullet (which is the default) to Arabic (1,2,3,4)

2. Select each chapter title and assign it the Auto-Title "Heading 1". In case the chapter title has now a number, click on the pencil in the Auto-title palette, and delete Curr# (which stands for the current level) before the Title bubble. Leave only a "Title" bubble in the edit field. Now no numbers should appear before the chapter titles.

3. If you don't want numbers to appear before chapter titles in the TOC, then do the same for the TOC format as you did in 2.

The second problem is configuring the generated TOC as a separate section with a different style sheet that doesn't include autonumbering.
Then make sure that there are no level numbers in the TOC format (i.e. no Curr#)
When I then select the text of the TOC (which should be a separate section and appears to end with a section break icon and page break icon), and apply the default style to the selected text, it applies the default style to the entire manuscript, bit just the separate section I am selecting.
If I understand correctly what you are saying, then you are putting the cart before the horse. You should format the TOC *before* you insert it, that is, the format is controlled in the TOC format in the Auto-Title palette.

In the following screenshot we see how the TOC for the default Auto-Title setup is configured. If you don't want the headings to be numbered, then you must delete them from the setup.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/5yw39xm351n7u9e/TOC.png

I've since figured out how to make scrivener do autonumbering through the compile process, so I could go back to scrivener for the autonumbering I need, but that won't help me with indexing or bibliography.
You don't need any auto-numbering in Scrivener if you use (a numbered) List in Mellel. I don't understand why auto-numbering in Scrivener should be able to help you with the bibliography or the indexing in Mellel.
HarveyForman
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Re: Problems with autonumbering AND applying style to ONLY one section

Post by HarveyForman »

Icelander,

Thanks for your reply and attempt to help. But I can't seem to make it work. The Curr# element was already removed from both style and autotitle in both the main and TOC tabs. And I am going crazy because when I select ONLY a specific section (such as 2 paragraphs with only 1 return between them), whatever I apply ends up applying to the entire manuscript, not just the selected text.

I'm sure the problem is with me somehow, as others are using Mellel quite successfully, but I don't have te time to fight with Mellel right now. I've moved everything back into scrivener for the next few months of work, and will possibly revisit Mellel in the spring or summer of 2018, when I may need to seriously think about indexes and bibliographies.

Again, I want to thanlk you for your effort to help.

regards,
Harvey
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