Changing the Style of Your Bullets or Numbering

So far we've created both bulleted and numbered outlines with the default formatting. However, there are a host of styles of both bullets and numbers. You can customize both bullets and numbering. To change an existing bullet style, use the following steps.

1. Select Format, Bullets to display the Bullets task pane as shown in Figure 14.14.

   Figure 14.14. You can use the Bullets task pane to customize your bullets.

   

2. Click anywhere on the line of the outline you want to change.

3. Click the new bullet style from the Task pane to apply the change.

You can change the style of any existing bullet, however there's no way to create an entirely new bullet scheme.

If you want to apply the same bullet style to several levels of the outline, you can use your mouse or Tablet PC pen to select multiple levels of the outline before you choose a new bullet style.

You can change your numbering scheme in a similar fashion. Choose Numbering from the Format menu to display the Numbering task pane, as shown in Figure 14.15.

Figure 14.15. Use the Numbering task pane to choose a new numbering style.

To apply a numbering scheme, first select the portion of the outline you want to change. You might want to change the scheme for the entire outline or only for a portion. Once you have the appropriate lines selected, just click the numbering scheme once in the Task pane. The outline's numbering scheme will change immediately.

If you select the entire outline but only want to apply the numbering scheme on a single level, use the Change numbers on drop-down to choose the level you need to change.

Customize Your Numbering Scheme

Click Customize Numbering in the Numbering task pane to further customize your numbering, as shown in Figure 14.16.

Figure 14.16. You can customize both your sequence and format.

caution

Be very careful when modifying the numbering scheme for a numbered list or outline. Any changes you make to the numbering scheme will affect only the part of the outline you have currently selected. It's entirely possible to create a numbered list where the numbering follows no logical order at all.

The top box, Apply a sequence, allows you to control the type of numbering you need. For example, you can take a list formatted with 1., 2., 3., 4. and change it to a, b, c, d. Just highlight the entire list, and choose a, b, c, d, e from the Apply a sequence box.

After you've chosen a sequence, you can also apply a format. If you don't like a, b, c, d, e, you can change the format to a>, b>, c>, d>, e>.

caution

Go slowly when changing the numbering sequence and format on a numbered outline. You can often end up with unexpected results. If you select a sequence or format you don't like, just select Undo from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+Z to undo your changes.

Be very careful changing sequences and formatting. If you want to affect the entire outline, you'll need to select every line of the outline before you begin. Otherwise, you could end up with two parts of the same outline with different sequences and formats. This can be quite confusing, as shown in Figure 14.17.

Figure 14.17. Changing the sequence for only part of an outline can produce confusing results.

Advanced Numbering Settings

There are a couple of advanced settings you can access from the Customize Numbering task pane. You can change the alignment of your bullets or numbers by choosing either Left or Right from the Adjust alignment options. It's difficult to discern the difference between left and right alignment unless you have a numbering scheme that extends into two and three digits. For example, in Figure 14.18, the top numbered list is aligned left and the bottom numbered list is aligned right.

Figure 14.18. Aligning your numbering either left or right can give your lists a slightly different look.

You can adjust the spacing between the number in the list and the text of the numbered item by entering a different value in the Adjust spacing from text box.

caution

Renumbering a list doesn't always produce reliable results. Choosing Undo from the Edit menu can quickly undo the last change you made to your outline or list. If you attempt to renumber your list and don't like the results, you can always use this menu option to return to your previous numbering scheme.

If you want to renumber your list automatically, select the entire list and change the value in the Start list at box. OneNote will automatically renumber your list for you.

As with any change you make in the Bullets, Numbering, or Customize Numbering task pane, renumbering your list is an immediate operation. However, it's easy to undo. Either change the number in the Start list at box back to its original value or choose Undo from the Edit menu.

The Absolute Minimum

In this chapter you learned how to create an outline from scratch. You learned

• How to create a bulleted outline

• How to create a numbered outline

• How to create a numbered list

• How to customize your bullets and numbering

• How to correctly apply a numbering scheme

• How to renumber your list with a couple of clicks

The next chapter explores some advanced outlining features and shows you how to take existing text and turn it into an outline. While many of the same techniques you learned in this chapter apply to converting existing text into an outline, you'll learn some tips and tricks for taking writing entered on a Tablet PC and turning it into an organized and formatted outline.