switching from auto-numbering to regular numbering

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mbcohn
Jr. Propeller Head
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Oct 26, 2020 4:09 pm

switching from auto-numbering to regular numbering

Post by mbcohn »

Our documents are rigorously structured according to a numbering system. The documents themselves have numbers. Then, within each document, each H1 has a number that is composed of the document number, but it has an added decimal and some more digits. Then, each H2 has a number that is composed of the H1 number, followed by yet another decimal, and yet more digits. And so on, down to H4.

We wanted to import these documents into Flare. We hired some consultants to handle the migration process.

One thing the consultants decided to do, was to change all the numbers in all the headings to the auto-numbering system. Presumably, this was to normalize the files, and to make sure that we didn't skip over any numbers. Also, now with the auto-numbering system, if we add or delete a section, everything else falls into place as far as the numbering goes.

The problem, however, is that the people who work with these files, especially in Contributor, are likely to find this confusing. Because when the user of either application looks at these files, that user does not see the numbers that the end user sees. Instead, within each topic, the headings all start like this:
H2: 1.1
H3: 1.1.1
H4: 1.1.1.1

Well... I'm concerned that an end user of Contributor is going to find this frustrating, especially if they are the original author of the document. They are going to find it hard to edit, with the numbers so different from what they're used to.

Is there any remedy in this case? I guess the obvious step would be to revert back to straightforward numbering, not auto numbering. But is there an established way to automate that change? (Yes, it could make manual numbering errors more likely.)

Or is there a better way? I sure wish there was some kind of skin we could put on Contributor to protect users from having to see the auto-numbering innards like this. Surely I'm not the first to have this problem.
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