Numbering problems in a book

[Combs, Richard]

Andy Smith wrote:
 
> I've followed the instructions, added the cross reference from the pod,
> chosen the Paragraph Tag (Figure n+) from the list, selected specific
> paragraph from the Paragraphs list and chosen the format 'Figure No.'
> from the Formats list.
> 
> When I click insert I get 'Figure <n>' instead of 'Figure 19'. I've
> tried saving it, updating references and even printing it but I can't
> get it to display the actual figure number.

In the Cross-Reference dialog box, with the format Figure No. selected in the Format field, click Edit Format. In the Edit Cross-Reference Format dialog box, what's displayed in the Definition box? It sounds like someone has typed in "Figure <n>" as the definition, since there is no building block that would produce this output. 

To get the complete autonumber of the paragraph that the cross-reference points to, use the <$paranum> building block (from the Building Blocks list). It tells FM to display the complete autonumber of the paragraph to which the cross-reference points (including "Figure"). 

To display only the incremented number (19 in this case) without the word "Figure," use the <$paranumonly> building block. 

Note that the Building Blocks list also contains all your character formats, so you can use those in a cross-reference format. For instance, if you have a character format called Xref that makes text blue (so people recognize it as a hyperlink), you might have a cross-reference format that looks like this: 

	<Xref><$paranum><Default ¶ Font> on page\ <$pagenum> 

(The "\ " after "page" is a non-breaking space so the word "page" always remains with the page number.)

In your doc, this would produce: 

	Figure 19 on page 137 (with "Figure 19" in blue)

(Of course, if your deliverable is purely print, not PDF or other online output, you don't need or want the character tag.)

For more information about building blocks and examples of cross-reference formats, see [Cross-References and Footnotes > Using building blocks for source information] and its related topics in the online help. 

FM's autonumbering and cross-referencing features have been rock-solid for ages. I'm sorry you've gotten the wrong impression because of not having the relevant information. 

Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
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rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-903-6372
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