How to do custom paragraph numbers in pages

Write the numbers manually should work.

Pages doesn't have that format but just think it through.

The extra 000 is just a prefix so type those in combination with the inserted page number.

You will need to have section breaks everytime you reach 10, 100, 1000 etc as the prefix will change from 000, to 00 and 0.

Peter

Pages '09 permits numbered paragraphs. There does not appear to be a means for custom number format as [000x]. If you can live without that sequencing style, a solution follows.

Start with a new, blank document. You will need to selectively use the text inspector to adjust trailing paragraph spacing, or the bullet inspector as needed.

1. First numbered paragraph
   1. Enter 1.
   2. Enter space
   3. First paragraph name
   4. Enter shift-return (left justifies under paragraph name)
   5. Type your paragraph without returns until you are ready for the next one
   6. Tune Text inspector for appropriate spacing, line-height, and after paragraph settings
2. Enter first paragraph content
   1. Follow with a return to automatically increment to paragraph 2.
   2. Press tab to indent to internal paragraph list

      add extra list item and shift+tab to outdent to next numbered paragraph.

3. Enter paragraph 2 heading
   1. Shift+return
   2. Enter paragraph 2 content
      1. shift+return
      2. Enter to start paragraph 3
4. Enter paragraph 3 heading
   1. shift+return
   2. Enter small amount of text leading to list items
   3. press return
   4. Tab to start list
5. enter list items
6. enter extra item
   1. To resume same paragraph
      1. shift+tab last list item and then tell list inspector - no bullets
      2. continue with your current paragraph content
      3. Follow with return to start new numbered paragraph
   2. To start new paragraph
      1. shift+tab will outdent and start next paragraph
      2. If no numbers show (should not be the case) list inspector choose bullets
7. Start Fourth paragraph

The preceding list looks like the following:

It is a little cumbersome, but you can format the numbers as you want if you set it up as a two column table:

Jeff, that can be done with hanging indent and a tab.

Yes, but it won't number automatically, and it won't allow the custom number format.

I like this because the number field can be preformatted to 000n in the Table inspector. With each new paragraph, one only has to type the paragraph number and the leading zeros are prefilled automatically. Hopefully, the table flow onto the next page would be as graceful.

In Pages v4.3 the leading zeros can be configured as Jeff shows in a custom layout, or via the following:

You don't even have to type the numbers; after you have entered the first two numbers, select both cells and drag the "fill handle" (a little circle at the bottom right corner) down to continue the pattern in the rest of the cells.

The text flow will not be as graceful as regular text. Pages will not break a cell across two pages, so it will work a little like widows and orphans on steroids; any partial paragraph at the bottom of a page will jump to the next page and no paragraph can be over a page long (without some extra manual work). But if those constraints are acceptable, it does facilitate numbering the paragraphs. As does Peter's approach of putting just one paragraph per page (apparently).

Clearly Apple lawyers do not use Pages to write their own patent applications, since this is the required / preferred paragraph numbering for patent descriptions. What are they using? NeoOffice maybe. 🙂