Page Numbering Questions

Page numbering is one of the most common support subjects which arises, and the questions fall into two groups:

  1. Braille Page Numbering
  2. Print Page Numbering (often referred to as "Reference Page Numbering")

As a starting tip, many page numbering problems are caused by incorrect positioning of the required codes or styles within the text.

To use some of the techniques provided here, you should know how to switch to Coded View in the DBT editor window (keyboard command Alt + F3 toggles Coded View on and off). See The Menus: View: Codes for more details.

You should also know how to edit codes in a DBT document. How to edit codes is detailed in Amending Codes.

Braille Page Numbering

1. How do I start a file with a page number other than 1?

Ensure your cursor is at the very beginning of the document. From the Layout menu select, "Set Page Number". For a more detailed explanation of the code used, [pv], see: "Codes: Set Page Number Counter".

2. How do I change the page number without changing the page?

Ensure your cursor is at the very beginning of the page on which you wish to begin a new number sequence. Then, from the Layout menu select, "Set Page Number..." (as above).

3. After I change the page number, why is it not working?

You must ensure that your page number immediately follows the New Page Code (usually [pg] or [top]). There must not be any other codes between the New Page Code and the Page Number Code. Switch to Coded View to have a look.

4. How come after I change the page number it is ignored until the next page?

This is another case of ensuring that your page number immediately follows the New Page Code. There must not be any other codes between the New Page Code and the Page Number Code. Check this in Coded View.

5. How do I change to Roman numeral page numbers?

First, be sure that your cursor is in the correct (start of page) position. Then, from the Layout menu, select, "Set page number" and check the "Roman" radio button.

See more information at "Layout: Set Page Number..."

6. How do I change from Roman numerals back to Arabic page numbers?

First, ensure that your cursor is in the correct position (start of a new page). Then, from the Layout menu, select, "Set page number" and check the "Arabic" radio button.

See more information at "Layout: Set Page Number..."

7. How do I ensure that the next page changes to an odd page? (How do I use the [sd] code?)

DBT has a code to force the next page to be odd or even as you require regardless of the position of the current page. See Skip to Odd or Even.

8. How do I create preliminary page numbers such as p1 or t1?

This can be done using the [pg~X] code, where pg does a page change and the parameter X supplies the one-character prefix. Or, use [pgN~X] to set the page number as well as prefix.

See Set Page Number Prefix, or Set Number and Prefix on New Page.

Print (Reference) Page numbering

1. How do I get print page numbers to appear in a Duxbury document?

If you wish to add print page numbers into your DBT text file, you need to use the [lea] Code. Place your cursor at the exact point where the page number should be located, hold down Ctrl and press [ (the left square bracket) to bring up the Codes dialog. Between the square brackets which appear, type lea and then click OK. Now immediately after the code, which appears as [lea] in your file, enter the requisite print page number followed by a space, then continue with the normal text of your document. See Print Page Numbers for more details.

2. How do I get print page numbers from a Word document into a Duxbury document?

If you wish to automatically import Word print page numbers, go to the DBT Global menu, and select "Word Importer". Here you will find appropriate options in the "Print Page Breaks" drop down list.

3. Why do the print page numbers appear in the wrong place, such as immediately below the braille page numbers?

This happens in most cases because your template has the print (reference) page number positions set to "None". A good example of this is the template for Pre-UEB Literary Format. This setting is user-selectable. See "Page Numbering..." in the Document menu.

4. How come the print page number never changes throughout the document?

Often, DBT does not have a way to know when print pages change or what their numbers are. Because of this it is up to the transcriber to indicate when a print page change occurs and what the new page number is by entering it with the [lea] code.

In newer versions of DBT there is an option to mark print page breaks when importing a Word document. In this case DBT does try to determine the print page changes and page numbers. This may or may not work depending on how the Word document was created.

5. How do you suppress print page numbering and then resume later with either a different page number or the same page number?

You can use the [led] code to discontinue reference page numbering. You can resume it with another [lea] code and the current reference page number. For continuation pages, if you need to alter the number format, use the [lec] code instead. (See the lea and lec commands in the Codes Quick Reference.)

6. How do you enter print page numbers while in a braille file?

Usually you would use six-key entry to enter the reference page number directly into braille. You could also use the normal keyboard keys to do this if you know the "ASCII braille" characters to form the page number you want.