Windows 7: problem with headings

I have spent 3 hours on this searching the web and reading help.

I want the following headings layout

1
1.1
A.
i)

I attempted to ammend Headings 3 and 4 from the default as shown above, but for some reason changing their numbering/lettering also changed their level and starting point which therefore left me with A, B, etc increment in the scope of the document rather than the scope of the previous level heading.

Now some how everything is screwed up and now after 4. MyHeading when I set the next heading I get 1.1 MySubheading (not 4.1). I think this has something to do with my having started one or more newly created multilevel lists at different points in the document in an attempt to solve the problem with the earlier action.

The thing is, I can turn on control characters like carriage return and spaces and tabs etc, but I can't seem to do this to properly see where these changes of list are and somehow delete them.

I have a good software engineering degree, but some how this aspect of Word is a complete mystery to me and has got me flumouxed. Is it me or is it really very user unfriendly?

Can some one help me to reset my document so there are no headings/styles/whateverelse, then allow me to create the 'ability' to set the following headings in the document (without actually doing anything to the document or screwing it up in the mean time).

Heading 1 - like this - 1
Heading 2 - like this - 1.1 (start and order within the scope of the heading above)
Heading 3 - like this - A. (start and order within the scope of the heading above)
Heading 4 - like this - i) (start and order within the scope of the heading above)

Any help or advice greatly appreciated.

Hello hardya, welcome to the forum.

You didn't say which version of Word you are using, but the following guide refers to Office 2007:
Create a multilevel list - Word - Office.com

I will look in again later - sorry I have to go out now.

Word 2007



I tried this with a new document defining the new multilevel list as
1
1.1
A.
i)
After pt 3 on the tutorial it doesn't just do what it says, but it also sets the first carriage return in the document to "1. ".
I don't want this so I set that carriage return to style normal.
I type some stuff, then further down I type the text of a heading. I can't find the heading styles I just created in the Styles group like I do for the default ones.
The tutorial says next " To move a multilevel item to a different numbering level, select the item, click the arrow next to Bullets or Numbering in the Paragraph group on the Home tab, point to Change List Level, and then click the list level to which you want to move the list item"
I don't really understand what this means and what the relevance of it is, I just want to be able to use the headings I just created in the document. I don't want to "move a multilevel item to a different numbering level" unless moving from normal to level 1 is this. I just want to set the piece of text to the level 1 header I created. I try "click the arrow next to Bullets or Numbering in the Paragraph group on the Home tab, point to Change List Level" as suggested by the turial. This changes the the text to 'a' heading level 1 (not sure whether it is actually my heading 1). I create some more text ready to become a heading and try the same thing trying to get a level 2 heading but none of the items for selection will change it to a level 2.
All I want to do is define formats for headings levels 1 to 4 and then select them for text I've prepared to be a heading. Why is it not obvious to me how to do this? Am I stupid? If so and it os so obvious them please take pity on me and put me out of my misery.

The only way I can seem to find to set some text to a heading level is on the text to select the list type which always sets it to level 1 and then change its level.

But this fails to keep the numbering right. See attachment for example.

Is a multilevel list the right thing for setting headings at different points in a document? This is what I ma advised. I just cannot seem to get the ordering at each sublevel to go right within the scope of that level.

I have also tried to do this using this tutorial which is a completely different way to that described to me so far.
How to modify styles in Microsoft Word | ShaunaKelly.com
But I only have two headings that I can modify and I don't know how to add more headings. In addition to this the two that I modify which I am sure are level 1 and level 2 already, end up looking like in the attachment '..._b', both presented as if they are level 1 and I cannot see anything in the style modify dialog that allows me to ensure that they display "1." and "1.1" respectively. Another example can be found in the attachment '..._c' where the headings of the form A, B, C are not ordered chronologically under the above level.

If any one can point me to a simple way for me to create headings like

1.
1.1
A.
i)

with the chronology correct in the scope of each sublevel and then just to select the level you want for a paragraph of text that you want to be a heading,

then I would really appreciate it. If this is obvious and I am just missing it then I appologise for being so stupid. Please put me out of my misery.

If you can bear with me a little longer - I have just returned home - perhaps until tomorrow, when I can access Word 2007 on my laptop.

Also, I will have lots more time and a much less tired brain.

Thanks Irene,

I think I have more or less solved it. I had looked in numerous tutorials and forums and numerous Microsoft on line help pages, but in those no one mentioned what turned out to solve it.

In the define new multi level list dialog there is a more button and all the vital controls for chronology (the main point of my question) are under these.

I set these correctly for the list then after defining the list I make a few headings by hitting some text and return a few times after the first one and then change list level for a few of them till I have a list showing all levels. Then I set the default styles in the styles group on the home ribbon to each of these list levels.

After this I can delete the list if I want and from there on I can turn any paragraph of free text into a heading I want by selecting it from the style group. I can right click the style group and modify the format a bit and (obscurely) if I right click on the far left of an existing heading in the context menu is "Adjust list indents" under which is surprisingly a way to get back to the 'define new multi level list' dialog, not where I'd expect.

I think I have enough to get me going in the right direction, but if you have anything useful to add it would be appreciated.

I dont know about you, but I am really not a fan of the way the interface for headings and lists is design, it is very user unfriendly and obscure and nearly every article I have read begins, "I finally managed to discover...." which is saying something about it.

Thanks again.

Andrew

Andrew, thank you so much for posting back with your solution.

I have no doubt that someone will be very grateful in deed for your valuable contribution.