:: MIS Insights ::

Have you ever wanted to insert page numbers in your Microsoft Word Documents without counting the first few pages of the document? If you use Microsoft Word’s insert page numbers function, you’ll find that Word starts counting from the first page of the document. This can be bothersome if you have Title Pages and you don’t want to include them in the count.

Here’s what you can do:

1. With your document open at Microsoft Word, click on View and then Header and Footer.
2. Align your input cursor (the blinking pipe where the characters you type pop up) where you want it (Left, Middle or Right). This is where your page numbers will show up.
3. Insert your custom formula for page numbers. What does that mean? Simply put, it is programming your own page numbers. Don’t worry, it’s easy, lets try it out…

To insert your current page numbers:

1. Press CTRL and F9. You will get bold curly braces { }.
2. Type the word page between the braces so that you have { page }.

To start your page numbers from a different number:

1. Press CTRL and F9. You will get bold curly braces { }.
2. Type = in between the curly braces. You should have { = }.
3. Press CTRL and F9 again. You should now have { = {} }.
4. Type the word page between the second pair of braces so that you have { = { page} }.
5. Here’s the cool part. Depending on what number you want to start with, add or subtract as needed.
   If I needed my pages to start at 4, I would use: { = { page} + 3 }.
   If I wanted to start at page 10, { = { page} + 9 }.

To avoid putting page numbers at certain pages:

1. { if { page } < 4 "" "{page}"}. Translation: If the page number is less than 4, we will not write anything (check out the empty quotes - the first set of quotes is the action to be performed if the condition holds true). Otherwise (second set of quotes), write the page number (as described earlier).

So, to avoid numbering the first few pages and start numbering at a specified page:

1. { if { page } < 4 "" "{ = {page} - 3 } "} will not show any page numbers on pages 1 to 3 (less than 4) and start displaying page number 1 at page 4 (4-3).

There you go!