number of pages initially wrong on first page when "different first page" selected

Hello,

I am seeing a problem with the "number of pages" field in the footer on the first page of a Word document when I have selected "different first page".  If I make an update to the first page of the document, or even double-click on the footer, then the number of pages field is corrected.  If I then save and close the document after the number of pages field is correct and re-open.  It displays incorrectly.

Steps to reproduce:
1.  Create blank new DOCX.
2.  Insert a page break (so now there are two pages in the document).
3.  double-click the footer on the first page and select the "different first page" checkbox on the "header and footer tools" ribbon.
4.  Add "Page X of Y" to the footer on the first page using the "Page Number" button on the "header and footer tools" ribbon.
5.  Add "Page X of Y" to the footer on the second page using the "Page Number" button on the "header and footer tools" ribbon.
At this point the first page says "Page 1 of 2" and the second page says "Page 2 of 2".  This is what you would expect.
6.  Save and close the document.
7.  Re-open the document.
At this point the first page says "Page 1 of 1" and the second page says "Page 2 of 2".  The first page is wrong.
8.  Double click the footer to enter footer mode. (I could also update all fields or several other things)
At this point the first page says "Page 1 of 2" and the second page says "Page 2 of 2".  Now it looks right.

I understand that this is a screen display problem, and it will print correctly if I wanted to print it.  I need it to display correctly when a user first opens the document.  I don't want to add a VBA macro to tell it to update fields after opening.

Thanks,

Jake
Answer
Answer

While it has been an issue with older versions, it appears to have risen to the surface again in Word 2010. 

 

While I can reproduce the issue in that version, I does not happen here with a document created in either Word 2007 0r 2013, and if I open the document that was created in Word 2010 in either of those versions, the number of pages is correctly displayed.

 

In Word 2010 however, if I use a { DOCPROPERTY Pages } field in place of a { NUMPAGES } field, the correct number of pages IS displayed when the document is re-opened.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - MVP Office Apps & Services (Word)
dougrobbinsmvp@gmail.com
It's time to replace ‘Diversity, Equity & Inclusion’ with ‘Excellence, Opportunity & Civility’ - V Ramaswamy

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Last updated June 29, 2022 Views 6,798 Applies to: