Visio: How to Use Background Pages to Set Up Automatic Page Numbering

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This article was previously published under Q254629

SUMMARY

This article describes how to place a text field on a background page to generate automatic page numbering. To create this automatic page numbering method, you must do the following three things:

Set up a background page.
Create a page number shape.
Generate the automatic numbering on the foreground page.

After you have finished these steps, when you add new foreground pages, the background page and page number will automatically be assigned to the new pages in the drawing file.

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MORE INFORMATION

Setting Up the Background Page

Start a new drawing file, point to Drawing Page on the Edit menu, and then click Properties.
In the Type section of the Page Properties dialog box, click Background to make this a background page, and then click OK.

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Creating the Page Number Shape

Select the text tool, and then click on the background page where you want to place the page number.
While the text block is selected, click Field on the Insert menu.
In the Field dialog box, click Page Info in the Category section. This will make the Page Number field available in the Field category. Click to select it. Note that General is the only format available. Click OK. Note that the page number "0" (zero) appears on the background page.

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Generating the Automatic Numbering on Foreground Pages

On the Insert menu, click Page to add a new page, and then in the Page Properties dialog box, select Foreground for Type to make the new page a foreground page.
In the Background section, select the background page that you created when you set up the background page. If this is a new drawing file, it should be the only background available.
Click OK. The new page appears with the page number 1 in the same position that you placed it on the background page.

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REFERENCES

For additional information about this topic, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

255102 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/255102/EN-US/ ) Controlling the Starting Page Number of Your Visio Drawings

For detailed visual instructions on how to follow the steps in this article, go to the following Microsoft Web site:

Add a Background Design to a Visio 2002 Diagram (http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/2002/articles/vistips_add_background.aspx)

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APPLIES TO

Microsoft Visio 2000 Standard Edition
Microsoft Visio 2000 Professional Edition
Microsoft Visio 2000 Technical Edition
Microsoft Visio 2000 Enterprise Edition

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Retired KB Content Disclaimer

This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.

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