DOCX - does a hard column break turn off column balancing?

Question

Hi;

Please take a look at http://www.windward.net/temp/ColumnBreaks.docx

The document is 3 columns, 1 column, 3 columns, 1 column. The two 3 columns parts are identical except I inserted a hard column break where the first column ends. It appears that using a hard column break turns off balancing the columns, even for additional columns that go on longer.

Is this how it works? And is there anything additional that needs to be checked or occurs? Or is the rule very simply if there's a hard column break, then no balancing?

thanks - dave

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Answer 1

David,

Thank you for this inquiry. One of our engneers will look into this and follow up with you soon.

Thanks,

Edgar

Answer 2

Hi Dave,

I am the engineer who will be working with you on this issue. I am currently researching the problem and will provide you with an update soon.

Regards,
Vilmos Foltenyi - MSFT

Answer 3

Hi Vilmos;

Any luck finding an answer yet?

thanks - dave

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Who will win The International Collegiate Programming Championships?

Answer 4

Hi Dave,

I’ve submitted your question about how a column break influences column balancing to the product group. When I get the answer I’ll post it.

Thanks, Vilmos

Answer 5

Hi Vilmos;

Can you please ping the product group again?

thanks - dave

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Who will win The International Collegiate Programming Championships?

Answer 6

Hi Dave,

Sorry for the delay, no answer, yet. When I'll get the answer I’ll post it.

Thanks, Vilmos

Answer 7

Hi Vilmos;

Are you able to ask the product group when they will have an answer? Or are you stuck waiting until they answer?

thanks - dave

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Who will win The International Collegiate Programming Championships?

Answer 8

Hi Dave

BAsed on my experience with Word the answer is, yes, inserting a hard column break will stop column balancing. It seems quite logical - to me, anyway - that this would be the case. Otherwise Word would have to ignore the hard column break.

If the reason you're inserting the hard column break is to make sure things "hold together", then there may be some paragraph formatting that you could use, instead. I'm thinking of "Keep with Next" (that would prevent a heading from standing at the end of a column with no additional text, for example); "Keep lines together" (keeps all lines of a paragraph on the same page / in the same column - assuming there's enough room to do so); and then there's the Widows/Orphans setting that makes sure there are two or three lines of text at the bottom/top of a page from a paragraph (otherwise all lines are put together on the next page).

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Cindy Meister, VSTO/Word MVP

Answer 9

Hi Dave,

The behavior after inserting a column break into a multi-column text is not covered by the ISO standard and the behavior is not mentioned in the MS-OI29500. The concrete behavior here is whether after inserting a column break the remaining text should be balanced in the remaining columns or it should be laid out in a continuous flow fashion. This is an implementation issue, Word works in the later way, being an implementation issue it is not covered by the Open Specifications documentation.

Thanks, Vilmos

Answer 10

Hi Vilmos;

Can you ask them to please add this to the implementation notes? it appears that a single use of it anywhere, even if first appearing in the 3rd column, turns of balancing. But it would be good to know if that is always the case, or if there are exceptions.

thanks - dave

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Answer 11

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your suggestion; I’ve passed it on to further consideration.

Thanks, Vilmos