Word 2010: Include colon in Heading but omit from field references

I wish to have a document with sections that are headed, Section 1: Introduction but when reference them with fields codes I wish to do so without the colon appearing in either field. Note that the colon must be displayed in the title but not in either of the fields that refer to it.

If I omit the colon from the title I can insert a pair of field code

{ REF _Ref345321732 \r \h \* MERGEFORMAT} ({REF _Ref345347428 \h \* MERGEFORMAT})

which reproduces the string, Section 1 (Introduction). However, if I type the colon before Introduction then I get this: Section 1 (: Introduction)

Answer

You can hide the colon from references by making the text hidden in the field result. When you do this the field will automatically enable the "Preserve formatting during updates" option which means even when you update the references the colon should not reappear.

Note you will however have to manually work with the reference fields when using this technique instead of using the ribbon i.e you will need to copy and paste the reference fields and edit the field code.

1. Create a new reference to the desired list number.


2. Highlight the colon in the reference text and go to Home and then Font under the ribbon.


3. Enable the Hidden checkbox and press Ok.


4. Update the reference field by placing the cursor inside the text and pressing F9. The number will update to reflect any change in the source paragraph but the colon should stay hidden.


5. To repeat this for other references copy and paste the field and press ALT + F9 and edit the bookmark in the field code directly.

To exclude the "Step" prefix right click on the reference field and choose Edit Field. Then check the Suppress all non-delimiter chars box then follow the same steps above.