Comparing documents confusion...

[Bill Weylock]

I¹ve been using this feature for years, and I still get confused. Maybe
someone could expand on the help instructions and explain the odd alert
message that always makes me think bad things are about to happen?

Scenario: I send a report to a client. Client returns the report with
comments added. She uses both Comments from the Insert menu and also text
that she has inserted in the middle of my paragraphs with no distinguishing
highlighting. (She¹s far from stupid, so I think some kind of formatting may
be getting lost in PC to Mac translation [not an issue to dwell on]).

Obviously comparing her version with my original is in order.

So, following instructions, I open hers, invoke Compare Documents, and
select my original.

Then I get a dialog saying something like ³The new version already has
changes. Word may ignore some existing changes. Compare anyway?² In fact,
that¹s verbatim ­ just checked it.

What am I supposed to make of this? Is it the Word equivalent of ³Objects
may be closer than they appear in mirror²? Or is there really something I
should be watching for?

Maybe MS figures I shouldn¹t be too comfortable or complacent just because
I¹ve been using Word for all these years?

Thanks!

Oh! Here¹s another one for you....

As I ³accept² changes, which document am I changing?? And is there any way
(apart from saving copies of both versions before starting this ­ which I
do) to save changes to a third document? I know I can do that at the end,
but I¹d like it as a default if possible.

And if this is too many questions, please be kind. I¹m working when my
clients are on holiday.

Thanks much for just getting this far.


Best,


- Bill

 

[Bill Weylock]

(Just realized the last question here is silly. I¹ve noticed Word does
exactly what I was suggesting. )

 

[Jeffrey Weston]

Hey Bill,

That warning message just occurs because you have Tracked Changes that have
been made in your original document, since you last sent it to the client.
So when there are lot of complex differences between the Original (which
already has changes) and the Changed document, things could get a little
messy, and thus the Warning Message.

(For example, if you sent off a copy of your Original Document to your
client, and then in meantime added some text in the middle of Paragraph ³A²,
then received the Client¹s changes which deleted all of Paragraph ³A¹, when
you compare documents, you will not see your addition text that you added to
the Original.)

Also just to add:

When you open the Changed Document and then Compare it to the Original you
are in a state were you are either Approving (Accepting of the Client¹s
Changes, or Rejecting their changes.)

So if you reject all their changes, you should have the Original Document
back. (Original meaning the one you sent them. Not the Original which was
then modified, after sending to the client. Thus the Warning Message... And
around and around it goes...)

Hope this helps...

Jeffrey Weston
Mac Word Test
Macintosh Business Unit
Microsoft

(Just realized the last question here is silly. I¹ve noticed Word does exactly
what I was suggesting. )

I¹ve been using this feature for years, and I still get confused. Maybe
someone could expand on the help instructions and explain the odd alert
message that always makes me think bad things are about to happen?

Scenario: I send a report to a client. Client returns the report with
comments added. She uses both Comments from the Insert menu and also text
that she has inserted in the middle of my paragraphs with no distinguishing
highlighting. (She¹s far from stupid, so I think some kind of formatting may
be getting lost in PC to Mac translation [not an issue to dwell on]).

Obviously comparing her version with my original is in order.

So, following instructions, I open hers, invoke Compare Documents, and select
my original.

Then I get a dialog saying something like ³The new version already has
changes. Word may ignore some existing changes. Compare anyway?² In fact,
that¹s verbatim ­ just checked it.

What am I supposed to make of this? Is it the Word equivalent of ³Objects may
be closer than they appear in mirror²? Or is there really something I should
be watching for?

Maybe MS figures I shouldn¹t be too comfortable or complacent just because
I¹ve been using Word for all these years?

Thanks!

Oh! Here¹s another one for you....

As I ³accept² changes, which document am I changing?? And is there any way
(apart from saving copies of both versions before starting this ­ which I do)
to save changes to a third document? I know I can do that at the end, but I¹d
like it as a default if possible.

And if this is too many questions, please be kind. I¹m working when my
clients are on holiday.

Thanks much for just getting this far.


Best,


- Bill

 

[Bill Weylock]

Thanks so much. It makes perfect sense.

I had forgotten that I had begun revisions after sending it off.

It¹s working beautifully.


Best,


- Bill

Hey Bill,

That warning message just occurs because you have Tracked Changes that have
been made in your original document, since you last sent it to the client. So
when there are lot of complex differences between the Original (which already
has changes) and the Changed document, things could get a little messy, and
thus the Warning Message.

(For example, if you sent off a copy of your Original Document to your client,
and then in meantime added some text in the middle of Paragraph ³A², then
received the Client¹s changes which deleted all of Paragraph ³A¹, when you
compare documents, you will not see your addition text that you added to the
Original.)

Also just to add:

When you open the Changed Document and then Compare it to the Original you are
in a state were you are either Approving (Accepting of the Client¹s Changes,
or Rejecting their changes.)

So if you reject all their changes, you should have the Original Document
back. (Original meaning the one you sent them. Not the Original which was
then modified, after sending to the client. Thus the Warning Message... And
around and around it goes...)

Hope this helps...

Jeffrey Weston
Mac Word Test
Macintosh Business Unit
Microsoft

(Just realized the last question here is silly. I¹ve noticed Word does
exactly what I was suggesting. )

I¹ve been using this feature for years, and I still get confused. Maybe
someone could expand on the help instructions and explain the odd alert
message that always makes me think bad things are about to happen?

Scenario: I send a report to a client. Client returns the report with
comments added. She uses both Comments from the Insert menu and also text
that she has inserted in the middle of my paragraphs with no distinguishing
highlighting. (She¹s far from stupid, so I think some kind of formatting may
be getting lost in PC to Mac translation [not an issue to dwell on]).

Obviously comparing her version with my original is in order.

So, following instructions, I open hers, invoke Compare Documents, and
select my original.

Then I get a dialog saying something like ³The new version already has
changes. Word may ignore some existing changes. Compare anyway?² In fact,
that¹s verbatim ­ just checked it.

What am I supposed to make of this? Is it the Word equivalent of ³Objects
may be closer than they appear in mirror²? Or is there really something I
should be watching for?

Maybe MS figures I shouldn¹t be too comfortable or complacent just because
I¹ve been using Word for all these years?

Thanks!

Oh! Here¹s another one for you....

As I ³accept² changes, which document am I changing?? And is there any way
(apart from saving copies of both versions before starting this ­ which I
do) to save changes to a third document? I know I can do that at the end,
but I¹d like it as a default if possible.

And if this is too many questions, please be kind. I¹m working when my
clients are on holiday.

Thanks much for just getting this far.


Best,


- Bill