Footnotes screw up view

[Sesquipedalian Sam]

When I close the footnote window after adding a footnote (C-A-F), Word
cancels the document map window. If I reopen it (A-S-V), Word jump to
the top of the document.

Is there anything I can do to stop this very irritating behavior?

 

[Stefan Blom]

It seems you cannot have the Footnote pane and the Document Map pane open at the
same time. If you really depend on the Document Map, work in Print Layout view
instead (where footnotes won't display in a separate pane).

 

[Sesquipedalian Sam]

It seems you cannot have the Footnote pane and the Document Map pane open at the
same time.

Yes, that is yet another design problem.

My point was that when closing the footnote, Word does not restore the
state. I had the document map open when I opened the footnote pane. If
Word is too stupid to be able to open a footnote pane and keep the
document map open at the same time (walk and chew gum), it could at
least restore the state on exit.

If you really depend on the Document Map, work in Print Layout view
instead (where footnotes won't display in a separate pane).

Yes, yet another workaround.

 

[Stefan Blom]

Note that the scenario isn't specific to the Document Map. If you split the
document window (in Normal/Draft view) and then add a footnote, one of the
document windows will close, being replaced by the Footnote pane. Therefore,
from Microsoft's viewpoint, it may be a design *choice* rather than a problem.

You could probably use a macro to redisplay the DM after you've closed the
footnote pane. Ask in a Word programming group.

 

[Sesquipedalian Sam]

Note that the scenario isn't specific to the Document Map. If you split the
document window (in Normal/Draft view) and then add a footnote, one of the
document windows will close, being replaced by the Footnote pane. Therefore,
from Microsoft's viewpoint, it may be a design *choice* rather than a problem.

Do you think the behavior wrt the document map is a good design? I'm
asking about

a. Closing the map to open a footnote pane, and

b. Not restoring the screen state on closing the footnote pane?

Just curious.

You could probably use a macro to redisplay the DM after you've closed the
footnote pane. Ask in a Word programming group.

(sigh) more workarounds.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Stefan Blom]

Of course the behavior isn't helpful if you make use of the Document Map (and/or
of other kind of panes). I'm just saying that I'm not convinced it's a bug.

 

[Sesquipedalian Sam]

Of course the behavior isn't helpful if you make use of the Document Map (and/or
of other kind of panes).

Well, if you don't make use of the Document Map, then it wouldn't come
up, would it? ;-)

I'm just saying that I'm not convinced it's a bug.

Curious. Perhaps not a bug in the sense of a coding error, but
unhelpful behavior must be a design flaw unless we acknowledge that
being helpful is not an objective.

It seems to me that a lot of users have come to accept mediocrity from
Redmond as inevitable and even acceptable. A vision comes to mind of
frogs sitting in a pot of water on a stove -- slowly losing
consciousness.

 

[Stefan Blom]

Well, if you don't make use of the Document Map, then it wouldn't come
up, would it? ;-)

As I wrote, the same thing happens if you have split the window (in Normal/Draft
view) and then add a footnote. So you don't have to be using the Document Map to
be affected by this issue.

Curious. Perhaps not a bug in the sense of a coding error, but
unhelpful behavior must be a design flaw unless we acknowledge that
being helpful is not an objective.

It seems to me that a lot of users have come to accept mediocrity from
Redmond as inevitable and even acceptable. A vision comes to mind of
frogs sitting in a pot of water on a stove -- slowly losing
consciousness.

Doesn't this apply to most of the software industry? (Open source works
differently of course.)