Graphics Changing Layout Setting

[RossH]

I'm sure I've discovered a bug in Word 2008, which I'll post on the Feedback list, but I'd like confirmation first. I have a 20 page document which is about 50% text and 50% graphics. All the graphics have been placed as 'In front of text'. Each time I've re-opened the document after quitting I've found a number of graphics have changed to 'Square' Layout setting, which has pushed the text right out of position. I've now confirmed that this happens with grouped graphics consisting of a pasted screen dump and circle, arrows, etc. Plain screen dumps aren't affected. Ungrouping them fixes the problem but this is only a workaround.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

 

[John McGhie]

That's either a bug or a document corruption.

To eliminate corruption, try a Maggie:

1) Create a new blank document

2) Carefully select all of the text in the bad document EXCEPT the last
paragraph mark

3) Copy it.

4) Paste in the new document.

5) Save under a new file name and close all, then re-open.

This technique for de-corrupting is known as "Doing a 'Maggie'", after
Margaret Secara from the Word PC-L mailing list who first publicised the
technique.

Hope this helps

I'm sure I've discovered a bug in Word 2008, which I'll post on the Feedback
list, but I'd like confirmation first. I have a 20 page document which is
about 50% text and 50% graphics. All the graphics have been placed as 'In
front of text'. Each time I've re-opened the document after quitting I've
found a number of graphics have changed to 'Square' Layout setting, which has
pushed the text right out of position. I've now confirmed that this happens
with grouped graphics consisting of a pasted screen dump and circle, arrows,
etc. Plain screen dumps aren't affected. Ungrouping them fixes the problem but
this is only a workaround.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia

 

[RossH]

Thanks for the tip about the Maggie fix John. Did that but it didn't fix the problem. All grouped graphics changed from 'In front of text' to 'Square', pushing the text out of position. As in the original document, ungrouping them shows all objects 'In front of text' again.

Have just tried a new test document, and it still happens. The grouped object switches to 'Square' - ungrouping it switches all component objects back to 'In front' again. I'll post this as a bug on Feedback.

 

[John McGhie]

Thanks Ross:

Yep: If a "Maggie" doesn't clear it, it's a "BUG"

Cheers

Thanks for the tip about the Maggie fix John. Did that but it didn't fix the
problem. All grouped graphics changed from 'In front of text' to 'Square',
pushing the text out of position. As in the original document, ungrouping them
shows all objects 'In front of text' again.

Have just tried a new test document, and it still happens. The grouped object
switches to 'Square' - ungrouping it switches all component objects back to
'In front' again. I'll post this as a bug on Feedback.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia

 

[Ritika Pathak [MSFT]]

Hi Ross,

From your previous mails on this issue, it looks like you have a picture and
some autoshapes which have In Front of Text wrapping applied to them.
Grouping these changes text wrapping of the grouped object to Square,
although this change is not applied to the individual objects when they are
ungrouped. Is this correct?

If you take a blank new document and insert a picture and 2-3 autoshapes
1. What is their default text wrapping?
2. On grouping these objects, what is the text wrapping of the grouped
object?
3. On ungrouping, what is the text wrapping of individual objects?

Please let me know this information and I'll try to diagnose this behavior.
It does sound like a bug and I will proceed based on your response.

Thanks,
Ritika Pathak
Software Development Engineer in Test
Microsoft MacBU - Word
(e-mail address removed) (remove "ONLINE" for all replies)

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[RossH]

Thanks for following this up so quickly Ritika. Your understanding in your first para is correct.

I can't get .doc (compatabillity mode) documents to fail. When saved as .docx however, they all fail. Here's what I did:

1. Opened a blank, new document (.doc format).
2. Inserted graphics (screen dump, autoshapes). All went in as 'In front of text' (which I"ve set as the default).
3. Grouped all objects - grouped object still 'In front of text'.
4. Ungrouped - all objects still 'In front of text'.
5. Quit.
6. Reopened - all still OK.
7. Saved As .docx format.
8. Quit.
9. Opened the .docx document and the grouped object had changed to 'Square', pushing the text out of position.
10. Ungrouped and all text text returned to correct position. Every element of the grouped drawing however was still 'In front of text' as originally formatted.
11. Repeated with another new document (different text, different graphics, different formatting) - again worked OK until saved as .docx and then failed as before.

Hope this helps.