how to change header text automatically (was easy in WP)

[Reveal Codes]

I have a document that is about 300 pages long and has
about 500 different sections numbered that are NOT
sequentially 1,2,3 etc. They jump around a bit: i.e.,
64,75,89,101,102, 34, 35. But they are organized in a
particular way and have to stay that way.

I want to include the current code section in the header
and the top of the page. I.e., if page 64 started (or
finished) with section 75 I would want the header to
say "75 Code Section name" on the left and the page number
on the right (or in a footer I don't care). I did this
very easily in Wordperfect in 1996 -- VERY EASILY. The
best I can figure out in Word so far is to manually put a
section break between every code section and for every
section on a new page add a new header (per MSFT article
on "Insert Chapter number and title in a header"). This
will not work, this requires me to manually over 500 times
what wordperfect did for me totally automatically (i.e., I
didn't have to create 500 sections and 500 new headers --
in WP I just included one header code for the whole
document that said, essentially, put the next heading TOC
level 2 text in the header on this page).

Anyway to do this in Word? I'm getting ready to go back
Wordperfect to do this.

Thanks

Matt

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If the headers are formatted as Same as Previous, you need only put a
StyleRef field in one of the headers. You can have Same as Previous enabled
and still restart numbering in a section provided you're not trying to
change the number format.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[Reveal Codes]

I've sort of tried that, but I'm missing something or the
functionality just isn't there.

Yes, if I Insert StyleRef and point to the heading level
that I used to mark the Section heading it pulls in that
text for that page. But it doesn't do it for subsequent
pages. It isn't updating the header to reflect the new
heading text on each page.

Also, do I need to have all 500 code sections be distinct
Word sections? Do I have to insert section breaks in 500
places? If so, how can I automate that?

I want to do this once for the first page and have the
rest of the document pick it up automatically and show the
header the current section name on that page -- with the
only manual operation that I have to do 500 times is mark
the TOC heading level on the appropriate text (which has
already been done).

Thanks for any help.

 

[Robert M. Franz (RMF)]

Hi Rev,

I've sort of tried that, but I'm missing something or the
functionality just isn't there.

I think you've missed the functionality ...

Take a look at [1] if you want some in-depth quiding.

Yes, if I Insert StyleRef and point to the heading level
that I used to mark the Section heading it pulls in that
text for that page. But it doesn't do it for subsequent
pages. It isn't updating the header to reflect the new
heading text on each page.

Observe File | Page Setup in the Layout-tab closely: In Word, a section
can have up to three different header/footer pairs: Different First
page, and different for all odd/even pages. If those two are unchecked,
and you change a header and it doesn't propage through your document,
then you have more than one section for sure. You can do it with more
sections (if you set the header in section n+1 to "same as previous", it
will pick up whatever's in header of section n), but you don't need to
(see below).

Also, do I need to have all 500 code sections be distinct
Word sections? Do I have to insert section breaks in 500
places? If so, how can I automate that?

No, you don't: all can be a single section if you want the nearest of
your "section"-titles in the header on each page (STYLEREF takes care of
that).

I want to do this once for the first page and have the
rest of the document pick it up automatically and show the
header the current section name on that page -- with the
only manual operation that I have to do 500 times is mark
the TOC heading level on the appropriate text (which has
already been done).

If you try to use Word like it was WordPerfect, you will fail. There
have been many more like you who had to switch, there are excellent
articles on the MVP site ([2], [3]).

Greetinx
..bob
...Word-MVP

[1] Working with Sections (by Dave Rado)
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Formatting/WorkWithSections.htm

[2] How Word differs from WordPerfect (by John McGhie)
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/WordVsWordPerfect.htm

[3] Is there life after »Reveal Codes«? (by Suzanne S. Barnhill)
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/RevealCodes.htm