how to retain author information

[rebecca]

One of our departments has an issue when they send/receive a Word 2003 file
with track changes from their client and their client has the option
selected: "Tools/options/security/remove personal information....." .
--Is there a way to automatically detect that this option is not on prior to
opening the file?
--Is there a way to activate this feature prior to opening the file to
retain the author information?
--Is there VB code to accomplish this?
--Is there a Windows search feature to accomplish this?
Any help would be valuable. Thank you

 

[Ben M. Schorr - MVP (OneNote)]

So you're saying that the client has taken steps to remove metadata from
the file and you want to figure out a way to restore that metadata TO
the file before you open it?

I suspect you'd have to get the client to agree to turn that option off
- but I also suspect they've turned it on for a reason.

Or are you having a problem remembering to turn that option back on so
that your own authors get their metadata recorded in the file?

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com
Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q

 

[rebecca]

Yes to your first question. having the 'remove personal information...' is
an excellent feature except when companies are knowing passing contracts back
and forth and want to capture the author info for track changes purposes.
I'm assuming that if the client sends their file via email and if the 'remove
personal info' is selected that there is not a way to capture it somewhere in
the file? Could custom properties resolve the issue of lost author info?
could some type of VB code gather the author info before the file is opened?

 

[rebecca]

Yes to your first question. having the 'remove personal information...' is
an excellent feature except when companies are knowing passing contracts back
and forth and want to capture the author info for track changes purposes.
I'm assuming that if the client sends their file via email and if the 'remove
personal info' is selected that there is not a way to capture it somewhere in
the file? Could custom properties resolve the issue of lost author info?
could some type of VB code gather the author info before the file is opened?
BTW: reply and submit continue to crash, so sorry if you're getting
multiple duplicate responses.....

 

[Ben M. Schorr - MVP (OneNote)]

Well, I think (and one of the Word MVPs can correct me if I'm wrong)
that when they check that feature it removes the information in question
on SAVE. In other words, the data isn't in the document when they send
it; there isn't anything you can do to recover it at that point.

If you think about it if the personal data could be recovered by the
recipient that would sort of defeat the purpose of the feature, wouldn't
it?

I think you need to ask your client to turn that feature off BEFORE they
save/send the document to you. Once it's saved/sent the deed is already
done.

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com
Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q

 

[Jay Freedman]

You're correct, Ben. As soon as the client saved the document, the author
and date/time of the revisions were gone and not recoverable.

Additionally, VBA code will not let you put the information back, even if
you know what it should be. The Author and Date properties of the Revision
object are read-only, and trying to assign values to them causes syntax
errors.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[rebecca]

I am aware of your suggestion; i was hoping you had an 'outside of the box'
suggestion?

 

[Ben M. Schorr - MVP (OneNote)]

'fraid not. Your client has already locked the box by enabling that
feature.

Best solution would be to ask them to turn it off for you.

--
-Ben-
Ben M. Schorr, MVP
Roland Schorr & Tower
http://www.rolandschorr.com
http://www.officeforlawyers.com
Author - The Lawyer's Guide to Microsoft Outlook 2007:
http://tinyurl.com/5m3f5q

 

[Peter Jamieson]

Not something I have explored, but if
a. the track change info. is still in the .doc, but without the
personal information
b. you know what the personal info is supposed to be
c. you can open the .doc without damaging anything

then I wonder whether you could
d. save as .rtf, or - possibly simpler in this case - as Word 2003 .xml
e. re-insert the personal info /you/ need in the .rtf or .xml. You
couldn't do that with the Word object model - it's a more traditional
programmed find-and-replace type job, unless you have happen to have a
really good XSL transform person to hand.

Even if possible, would it really be worth it?


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk