How To Update Links When Move The Target Information.

J

Jim Larson

I would like to use hyperlinks to link from one file to specific
information in another file. But I find myself moving pieces of
information around a lot, often into different files. When I move
target information into a different file, I find that the link doesn't
update to point to the new file.

For example, if I have a Links.doc file with a link to a bookmark
"diary" in A.doc, and I decide to move the diary section with bookmark
to B.doc, the link in Links.doc still points to A.doc. Even when I
right click on the link and choose Update Field.

I would like to use links a lot more, but having to manually update
each link by typing in the new file name makes it not worthwhile.

Why can't Word be made to have the same capability as HTML Help?
Where topics appear in the left frame, and where clicking on one of
the topics in the left frame immediately pops up the subject topic in
full in the right frame? (Actually, I don't care that much for
frames, I'd just like to be able to click on a topic and jump right to
it.)

I have spent hundreds of hours over 3 years trying to emulate this
capability using VBScript and VBA. Where for example, on a particular
topic I might have a "See Also List" like the below:

/==== SEE ALSO LIST ======================
### 00.GHB -- Scripting Metalist (WSH, VBScript, JavaScript)
### 01.LBC -- Scripting Solutions other than WSH,
### 00.GHR -- VBScript Metalist
### 00.HBU -- Key Links, VBA, VBScript, Windows Script Host
\=========================================

When I put my cursor on one of the funny codes like 00.GHB and do Alt
M J, it will run a macro that will search an index file (built by
another script periodically) for 00;GHB and open the file that has a
00;GHB in it, and then use the application's Find command to jump
right to 00;GHB.

00;GHB is a unique code that I use as a "bookmark". Actually I don't
have the semicolon in the real bookmark -- I just stick the semicolon
in the code in this letter so my indexer program won't undesirably
pick it up in this letter.

I put "bookmark" in quotes, because it isn't an official bookmark in
the Word sense (created with Insert -> Bookmark) or the HTML sense
(created with the <A Name=> tag. My bookmarks are just simple text
strings that are unique (I have a system to make sure that I don't use
the same text-string twice).

But now I have to rewrite a number of my scripts to accommodate a huge
expected increase in the number of such bookmarks. I am trying to
find some way of doing what should be a very fundamental built-in kind
of thing without having to write tons of code. And so others may
benefit who may also want this capability. (My code is too fragile
for general use, too tailored to my particular circumstances, and a
little creaky).

/?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Doesn't anyone else in the whole wide world want to be able to
"bookmark" an item and then be able to jump right to it later, no
matter what file it is in?
\?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I've also investigated and asked about some "file finders" (programs
that search files for a text string) but what I've seen are unreliable
and only present a listing of the file(s) that have the text string.
If the text string is unique, as my "bookmarks" are, I want it to
automatically open the file in its native application and jump right
to the "bookmark".

Come to think of it, I'd like to be able to jump to a bookmark in a
plain text file or an HTML file too or an RTF WordPad file too. My
scripts do that, but like I said, I'm tired of spending several days
now and then maintaining my scripts. Especially now that I'm facing
more changes to the scripts to accomodate a much larger number of
links.

I have Word 2000 / Windows 98.

Thanks for any ideas,
Jim Larson
 
W

Word Heretic

G'day Jim Larson <[email protected]>,

<Sighs>

Good news and bad news in one I'm afraid.

Good You can achieve this functionality using Insert >
Cross-reference and a master document structure

Bad You have to use a master document

This problem has been a bugbear for many years and is why content
management systems are now spawning to help manage the usage of
metadata across a library.


Jim Larson said:
I would like to use hyperlinks to link from one file to specific
information in another file. But I find myself moving pieces of
information around a lot, often into different files. When I move
target information into a different file, I find that the link doesn't
update to point to the new file.

For example, if I have a Links.doc file with a link to a bookmark
"diary" in A.doc, and I decide to move the diary section with bookmark
to B.doc, the link in Links.doc still points to A.doc. Even when I
right click on the link and choose Update Field.

I would like to use links a lot more, but having to manually update
each link by typing in the new file name makes it not worthwhile.

Why can't Word be made to have the same capability as HTML Help?
Where topics appear in the left frame, and where clicking on one of
the topics in the left frame immediately pops up the subject topic in
full in the right frame? (Actually, I don't care that much for
frames, I'd just like to be able to click on a topic and jump right to
it.)

I have spent hundreds of hours over 3 years trying to emulate this
capability using VBScript and VBA. Where for example, on a particular
topic I might have a "See Also List" like the below:

/==== SEE ALSO LIST ======================
### 00.GHB -- Scripting Metalist (WSH, VBScript, JavaScript)
### 01.LBC -- Scripting Solutions other than WSH,
### 00.GHR -- VBScript Metalist
### 00.HBU -- Key Links, VBA, VBScript, Windows Script Host
\=========================================

When I put my cursor on one of the funny codes like 00.GHB and do Alt
M J, it will run a macro that will search an index file (built by
another script periodically) for 00;GHB and open the file that has a
00;GHB in it, and then use the application's Find command to jump
right to 00;GHB.

00;GHB is a unique code that I use as a "bookmark". Actually I don't
have the semicolon in the real bookmark -- I just stick the semicolon
in the code in this letter so my indexer program won't undesirably
pick it up in this letter.

I put "bookmark" in quotes, because it isn't an official bookmark in
the Word sense (created with Insert -> Bookmark) or the HTML sense
(created with the <A Name=> tag. My bookmarks are just simple text
strings that are unique (I have a system to make sure that I don't use
the same text-string twice).

But now I have to rewrite a number of my scripts to accommodate a huge
expected increase in the number of such bookmarks. I am trying to
find some way of doing what should be a very fundamental built-in kind
of thing without having to write tons of code. And so others may
benefit who may also want this capability. (My code is too fragile
for general use, too tailored to my particular circumstances, and a
little creaky).

/?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Doesn't anyone else in the whole wide world want to be able to
"bookmark" an item and then be able to jump right to it later, no
matter what file it is in?
\?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I've also investigated and asked about some "file finders" (programs
that search files for a text string) but what I've seen are unreliable
and only present a listing of the file(s) that have the text string.
If the text string is unique, as my "bookmarks" are, I want it to
automatically open the file in its native application and jump right
to the "bookmark".

Come to think of it, I'd like to be able to jump to a bookmark in a
plain text file or an HTML file too or an RTF WordPad file too. My
scripts do that, but like I said, I'm tired of spending several days
now and then maintaining my scripts. Especially now that I'm facing
more changes to the scripts to accomodate a much larger number of
links.

I have Word 2000 / Windows 98.

Thanks for any ideas,
Jim Larson

Steve Hudson

Word Heretic, Sydney, Australia
Tricky stuff with Word or words for you.
Email: (e-mail address removed)
Products: http://www.geocities.com/word_heretic/products.html
Spellbooks: 728 pages of dump left and dropping...

The VBA Beginner's Spellbook: For all VBA users.
 
J

Jim Larson

G'day Jim Larson <[email protected]>,

<Sighs>

Good news and bad news in one I'm afraid.

Good You can achieve this functionality using Insert >
Cross-reference and a master document structure

Bad You have to use a master document

This problem has been a bugbear for many years and is why content
management systems are now spawning to help manage the usage of
metadata across a library.

Thanks much Steve, I will be experimenting with this, it looks like it
might be quite helpful. My big concern about a proliferation of
"links" involves a couple of projects where most of the information
that is heavily linked to each other will be in a few files.

Jim Larson
 

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