how to use captions -> Cross-reference

[JT234234]

I'm interested in word 2007's ability to maintain cross references such as
'on figure 7 we can see that' so that if I added another figure it would
automatically update to figure 8 etc.

I've tried to use word 2007 help but it's patchy and minimal, I don't
understand where the normal help files are. For example if I search for
captions the first hit is the 'add or delete captions' page, but on that page
there's no mention of cross-references or how to use them.

I also can't find an index of help items like there is in visual studio or
photoshop, but I just can't believe that MS would only provide minimal help
files. So if anyone can tell me where the offical documentation resides, and
where I can get help on cross references, I'd be really grateful. Thanks

 

[Graham Mayor]

The help in Word 2007 is patchy as you suggest. However for inserting cross
references to Figures, you would insert the figures from Insert Caption,
then the cross references to the Figures from Insert > Cross Reference >
Figure.

The cross reference will maintain the relationship with the figure to which
it refers. However, REF fields do not update automatically, so in order to
reflect the correct number when the Figure number changes, you must update
the fields. This can be achieved quite simply by using a macro attached to
the QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) - see the sample code at
http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm


--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[JT234234]

That's helpful, thank you Graham. The reason I ask is because I'm writing a
thesis, but am a bit out of date on things like captions, chapter headings,
automating tables of contents etc.

The provided help is quite frankly useless. This issues must have been
raised many times before I guess.

If you have come across any succinct guides for using word 2007 for academic
theses I'd be really grateful for a link. I guess I'll do it chapter by
chapter and then link as a master document, but I'm unsure how to preserve
the corrent chapter numbers in the final linked document, because obviously
I'll want all figures in chapter 1 to be 1.x, and chapter 2 figures to be 2.x
etc. But the local help doesn't help me one bit. Strange, I thought MS put a
lot of resources into Office!

 

[JT234234]

I have found a useful guide here for anyone preparing a thesis with word 2007:

http://www.une.edu.au/library/eskillsplus/career/Word_2007_for_Researchers.pdf

 

[Graham Mayor]

I would urge you not to use the master document function as it has never
worked reliably and could result in you losing your work. Word can handle
large documents - of many hundreds, even thousands of pages. Just make sure
you keep plenty of backups - you may find
http://www.gmayor.com/save_numbered_versions.htm useful.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I would suggest that, if you want help on cross-references, it would make
more sense to search Help for "cross-reference" rather than "caption," but,
having just tried that, I can see that it would be even less helpful. <sigh>

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[JT234234]

Thanks Suzanne - that's what I tried in the first instance. I noticed the pop
up 'hover' help box was moderately useful, but I'm astounded that an
application as popular as word can boast so many undocumented features. Is it
really the developers' intentions that we all learn through forums such as
these, or worse, through trial and error?

Is there an official way to voice my views to Microsoft?

Thanks for your input nonetheless

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think it is universally acknowledged that the Help in Word 2007 is less
helpful than in any previous version. That's partly because of the somewhat
arrogant assumption on Microsoft's part that every Word user has broadband
and can always access online Help. But it's one of the realities of software
production, especially for a product as complex as Word (and even more so
for one with radically new features, such as Word 2007), that the feature
set is not really set in stone until RTM, and those who are writing Help are
hard put to it to keep up. This issue was addressed many versions back in
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/general/WheresTheManual.htm

The online Help can be quite good, and the User Assistance folks have
leveraged a lot of existing content by linking to it. The main problem with
Help in Word 2007 is poor sorting/searching capabilities. My experience is
that the first search result is often not the simple article I'm looking for
(usually remembered from Word 2003) but instead an online demo or video
tutorial that would take several minutes to watch (the first couple of
minutes spent looking for a button to turn off the audio). The bottom line
is that the best "Help" is often Google.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[JT234234]

Ah right! I must be being dumb. Where is the link to the online help
repository? It's not immediately obvious that there's an online help that's
better than the local offline version. Thanks in advance

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix on news.microsoft.com]

"...the feature set is not really set in stone until RTM, and those who are
writing Help are hard put to it to keep up."

Having been in the postion of having the sole responsibility for developing
the Help for an application that is considerably smaller and less complex
than Word, I can certainly vouch for the veracity of this statement! At least
MSFT's documentation team have some good tools at their disposal. I did it
with nothing more than an outdated version of FrontPage and MSFT's free HTML
Help Workshop.
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups - no
membership required!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

In the Help dialog, in the bottom right corner, there is a button that (by
default) says, "Connected to Office Online." Click on that and you can
choose to display only the Help files stored locally or also access online
Help. As I say, by default Help is set up to search both locally and online,
and many of the hits you'll get (and often the first ones listed) will be
online assistance articles.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org