IncludeText gives Error! Not a valid filename on 'refresh'

[Lynn Allan]

Using Word2003. Not a Word expert.

I'm preparing a series of bifold, duplex booklets that share a lot of
common pages. The full 'master' is 40 pages, and there are 4 page, 8
page, 16 page, 20 page, 28 page variations that are a subset of the 40
page master.

This seems like a good usage of IncludeText, and it "sort of" works.
Below is an example of what I'm trying to accomplish.

Page01.doc thru Page40.doc

IncluderOfFourPages.doc has:
{ INCLUDETEXT "Page01.doc" }
{ INCLUDETEXT "Page11.doc" }
{ INCLUDETEXT "Page21.doc" }
{ INCLUDETEXT "Page31.doc" }

The problem is when I "refresh" the "master" with Ctrl-A and F9, I'm
getting
Error! Not a valid filename
for some or all of the references.

It seems to work at least once when I build up the subpages initially.
Eventually, I start getting the Error! message as if it is corrupted.

Am I doing something wrong? Leaving out a step? Is there something
with the booket that confuses Word-2003? It is quite close to working,
but frustrating.

A year or so ago, I was working on a similar project, and it seems
like there was a "magic step" involved to get the "refresh" to work ok
.... but I can't remember what it was. I would encounter the above
"Error! Not a valid filename" and it seemed there was something I
could do to fix it so the "refresh" would work ok. Can't recall what
it was. ???

 

[Margaret Aldis]

Are all the documents in the same directory? Are you saving copies somewhere
else? You haven't included a full path and Word works relative to the
'current directory' - this usually has a default of MyDocuments or similar,
but changes while you work to wherever you last opened or saved a file. It
is not necessarily the directory where the document you are currently
working on resides!

 

[Lynn Allan]

Are all the documents in the same directory?

Yes.

Are you saving copies somewhere else?
No.

You haven't included a full path and Word works relative to the
'current directory' - this usually has a default of MyDocuments or similar,
but changes while you work to wherever you last opened or saved a file. It
is not necessarily the directory where the document you are currently
working on resides!

I get the same problem if I include the full pathname:
{ INCLUDETEXT "X:\MyDocs\Page01.doc" }

I can try this in the "My Documents" folder, or set the default to
this subdirectory.

Something odd that will perhaps help diagnose. When I initially build
the 'IncluderOfFourPages.doc with the initial { INCLUDETEST }
fieldcodes, it seems to work fine, and the file size is perhaps 92,000
bytes. I will open IncluderOfFourPages.doc, it appears fine. Then I do
Ctrl-A to select all, then F9 to "refresh". Then there are one, many,
or all of the { INCLUDETEXT } fields give the message:
Error! Not a valid filename.

The filesize has shrunk to about 52,000 bytes ... like it has lost the
text that was included.

Thanks for your reply ... I'm baffled.

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Lynn,

I get the same problem if I include the full pathname:
{ INCLUDETEXT "X:\MyDocs\Page01.doc" }

You need to use double-backslashes in the file name. Also,
make sure that the option to update linked file paths is
NOT activated in Tools/Options/General/Web options/Files.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update
Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[Lynn Allan]

I think part of my problem was having an invalid INCLUDETEXT in an
INCLUDETEXT ....

Oops .

Thanks for the help.

 

[Lynn Allan]

Seems like the problem I'm experiencing is erratic ... but seems
related to needing to wait until the document is entirely loaded.
There is a status message about "virus checking" and then an animation
is active for perhaps 10-20 seconds. If I try to "refresh" the links
with right-mouse-button "update link" before this is all done, then I
get the message:
Error! Not a valid filename
and the file is corrupted.