Master doc or volumes??

[yepp]

I have a huge document to compile.... it will have over 200 individual
documents altogether plus all the front matter, TOC, etc.

I have read that Master docs are not recommended. Is this still the
case with MSWord 2002 version?

Also, these documents have many graphics, embedded math font (universal
math) for equations.

What would be the best way to put this together? Do you recommend the
Master doc method or just put into 4 or 6 volumes and make a separate
TOC?

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Do not use the Master Document feature. It is still not recommended in Word
2003.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
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and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[yepp]

Do not use the Master Document feature. It is still not recommended in Word
2003.
--
Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

Thanks Charles. Is that the recommendation of users, or does MS say it
is unstable? I would like something to take to my supervisor to let
him know Master Doc is NOT the way to go.

 

[Charles Kenyon]

Microsoft keeps selling it with this "feature" and may advertise it. I don't
think they will tell anyone to not use it.

"Master Document" is a term of art in Word referring to a "feature" that not
only doesn't work but also destroys documents. The consensus (with the
limited exception of Steve Hudson) among those offering advice on these
newsgroups is that using the Master Document feature is a good way to
destroy your document. It can destroy parts of your document that you are
not even working on! I think John McGhie said it succinctly when he said
that there are two kinds of Master Documents: Those that are corrupt and
those that will be corrupt soon. See
http://www.addbalance.com/word/masterdocuments.htm for information on the
Master Document feature and workarounds. See
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/WhyMasterDocsCorrupt.htm for more
information on what goes wrong, and
http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/RecoverMasterDocs.htm for ideas on how
to salvage what you can. See
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/magazine/technical/masterdocs.doc for
Steve Hudson's instructions if you are willing to follow them very
carefully.

--

Charles Kenyon

Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word

Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of
Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide


--------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies
and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn
from my ignorance and your wisdom.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Actually, I think it is pretty much deprecated even by MS at this point;
they'd remove the feature if they could and retain it only for backward
compatibility. They have no intention of making it more stable, however.

 

[Jonathan West]

Hi yepp

Instead of using Master documents, look at this article for how to assemble
your chapters.

Creating a Table of Contents Spanning Multiple Documents
http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/Pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=148

--
Regards
Jonathan West - Word MVP
www.intelligentdocuments.co.uk
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