Strange blue text with dotted underline

[Brenda from Michigan]

Word 2003 SP3

User has sent me a document she receives on a regular basis. If Hidden Text
is turned on, you see (blue text) within parens with a dot leader underneath,
similar to a hyperlink except dots replacing the solid line and most but not
all of these blue selections have a blue bolded number to their left. This
text is always to the left of black text that has a faint gray line around
it, similiar to gridlines of a table. If you turn off Hidden Text, all the
blue text disappears but leaves the black text with the faint line around it.
I can't test printing right now.

I've looked at the References selections but this does not seem to be a
Table, Index, Footnote, Endnote or anything else I can find. Can anyone tell
me what I'm looking at please? Thank you very much.

 

[grammatim]

Does the hidden text make sense in the context of the nonhidden text?
Maybe it's just text that the author didn't intend you to see.

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

I've further discovered this is full of "FormText" and "FormDropdown" codes.
However, it also does contain actual data. I think this document is the
middle of some process, but I"m not sure what.

 

[Brenda from Michigan]

I think I got it. This document was completed by someone else. Pressing F9
shows the codes for either a Formtext field (and text has been entered) or a
Formdropdown (one of the two selections has been chosen). The individual
involved has Hidden Text showing, so she sees the Field Names. When I turn
off Hidden Text, I still see her data. However, I'll just bet her Update
Fields is checked because all the data disappears and does not print if
that's checked.

Thanks for the idea. I think we've solved this mystery.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

It sounds more as if she has field codes displayed (rather than Hidden
text).

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