Structure of Office XP Word Document

[Dick Wade]

My office is required to use a UNIX (AIX) Universe (IBM) database
application to host and access our data through a telnet connection. Our
office uses mailmerge in two different implemenations, and as part of the
process, through host processes and VBA macros, Word is opened and a Word
files stored on this UNIX server are trasmitted to our Windows 2000 client
machines. The master document is transmitted and a .dat merge data file is
created on the host and also transmitted to the client. This process is
failing from time to time and requires numerous retries to complete the
trasmission process. Somehow the documents are corrutped during this
failure and the only way to "fix" the docuements is for someone who has
never merged the document to open the document for editing, copy and save to
another document all content up to the last paragraph symbol in the document
(the final character showing with All checked to show tabs, spaces,
paragraphs, etc.). Pasting this new content into a new document and saving
it on the host remedies the problem. However I want to be able to compare
the contents of the "header" document information that is found at or after
that last paragraph symbol (at least as far as what I can see being
transmitted) in both a corrupted document and the newly created document to
try to identify how this corruption is taking place during access and
transmission.

My question is where can I obtain a the contents of the document information
stored at or after the last paragraph symbol at the end of every Word
document? What would be the best way to examine this in each document?

Thanks
Dick

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Dick,

In order to examine the "real" information in the binary file format you'd
have to request the BIFF from Microsoft. There's a Knowledge Base article that
tells how to go about doing it, although I don't have the number at hand.

Since you have Office XP, an alternate approach might be to compare what you
get when you save the document as a webpage (to round-trip HTML format). OTOH,
this often results in throwing out the damaged part of the document (much as
copying without the last paragraph mark does).

FWIW, it's a known fact that Word documents are very susceptible to "hiccups"
during any kind of transmission process, be it over a network or via Email.
The only safeguard I'm aware of is to ZIP the file (Winzip, for example)
before transmitting. That, or fix the faulty network connection.

My office is required to use a UNIX (AIX) Universe (IBM) database
application to host and access our data through a telnet connection. Our
office uses mailmerge in two different implemenations, and as part of the
process, through host processes and VBA macros, Word is opened and a Word
files stored on this UNIX server are trasmitted to our Windows 2000 client
machines. The master document is transmitted and a .dat merge data file is
created on the host and also transmitted to the client. This process is
failing from time to time and requires numerous retries to complete the
trasmission process. Somehow the documents are corrutped during this
failure and the only way to "fix" the docuements is for someone who has
never merged the document to open the document for editing, copy and save to
another document all content up to the last paragraph symbol in the document
(the final character showing with All checked to show tabs, spaces,
paragraphs, etc.). Pasting this new content into a new document and saving
it on the host remedies the problem. However I want to be able to compare
the contents of the "header" document information that is found at or after
that last paragraph symbol (at least as far as what I can see being
transmitted) in both a corrupted document and the newly created document to
try to identify how this corruption is taking place during access and
transmission.

My question is where can I obtain a the contents of the document information
stored at or after the last paragraph symbol at the end of every Word
document? What would be the best way to examine this in each document?

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

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[Steve Rindsberg]

Hi Dick,

In order to examine the "real" information in the binary file format you'd
have to request the BIFF from Microsoft. There's a Knowledge Base article that
tells how to go about doing it, although I don't have the number at hand.

This is the closest thing to it I've found:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;840817

 

[ITJRW]

Thanks Cindy, I've just finished e-mailing (e-mail address removed) to obtain
the BIFF. You were a big help. By the way, I had an painting teacher when
I was 9-11 yrs. old (about 50 years ago) in Houston by the name of Daphne
Meister. Don't know if that name is common but the lady sure could teach
art.

Dick

 

[ITJRW]

Steve,
Thanks for the link. I've just finished completing the e-mail to
(e-mail address removed) to apply. I printed out the article and the
suggestion about using XML might be helpful. I appreciate the respose. I
had forgotten where I had posted the request and just found it today.

Dick

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Dick,

Glad you're on your way with your project

Don't know if that name is common but the lady sure could teach
art.

As best one has been able to ascertain, the name is "native" to my
village, another some 20 miles south of here, and to an area in
the canton of Berne. The local Meister clan was apparently very
adventurous; lots of people emigrating. Glad to find out at least
one of those branches has been successful <g>

Cindy Meister