Track changes with multiple authors

[detobias]

I am Word 2003 and my co authors are Mac (3 authors in total). Track changes
is not working. When I track, changes come out in red. Second author came
out in blue. When third author commented, all changes were in green which
makes editing very hard.
What can we do to solve this at the BEGINNING of our project?
I went into tools options and see you can set colors. Is that what we each
need to do (different colors). Is there anything about the PC/Mac issue?
Thanks!

 

[grammatim]

When you get it back from Author3, are only the colors the same, or
has the author identification (Username) also been leveled? If that's
what happened, then probably Computer 3 is set to remove author infor
from tracked changes (and apparently it can't be recovered).

 

[detobias]

I did another test, in Tools, Options, I selected red for my deletions and
insertions. The second author did the same as green. When she did it on her
Mac it came out green with my red. When I got it via email all was red. We
haven't sent it to 3rd author yet. I need to figure this out as we are
beginniing a book and i am the main editor for us 3! Please help!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If you select a specific color, then all markup will be that color. Only if
you select By Author will you see different colors, and you cannot choose
which color is used for which author. They will vary on different machines,
so don't assume that because your markup is red on your machine it will be
red on anyone else's. And no one else will see different colors unless they
also have By Author selected; what you see is based entirely on the settings
on your own machine, not what settings were in effect when the markup was
created.

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

 

[detobias]

Thank you!
Are you saying each author on their machine chooses 'by author' in track
changes which show as red/blue on the tab? And on that way we three will
continue to have 3 separate colors?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Well, yes and no. It doesn't make any difference what the others do. If you
select "By Author," you will see your markup and theirs in different colors.
If they select "By Author," they will also see different colors (but not
necessarily the same colors). If they choose a specific color, they will see
all the markup (by all the authors) in the same color.

The chief caveat is the unpredictability of "By Author." Just because you
see your markup as red on your computer, don't expect the others to see the
same thing. Most likely, they'll see *their* markup in red and theirs in
blue. But they could see different colors entirely. So just don't refer to
your markup as being a specific color because it will just confuse them.

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

 

[detobias]

Ok but then no way as the 'editor ' of the group to know whose comments are
whose by color?
Thanks !

 

[grammatim]

If you hover over one of the changes in each color, the screentip will
show you the username and the date of the change. _Usually_, your own
changes appear in red on your computer, the second person's in blue,
and the third's in green -- IF you were the first person to make a
change in the document.

 

[detobias]

Let's make sure we are talking the same method as I now have tried two.
When I instructed the co authors and me to select by author in options,
track changes, my changes came out red on my machine and the second co author
concured with mine being red and hers being blue. When I got hers back both
mine and hers were red. Hovering did nothing. We have not gotten the third
person's yet, but this does not seem to be working. I cannot imagine that
this task isn't a common and hopefully achievable one! All ideas accepted!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Make sure that you're still seeing the names of the various authors and not
just "Author." If you're seeing "Author," then one or the other of you
(sounds like the other) has "Remove personal information from file
properties on save" checked on the Security tab of Tools | Options.

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

 

[detobias]

No, my box is not checked and I don't see names or 'author'. It sounds like
I am not doing something right.....
What is possible here in my situation?
Is it possible to have each of us 3 authors have a different and consistent
color in redline so we can see what each of us has 'said' and know who it is?!
Continue to be appreciative.

 

[grammatim]

Ias it possible that exactly the same username appears in both your
computers??

 

[detobias]

How will that be? we are different in different states, etc.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

When you mouse over a marked insertion or deletion you don't see a popup
with the reviewer's name? Do you have ScreenTips enabled on the View tab of
Tools | Options?

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

 

[Graham Mayor]

The username configured in Word has nothing to do with where you live, but
is configured in Tools > Options > User Information on your respective PCs -
any number of which could conceivably have the same settings.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
..

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Given the number of documents I receive of which the "author" is "Valued
Dell Customer" or the like, I'd say this is not at all unlikely!

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