Updateable Field Per Page Showing Next Version No. When Edited

[Lexy]

Hi guys

I have no idea if you will be able to help - I've never been asked this one
before.

My client wants to be able to update the Version Number in each individual
page of a document each time the page is edited in some way. so for
instance, the Version number for all pages will begin at Version 1, then if
page 42 is edited in any way, it will become Version 2, but all other
unedited pages reamin at Version 1, until edited themselves. Obviously as
time goes by, some pages that are edited a lot will be completely different
version numbers to other pages, but this is what the client needs.

My second challenge is where to place this updatable version field - placing
in header/footer areas will cause probs as obviously with linked headers and
footers, i won't be able to change the version number in each page, not
without an awful lot of work re-jigging the sections etc.

is there any way to be able to place say for instance, this updateable
version number field in the margin, so it can be seen on the doc, but is
quite separate to the rest of the text?

Thanks for any help or suggestions guys.

Lexy

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix at news.microsoft.com]

Lexy,

Because the concept of a "page" in Word is so fluid, if this were my client,
I'd push back on this requirement as being unfeasible. An example to
illustrate:

Let's say you have a three-page document with an initial version number on
all pages of 1. Today you make a small change near the bottom of page 2 and
update the version number for that page to 2. Tomorrow you make a small
change near top of page 3 and update the version number for that page to 2.
The next day you make another small change near the bottom of page 2 and
update the version number for the page to 3. The following day you make a BIG
change to page 1, adding several paragraphs to the page, and update the
version number for that page to 2.

However, because you have added so much content to page 1, the changes you
made near the bottom of page 2 are now pushed to page 3, but the changes made
near the top of page 3 are still on the same page. Page 3 now contains the
"version 3" changes from the old page 2 and the "version 2" changes from the
old page 3. Which version number for page 3 is correct: 2 or 3?

If it's vitally important that every single change to the document be
recorded in sufficient detail to allow the changes to be located with a high
degree of specificity, then perhaps a better approach would be to number
_every_ paragraph in the document and create a "change log" - either as an
appendix to the document or in a separate document - detailing which
paragraph (identified by number) was changed, the date on which it was
changed, and any other pertinent details. Alternatively, you could recommend
versioning the entire document (a much better approach IMHO, as the concept
of "versioning" tends to be thought of in terms of documents rather than
pages), and using Word's native document comparison functionality to locate
the differences between documents. And if the client doesn't trust this
method (and has the $$$ to do it), you could always suggest an EDMS...

Unfortunately, if you're stuck with having to support this requirement, I'm
not sure how you would go about it. Maybe a textbox anchored to the page,
positioned in the margin and set not to move with the text? I have no idea if
that will work or not, but you could always try...
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup.

Read the original version of this post in the Office Discussion Groups - no
membership required!

 

[Peter Jamieson]

1. I agree completely with Gordon's comments on this one (once you spell
out the true cost of a feature to a client in terms of the effort they
will have to go to to make it work, as well as the effort you will have
to make, the maintenance costs, etc., they have been known to change
their minds)

2. However, if you still need something along these lines...

My second challenge is where to place this updatable version field - placing
in header/footer areas will cause probs as obviously with linked headers and
footers, i won't be able to change the version number in each page, not
without an awful lot of work re-jigging the sections etc.

....see the Advanced section of Greg Maxey's page at
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Conditional_Headers_Footers.htm

Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP on news.microsoft.com]

To amplify what my friends have advised, you might want to read up what John
McGhie writes in the following
article (you might want to read up the whole article, in fact):

Creating a Template (Part II, by John McGhie)
http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/CreateATemplatePart2.htm


<quote>
Look up Longford Disaster, Esso and Melbourne on the web and read all
about how Exxon (Esso's parent company) managed to send a thousand
million dollars and several of their staff up in a puff of smoke doing this.
</quote>



--
Hope this helps.

Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my
services on a paid consulting basis.

Doug Robbins - Word MVP, originally posted via msnews.microsoft.com

 

[Lexy]

Hi Guys

Agree - this isn't a feature that Word was designed to accommodate - as
you've quite rightly said, pagination after amendments would eventually
create a non-sensical page version record. However this is a requirement of
their governing body, so I will probably go with the text box in margin
scenario, which really has been the only solution I can come up with myself
to this, even though long-term, I can see it causing additional work and
therefore being less cost effective.

Thanks for you time as ever guys )