Why does Word always lock subs in a master document?

[DV]

Hello group

I have been pointed to this newsgroup as someone might be able to
provide an answer to the following question:

Background info: Recently, we have startet using WebWorksPublisher for
Word. I would need to use it in conjunction with the Word-function
"master-documents/subs".

Firstly: I know that this word-function is supposed to be risky, an i
personally would rather use external docs imported by reference. But
it is not my choice to use master-docs rather than other solutions.

Although WWP-docs say it will grok master/subdocuments, it always
chokes on such beasts. I suspect it is, because Word always locks and
collapses subs inside a master-doc even if I saved the docs expanded
and unlocked (Whenever I am reopening a doc saved expanded and
unlocked, it opens as collapsed and locked)

So my question is: How can I prevent word from collapsing and locking
subs upon saving?

Thanks for any feedback
FK.

 

[Jon Weaver]

DV,
Master documents are not "supposed to be risky" -- they are. If you must
use them, read this first:
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/magazine/technical/masterdocs.doc

As far as collapsing and locking, write a macro to expand and open and name
it AutoOpen.

In closing, you are in for a rough ride...Good luck!!
Jon

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Dv,

I'd contact the manufacturer of WebsWorksPublisher about this, if they
say it ought to work. Word has locked sub-documents for every version
since Word 97, I think. The reason behind it is to try to make the
functionality more stable.

Master documents were originally conceived as a way to pull separate
documents together for creating TOCs, Indexes, cross-references and
then printing the result. It was never supposed to be an editing tool,
but of course, that's how people began to use it. And exactly this is
what makes the feature "break". So the sub-docs are locked by default
to help prevent users from doing some of the things that can break
them. There's no way to change how Word works for this.

Although WWP-docs say it will grok master/subdocuments, it always
chokes on such beasts. I suspect it is, because Word always locks and
collapses subs inside a master-doc even if I saved the docs expanded
and unlocked (Whenever I am reopening a doc saved expanded and
unlocked, it opens as collapsed and locked)

So my question is: How can I prevent word from collapsing and locking
subs upon saving?

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

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