Word changes and adds characters to file name on opening document

[Ken Chandler]

When I open a file I have been working on many months, that I have named
xxxxxx, Word X has suddenly started deleting the last few characters and
adds the following instead: #CO40; and another file, it does the same and
adds: #F320. Nothing in Word Help seems to be on this point. When I save it,
it is saved to the original file name I gave it. What is going on?

KC

 

[Dave Minerath]

When you save the file, do you by chance change the name of any of the
folders that the file sits in/under or the name of the document itself? I
remember Word v.X doing this because it couldn't handle long filenames (30
character limit, including filepath). Perhaps your path is close to the
long filename limit (128? 255 characters? Not sure what it is) and an extra
character or two tosses it "over the edge").

Best thought I have.

Dave

 

[Ken Chandler]

Your first thought is right on, Dave. I did rename the file folder that the
document is in. So if this accounts for the change in the name that Word
gave it, is there a way you can suggest to get the original file name back
at the header of the document when it is open?

Thanks so much for your help.
KC

 

[Dave Minerath]

Two ideas come to mind:

(1) Shorten the folder names in the filepath and rename the document to the
original title; or

(2) Manually enter the filename into the header, i.e. Don't use Autotext.

I don't know if spaces are recorded as single characters or as
escape-sequence characters (which takes up two or three characters),
somebody better versed in file naming can answer that. You might try
changing spaces to underscores or single dashes and see what happens.

Dave