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Re: Re (2): Work Arounds with MS Word and large, long documents
Subject:Re: Re (2): Work Arounds with MS Word and large, long documents From:Beryl Doane <BDoane -at- ENGPO -dot- MSMAILGW -dot- INTERMEC -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 4 Dec 1996 14:43:00 PST
Bill Warner wrote:
> Has anyone found a way to make MS Word work with large documents?
> Has anyone used a work-around to make the Reference Document or Master
With some coaxing, Word can handle books of several hundred pages.
I have been using word to create documents up to about 500 pages for years,
including 3+ years at MS. I have never used Master Documents, and I've only
heard complaints about them.
A Reference Document is a type of Word field. The field points to another
file that you want Word to scan when you build your TOC or index. When you
run or update the TOC or index, Word pulls in the headings (or index
entries) and page numbers for the referenced file and includes them in the
compiled TOC (or index).
My projects usually have a separate file for each chapter, the front matter
and TOC, the glossary, each appendix, and the index. Large chapters may be
spread across several smaller files. Thus, my TOC chapter may include {RD}
entries for a dozen or more files.
At my current company, we number pages separately for each chapter, 1-1,
1-2, and so on. To place the chapter number into the TOC or index entries,
we use a {SEQ} field to define the chapter number in each file, then use the
appropriate switch in the {TOC} or {INDEX} field. With a little extra work,
you can handle alpha chapters, such as page B-52.
I have not used Word for 1000-page books, but given a computer with
unlimited RAM, unlimited disk space and a powerful, speedy processor, who
knows?
I hope I'm being clear--I don't know your expertise level. If you need more
information, contact me directly.
Beryl Doane
Senior Technical Writer
Intermec Corporation
bdoane -at- intermec -dot- com
beno3 -at- premier1 -dot- net
