Word: Win's solution for long docs

Subject: Word: Win's solution for long docs
From: Kris Olberg <kjolberg -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 6 Dec 1996 10:20:11 -0800

At 09:34 AM 12/4/96 -0600, Bill Warner wrote:
> HELP!

> Problem: In MS Word for Windows 95--each of our tech writers work
> with very long (up to 600 pages)... [snip]

Bill, Win Day has a innovative approach which she gave me for publication
in the FAQ. I am currently battling with my ISP about getting more than 30K
of data to my allotted space on their server, so it's not in the FAQ yet.
I've pasted the piece of the FAQ with Win's stuff below. If you can't read
around the HTML tags, cut and paste the excerpt into a separate file and
view it with a browser by specifying the following location: file://<path>
where <path> is the path and file name.

I use the RD fields method because my requirements are not that stringent.
I don't have to worry about page references, figure captions/numbering, etc.

Regards...Kris


-------start excerpt from FAQ------------------------
<p><a name="nomasterdoc"><font size=4><strong>How do I handle a large Word
document without using a master
document?<br>
</strong></font></a><font size=2>submitted by </font><a
href="mailto:winday -at- idirect -dot- com"><font size=2>Win Day</a>, 11/25/96</font></p>
<p><font size=3>Using Word for large document projects isn't impossible, but
it does require some planning and
fancy footwork. Because my clients want their manuals and reports delivered
in Word files, I've had
to create a method. (I didn't create either of the macro sets described
here, but I use them
constantly.)</font></p>
<p><font size=3>Get these files:</font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size=3>MasterView, written by Tom Dibble, from</font></li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.wpi.edu/~tomster/MasterView/";><font
size=3><kbd>http://www.wpi.edu/~tomster/MasterView/</kbd></font></a></p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><font size=3>Tagger, written by Chris Ruckman, from</font></li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.xis.com/~ruckman/tagger.html";><font
size=3><kbd>http://www.xis.com/~ruckman/tagger.html</kbd></font></a></p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p><font size=3>MasterView and Tagger are shareware Word macro sets that run
equally well in Word6 and
Word7. MasterView uses Word's own RD fields to allow you to link any number
of small files and
then:</font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size=3>Create a global Table of Contents</font></li>
<li><font size=3>Create global Lists of Tables and Figures, etc.</font></li>
<li><font size=3>Create global indexes</font></li>
<li><font size=3>Cross-reference between files</font></li>
<li><font size=3>Use continuous page numbering, heading numbering, and
caption numbering</font></li>
</ul>
<p><font size=3>Tagger provides an easy-to-use, customizable method for
captioning and numbering, and
MasterView easily reads Tagger's tags. Both MasterView and Tagger come as
Word templates
containing macros and toolbar buttons. The templates contain instructions
for loading the macros
into your normal.dot template or as global macros.</font></p>
<p><font size=3>I regularly produce manuals (~200 pages, in 10-12 files) and
engineering reports (~1000 pages, in
80-100 files). The documents contain thousands of embedded graphics,
equations, tables,
cross-references, ToC and list entries, and index entries. </font></p>
<p><font size=3>I use Word7 now but used Word6 up until about November 1995.
MasterView and Tagger work
the same in both. Since using the two macro sets, I haven't had any GPFs,
Word &quot;out of memory&quot;
calls, or problems with file sizes.</font></p>
<p><font size=3>I split the document into many files based on the
organization in the ToC, and store all files relating
to the project in a single subdirectory. Do<em> not </em>use long file or
subdirectory names, as the RD fields
will not work. I number the files so they appear in my subdirectory in the
order I want to link them.
My list of files usually looks something like this:</font></p>
<ul>
<li><font size=3>01cover.doc (contains cover page, and blank back or spine
for 3-ring binder)</font></li>
<li><font size=3>02title.doc (contains title page and warranty page)</font></li>
<li><font size=3>03front.doc (contains ToC, lists of tables and figures
(pages numbered i-an even number),
and &quot;About this manual&quot; section (pages numbered 1-2
usually)</font></li>
<li><font size=3>04xxxxxx.doc (first section, starts at level one heading,
contains even number of pages)</font></li>
<li><font size=3>05xxxxxx.doc (second section, same as the first only
different!)</font></li>
<li><font size=3>... however many sections are required</font></li>
<li><font size=3>98glossar.doc (glossary, contains even number of
pages)</font></li>
<li><font size=3>99index.doc (index, contains even number of pages)</font></li>
</ul>
<p><font size=3>I make sure every major section, broken at the level one
headings, contains an even number of
>pages. Word uses the APA style guide to create completely blank
even-numbered pages if you
force a heading to start on an odd page. I prefer headers and footers on my
blank even-numbered
pages, so I make sure the pages get them by inserting the page breaks
myself.</font></p>
<p><font size=3>I have successfully linked more than 100 files this way. I
first create all the files I think I'll need, in
the proper subdirectory. Then I link them with MasterView. I start at
the<em> last </em>file in the sequence,
and work backwards to link, paying attention to where I want the page
numbering to connect. I
also link the heading numbering if that's required, and link the sequences
for Tables, Figures,
Equations, etc.</font></p>
<p><font size=3>Then I step forward to the last file again, and update the
MasterView so the numbering is connected
properly. MasterView's instructions say you can link in either direction,
but I find it works better this
way. </font></p>
<p><font size=3>Once I've updated the view the first time, I try<em> not
</em>to update it unless I have to, such as when I
want to print the front section containing the ToC and lists. If I link a
lot of files, the update can take
a<em> long </em>time. I work on each file individually, and update and print
the view when I need the full
document.</font></p>
<p><font size=3>I recommend that you get the files, and try them out. If you
still have questions, you can contact me
again (</font><a href="mailto:winday -at- idirect -dot- com"><font size=3>Win
Day</font></a><font size=3>).</font></p>
<hr>
-----------end excerpt from FAQ -------------------

Regards...Kris
===================================
kjolberg -at- ix -dot- netcom -dot- com (preferred)
kolberg -at- actamed -dot- com


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