Re: Word and PowerPoint, linking ( OLE , FIELD CODES , LINK )

[Ned Bedinger <nbedinger -at- USWEST -dot- NET>]

In re:

>From:   Barclay Blanchard
[SMTP:Bblancha -at- MANHATTANASSOCIATES -dot- COM]
<snip>
>        I used the Edit ->
Paste Special option to link to the slides.
>        Here's the field code for
a slide link:
>       { LINK PowerPoint Slide 8
"path:\\filename.ppt." "395" \a \p }


You might get a more thorough treatment from one of the newsgroups in the
microsoft.public.word.xxx hierarchy.  I think the main refrain here
for people trying to build object documents is "Use
FrameMaker".

Anyway, here's my $2 worth, based on long and trying experinece with OLE,
Powerpoint, and Word.  You vill excuse the disorganized state of my
thoughts, but this is a big deal topic that I've never quite gotten a
grip on.

Is revision tracking on in Word?  If it is turned on, you'll see
hideously bloated docs that will simulate a locked-up machine (they're so
big Word/Windows gets overwhelmed and can't scroll or update the screen
very well).  This condition quickly leads to corruption of the
document. SOmething as simple as a TOC field can generate endless
revisions that are kept in the doc when Revision Tracking is on.

Your link is to the entire ppt file, albeit to a specific slide in the
file.  This may be adding up to big Word files very quickly !! 
Do a test, one link formed this way in a new word doc and then
saved.  How big is the file?

In your example, there is a number referring to Powerpoint's internal
tracking number for slides, but my Powerpoint and Word from Office '97
won't reveal this number to me. If I Edit>Paste Special > Insert as
Link, the slide image in the Word doc will not show a field code text
when I hit <SHIFT>+<F9> -- it  does nothing.  Are
you using VB to investigate the Pwerpoint object? 

 I have used the internal number in the past, but not with this
version of Word.  If you're mixing PP from Office '97 with older
version of Word, lookout for problems!   Are you working with
an existing powerpoint from a previous version of PP?   

Your Link field saves the object as a Picture, not a Powerpoint
slide.  The \p field is where this decision is made for Word. 
This may have some bearing on how Word interacts with Powerpoint 
when you double-click on it in Word to edit. If Powerpoint is not open
when you try to edit the Word copy of a slide, does it open in Picture
editor? 

In my test run here, I incurred  183k of filesize per powerpoint
slide that I inserted by Edit >Paste Special>Insert as
Link  in a Word doc.  Oddly, I couldn't then switch any of
the slides in Word to to Field view to see the Link field text. Since the
Store With Document checkbox (see \d flag discussion below) wasn't
offered during the Paste Special dialog, I couldn't test the Link field
with \d flag for file size improvement.

If you don't really need to link for editing in Word, drop that!  It
complicates your doc and you don't need unnecessary complications unser
Word and OLE. Even when it comes down to a question of linking or
embedding simple GIF files in a Word doc, you're better off (les trouble)
embedding, sorrry to say. If you can get away with a HYPERLINK instead of
a LINK, it might work better and it does display the slide in the word
doc as an image, not a hot link.

If you have to stick with LINK, I have the following thoughts for
it:

Your link field is missing the flag that would keep the doc size
small:  your link field should have a '\d' in it to store the object
in powerpoint, not in word, like this: { LINK PowerPoint Slide 8
"path:\\filename.ppt." "395" \a \p \d }. It is
documented in online help, but isn't an option when you go through the
Edit >Paste Special dialogs. it doesn't seem to conserve size in this
case, in my test. 

OLE linking in Word has been so variable through the last three or so
iterations of Word, your sucess with it really depends on which version
you're working with.  

Powerpoint has had its own problems with OLE and as your group points
out, it seems to be only marginally adequate as a OLE server.  I've
had big problems with the internal reference number (the "395"
in your example) changing when I add or remove slides, hope that's fixed
or you'll have plenty o' problems with your Link fields, probably on the
night before the doc is due to be 
delivered.  

HTH.