atw: Re: Master/sub-documents and corruptions.
- From: "Lewington, Warren J (WT)" <warren.lewington.ext@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:51:55 -0400
RUBBISH. ABSOLUTE RUBBISH.
I have probably the most extensive experience as anyone using Master
documents and MS Word. I know why people say that useful comment
"...corrupt or about to be corrupt..." It is because they did it
wrongly.
THERE ARE CAVEATS!
Here are a few of the most important. If you don't follow these (truly
simple) steps, then you will have massive problems...
1. Keep your template's basic authoring components really simple. So
don't do fabulously rich document styles (you know, hundreds of styles
like Body Text Heading #, Body Text Heading ## etc...). One or two body
text styles, minimal heading levels, italic and bold styles if they
must, a couple of bullet lists, some numbered lists (using the
"Bulleted" and "Numbered" galleries not the "List Styles" tab in the
Bullets and Numbering window. Some Autotext notes etc. Don't change the
template once you have distributed it.
2. Keep your sub document authoring element layouts bare. Styles and
Autotext entries etc only. So don't include headers, just set them up to
link to previous (this way the master document controls headers and
footers).
3. Create a toolbar for your authors to use, so that the main styles you
desire them to use are available at the click of a button. Turn off the
nuisance standard "Formatting" toolbar if you want to.
4. Train your fellow authors in the basics of style use (hey idiot use
my custom toolbar - they are authors not graphic designers - tell them
to get over it...).
5. Distribute a copy of the template (the one you are using for the
Master document) and demand the fellow authors to link to that template
all the documents they are working on for the master document.
6. In your master document and when working with the complete suite, and
edit and work in "Normal" view , with every conceivable type of section
break and bookmark etc visible. This is where people fail when using
master documents. They delete critical section breaks. If you want to
fail with master/sub-documents, don't show your section breaks. Works
every time...
7. Take your time, and watch out for Char Char corruptions in each
sub-document you receive from your fellow authors before committing them
to the main document. Save each sub-document with the same name. Version
information should be tabulated within each sub-document.
8. You can allow your master document the privilege of having
complicated and elegantly designed front and back matter, but don't
allow fancy layout to populate through the sub-documents (except in
headers and footers which happens automatically). However always keep
the styles for the front and back matter in the distributed templates
(lock them away from your authors).
9. Contents fields and such should be linked by fields with heading
styles, heading levels, and individual bookmarks. Each sub-document can
also have its own TOC field as well if you like. Make sure each bookmark
is within a document - not split between the master and one
sub-document. This bookmarking also becomes a diagnostic tool.
10. Be rigorous. That is, step by step - don't take shortcuts.
I am more than happy to assist anyone wanting to make the jump to master
and sub documents. They really can save time and money if you keep a
common sense approach, and are thoughtful about how you design the
documents. I actually made a lot of money for one of my clients (saving
them tens of thousands of dollars) using this approach, and removed an
enormous amount of complication in the process. The approach was used as
the basis for a worldwide system when I had left the company.
Regards,
Warren
-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Judith McCrea
Sent: Sunday, 28 June 2009 16:37
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: XML software for Word-like formatting
To quote from Miscrosoft's Most Valued Profesional web site:
"A master document has only two possible states: Corrupt, or just about
to be corrupt"
http://word.mvps.org/fAQs/General/WhyMasterDocsCorrupt.htm
I agree with Jonathan: this feature worked in Word 6 but has never
worked since.
Regards, Judith
-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jonathan
Moffett
Sent: Saturday, 27 June 2009 7:30 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: XML software for Word-like formatting
"the master document feature of MS word?"
Here be dragons. Even for one person, let alone a group.
If you want to try that path the master document feature of
OpenOffice.org's Writer, like that of Word 6, does work. And the content
is held in an XML-like file. It even costs very little apart from
learning its own foibles.
Jonathan Moffett
--
Jonathan Moffett
moff28@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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