atw: Re: Office 2007 - Master documents - Faustian evil but useable...

Right, just to step out of the 'they don't work' mire. Steve Hudson, God
rest his souls, is a good mate of mine. 
 
Okay, Word master sub documents were pretty solid from Word 2000 on. Word
has stabilised remarkably in the last few years since real RAM has become
available. As you will see below, you need patience, time and very good
humour to get it to work. solid Word skills are ESSENTIAL. Sorry but this
document is madly rushed.
 
I haven't seen Office 2007 (mine is coming). 
 
My recommendations start with ensuring the style naming conventions you have
applied to each document are all the same. In fact take that as essential...
To create a Master sub-document system you should really start with a
template that all documents are made from or one that is attached to all
relevant documents. It is not critical, but it removes an irritant level
step or in the WORST case, an absolute nightmare! And there are so many
pests (equivalent to your beloved sandflies on the south Island) that any
you can remove is good. 
 
Each sub-document should be contained in one bookmark (from beginning to
end), labelled for example "Section_##". Master Document TOC's work best
using bookmark references, linked back to each sub-document. So add a
discrete name for each sub-document that is independent (I use
"Section_##"), then each Master Document TOC field (one for each
sub-document) looks like: {TOC \b "Section_##" [switches] }. Otherwise
diagnosing the sometimes psychotic standard TOC results can be a nightmare.
 
To guarantee a nice consecutive numbering of the sections, go to each
sub-document, navigate to the styles controlling the heading numbering.
Stand on your head, count to ten. In the Bullets and Numbering dialog,
select the Outline numbered tab and click Customize. Change the 'Start at'
number to the relevant section number. Click OK to confirm it all. Hope.
Update your fields. Save. Do a rap dance ... (swearing creatively helps). If
this step is not done, remember that editing the individual sub-documents
will not reflect the heading numbers that Word distributes in the Master
document. 
 
NEVER DELETE SECTION BREAKS WITHOUT FOREVER CURSING YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S
MEMORY IN A MASTER DOCUMENT. 
 
This description below is how it used to all work (as at word 2003 anyway).
 
1. Put all your documents into one directory location. Start with the Master
document and leave the sub-documents in a folder under it. Prevent the
directory/folder tree from being tampered with. Ever. Threaten being eaten
by Maori's if they do... don't ever change a file name in here again.
 
2. To set up the master document, Start with a nice front matter section.
This will become the master document.
 
3. Tools > Options > View. Turn viewing everything on, section breaks,
styles, fields. The whole caboose. Click Ok and get used to the view,
especially in View > Normal. You'll need it. Believe me.
 
4. Now, View > Outline. The view changes again. Get used to this view, you
will need it more. This is where you could get into trouble, however all
your documents are going already. So it is easier.
 
4a. Make sure the cursor is not inside a bookmark, or a section break you
have created in the master document.
4b. In the Outlining toolbar, click the Insert sub-document button.
4c. Browse to and select the document you want to add. Click open. Click OK,
Yes or No on any messages (read them all, they mean something) you may get. 
4d. Breathe once, select all, update fields and save. 
 
Now that is how it used to work. Don't' forget to swear and curse on the
Wallabies bad name and evilly glare at Word numerous times during the
process. It does the same to you and the All-Blacks...
 
Finally. BE WARNED. Master-sub document help was scanty, but it may be
absent because the system doesn't work properly any more... MS developers do
that sort of thing. then again, it might work even better, it was just the
developer responsible didn't want the user monkeys utilising it...
Warren.
  _____  

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carin van Bolderen
Sent: Monday, 26 March 2007 12:51
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Office 2007 - Master documents



Hi everyone

 

I've just joined this list and am based in New Zealand working as a
technical writer for a software company. I'm currently producing a large
manual in WORD (using Office 2007), and wonder if anyone has any pointers
about creating Master documents. I've worked in FrameMaker for many years,
so I'm finding WORD a bit of a grind.

 

I basically have a dozen or so chapters ( approx 30-40 pages in each one)
and want to be able to create a TOC that has consecutive numbers across the
whole manual.is there any other way of achieving this apart from creating a
Master document with sub-documents (the chapters)? I can't find anything
about Master documents in the WORD help file???

 

Look forward to your response J

Kindest regards

Carin

 

 

 

 



Carin van Bolderen                                   

Documentation Analyst                      
Ph: +64 3 365 3200

 <mailto:Carin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Carin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Hindin Communications Ltd

P.O. Box 1181

Christchurch

New Zealand                                  
 <http://www.knowledgebase.co.nz/> www.knowledgebase.co.nz

 

 

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