Linking text in Word

[JimF]

I am writing a number of operating procedures in Word 2000. About 50% of the wording describes standard tasks, is the same in each procedure, and typically contain detailed instructions to the operator. The order of these tasks and additional tasks are what change from procedure to procedure. This is easily enough accomplished with cut/copy/paste. However, when the wording of a standard task changes, we need to change that wording in all procedures. Is it possible to have words or a sentence refer to a standard task and have a link or means to click on those words and reveal the detail instructions and to be able to print the operating procedure with the detailed task instructions as an attachment? The idea would be to write the standard instructions only in one place for ease of updating and at the same time condense the base operating procedure as the operator does not always need to read through the detailed instructions.

[KB MacKenzie]

Yes. I haven't explored the option, but search your Help key for IncludeText. You will also want the links to update when the document opens.

Hope this points you in the right direction.

[Charles Kenyon]

This sound like something that is crying for use of AutoText and AutoText fields. You can put your wording into an AutoText entry and then put AutoText fields where you want the text to appear.

You would want to save the AutoText entry in the template for your operating procedures or in a global template. Any time you need to change the language in all of your manuals, you simply change the AutoText entry and every field will reflect the new contents.

This is different from inserting AutoText directly. If you inserted the AutoText, it would just be the text and would not update. With a field, it can update.

If you think this would be an avenue you would want to explore, let me know and I'll give detailed steps. If you would like to see AutoText fields in action, take a look at the CheckBox Template, the Gender Toolbar, or the Legal Toolbars (date fields) add-ins on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.addbalance.com/word/download/index.htm>my download page</A> (www.addbalance.com/word/download/).

[jscher2000]

Um, this sounds like a logistical nightmare. If I were you, I would start off in Word but switch to an intranet solution using ASP or another server-based scripting language before you need to do a round of updates. Here's my thinking. These procedures will need to get onto paper. But it is useful if people can have a copy to mark up and, if they lose the paper, a quick way to look it up. I assume that you do not intend to let people copy and edit these procedures, so preferably they should receive it in a form that would not permit that.

My intranet solution would work like this.

Step 1: Create a plain text document that gives each paragraph a code starting with a letter (e.g., AB1026). This will become an include file of variable values that can plug into any of your procedures. (Due to HTML constraints, you will need to take special steps with " and accented characters, among others, but this can be dealt with later).

Step 2: Take each of your policies, and replace the paragraphs that you have centralized with the code necessary to insert the paragraph (e.g., <%=

[Phil Rabichow]

Hi Jim:

Either Karen or Charles method will work. Which you use depends, in part, upon how you want to edit the procedures.

With {INCLUDETEXT}
[It's easier if you put all manuals & your document containing the source of the procedures in the same folder. This will allow you to use relative links & make it easier to move everything to another location later, should you want to.]

1. Create one document with all the detailed procedures & bookmark each procedure. This will be the only manual you need to update.

2. Create each manual & put the {INCLUDETEXT} field whre you want the standard procedures to be. Have some means of naming placesavers where you want hyperlinks. These will be the hyperlinks that will take you to other parts of your document that have details.

3. Go to the other parts of your manual where you want details & put in more {INCLUDETEXT} fields.

4. Then go back & put in hyperlinks to each of these {INCLUDETEXT} fields.

The advantage of this method is that all your procedures are in one document, which can be opened, read, & edited.

Using AutoText:
I find this a little more difficult to edit than the above method, but perhaps Charles has some ideas that would make it easier. The overall method is similar in that your target manuals have AUTOTEXT fields instead of INCLUDETEXT fields. You would create hyperlinks to the detailed AUTOTEXT fields the same way.

One advantage that this method has over INCLUDETEXT is that you can move your documents wherever you wish. You don't have to worry about links breaking. The AutoText is available to any documents that are attached to the template. If you choose this method, I would add the Autotext entries to a custom template, not to normal.dot. There is no point in bloating normal.dot unless you absolutely need the entries in all documents.

Hope this helps.

[chrisgreaves]

Recycle standard text
Dynamic links
Reduce visible document size
CodeText is a technique for encoding chunks of document text into a reference document. In this manner common chunks of text can be applied throughout a set of related documents and large documents can be collapsed into easly-recognisable form.
CODETEXTSELECTION grabs the selected text and links it to the reference file.
CODETEXTPARAGRAPH grabs the current paragraph and links it to the reference file.
CODETEXTACTIVEDOCUMENT is a little weird, to say the least. It takes whatever document is active and completely inverts it, paragraph by paragraph. Each paragraph is bundled up into the CodeText table document. The entire document is reduced to as many links as there are paragraphs.

[JimF]

What you suggest sounds like it might work. Let me add some conditions to my situation. (1) I was also looking for the possibility of a solution where the procedure can be viewed/printed with the "standard" text only referenced (e.g. "start the motor" rather than the detailed instructions contained in the standard text for starting the motor). This would shorten the procedure for ease of reading and checking for those who are familiar with the detailed instructions. (2) I need to issue these procedures for review to a number of people and would like some how to have everything, including the standard text, in one document so that I do not have issues with file link locations/addresses. (3) Also, at some point when the a final procedure is approved, I would like to be able to print the entire procedure with all text (standard and non standard) in place.

Thanks for your assistance in this.
Jim

[JimF]

It is not exactly what I had in mind but it is a possibility. How do I copy comments ("standard operating procedure text") from procedure to procedure? Remember, one goal is to make each of these comments a standard used from procedure to procedure.

[chrisgreaves]

> 1. "standard" text only referenced
> 2. standard text, in one document
> 3. entire procedure with all text in place

Yup.

I can go even better: you could have a separate reference files for each language (English, Spanish, French, Australian etc) and have the viewer elect to see the French-language version, ...

[JimF]

I am obviously not familiar with the application of Codetext. Can you recommend any document providing some general application instructions and advice?
Thanks,
Jim

[chrisgreaves]

>General application instructions and advice

(later)

I'm still new to this lounge. I've set up a d/l page for you:<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.vif.com/users/cgreaves/codetext.htm>http://www.vif.com/users/cgreaves/codetext.htm</A>

(earlier)



Yes. It is a Word97 template with three buttons. It demonstrates the very features you are looking for.

Toolbar Button "Selection" : Whatever text is selected is replaced by a hyperlink to the bookmarked text in a single reference document.

Toolbar Button "Paragraph : Whatever paragraph the text cursor is in is replaced by a hyperlink to the bookmarked text in a single reference document.

Toolbar Button "Document" : The "paragraph" action is applied to the entire document.


In replacing text from the document, the procedure examines the reference document to see if the text already exists (that is, is common to this document or has been loaded from some other document. The reference document becomes a single-document repository of all text common to all documents.

Applying "Document" to every document in your collection would result in one copy of every UNIQUE paragraph from all your documents being placed in the reference documents. Each of your documents would then collapse to a series of Hyperlinks.

This application first saw the light of day in a collection of 1,000 documents describing testing procedures for a drug company. Many of the procedures are standard, many of the phrases "selection" above") are identical or are so similar that they OUGHT to be identical. Fuzzy logic in the matching process allowed the proofreader to garner text and standardize it without even knowing that it WAS being standardized!

Email me with an email address and I'll send you a copy by return post. Or if you'ld rather I'll place a copy on my web site.

CodeT013.DOT ought to convince you that you can do what you want to do.

[JimF]

Yes, I would like to try this. My email address is jimfederlein@usa.net. Would I then have one "reference document" for all procedures or for each procedure? Is this document separate from the Word document containing the procedure?
Thanks,
Jim

[Charles Kenyon]

For comments purposes, you could use a Word document/template that is locked for comments or for Track Changes. Woody recommends using both track changes and comments in revision editing.

Be careful, though of any numbered lists that are in your document. They are very fragile when it comes to track changes.

See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Numbering/WordsNumberingExplained.htm>Word's Numbering Explained by John McGhie</A> (www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/) and
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm>Understanding Styles]</A> (www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm) for more information on numbering.

See Track Changes (www.addbalance.com/usersguide/track changes.htm) for information on tracking changes in a document.

[chrisgreaves]

>My email address

I will attach a ZIP file to an email as a contingency measure. This file will be identical to the one on the web.



>one "reference document" for all procedures or for each

Simply, "Yes". I typically develop one reference document for a set of one or more related documents, a different reference document for another set. Obviously ABC company and XYZ company don't want to share reference documents. However, on my own machine with a zillion training courses, I rather like the idea of a single reference document that holds basic text ("This course will change the way you LIVE!") which can be used in any document.

I think when you do your first test you'll see it all happen. The reference document should end up in whatever directory you stored your template, so you can exit Word, re-enter, open different documents and watch them all go into the same reference document.

The application in its release state is meant to demonstrate an idea, the capability. I happened to be able to make uise of it as is. You will use it up to the point where you say "Hey! neat technique". After that you'ld normally get into the gritty as to exactly how you'ld like to implement things.

The current release uses an INI file (no surprise there!_ which looks like this:
[CodeT]
CodeT=CodeTLINK.doc

I could add a front-end that lets the user (you) switch to another reference document before starting to analyse a different set of documents.

Imagine now that you had TWO reference documents for a single set of documents. One reference document could be caleld LongForm.DOC and the second ShortForm.DOC. By copying LongForm.DOC over CodeTLink.doc you'ld see the long form of text popping up. I don't know whether that sort of thing would appeal to you.

The hooks to the reference document are hyperlinked items. I've not (yet) given much thought to having switchable hyperlink fields in a document. I'll mull that one over. The user would be viewing a document and elect to see the short form by clicking a button. Presto! 53 pages become four!





>Is this document separate from the Word document containing

Yes. If you try to Codetext the Codetext reference document, your hair will fall out, your dog will bay at the moon in the middle of the day, .....

[JimF]

If I can , another question. This reference document. I need to issue these procedures to numerous people. I understand that I have a reference document that goes with the procedure and contains all of the "standard" text. I assume I would need to send this with the file of each procedure (usually each procedure is issued individually). I noticed that this file exists in the template folder. I would then need to instruct everyone to place that tile in their particular templates folder to be able to view the document? Considering the audience, this alone could be a a real detriment.
Jim