Display of Hidden Text (Word 2003 ver. 11.xxxx SP2)

[langert]

I'm using hidden text to display example data on a protected form. Toggling the Show/Hide button masks or displays the information just as I'd like. The problem is that this seems to work only if I've marked the "View All" property in the Tools > Options > View dialog.

I'd like to be able to suppress the display of paragraph marks, spaces, and (ideally) the dotted underlining that comes along with hidden text. I'd settle for losing all but the dotted underlining if that's the best I can do while still retaining the Show/Hide of the hidden text itself.

Any ideas....or an alternative way to skin the same cat?

[HansV]

There is a separate check box for 'Hidden text' in the View tab of Tools | Options... If the user has ticked this check box (as I have), the Show/Hide button on the toolbar has no influence on whether hidden text is displayed. The 'Hidden text' check box lets you toggle the display of hidden text independently of the display of non-printing characters such as paragraph marks.

[langert]

That's what I'd expected, but what I'm seeing is different. If I have "All" marked (and no others) and select "Hide" using the show/hide button, the hidden text paragraphs vanish and all that's left are my (unhidden) headings and form text boxes, as intended.

If I clear the "All" checkbox and mark the individual boxes to display spaces, paragraphs, etc., the show/hide button no longer has that effect on the hidden text. I'm still working with other permutations to see what's at the bottom of this.

[HansV]

I don't think there's a contradiction between our posts. I don't think the Show/Hide button is the one you should use to show or hide hidden text; it is primarily intended to show/hide non-printing characters.

You could put the following macro in a module in your Normal.dot (or in a global template):

Sub ToggleShowHidden()
With ActiveWindow.View
.ShowHiddenText = Not .ShowHiddenText
End With
End Sub

and assign it to a custom toolbar button and/or keyboard shortcut, so that you can easily toggle the display of hidden text on and off.

[langert]

Thanks, Hans. That's exactly what I was looking for but couldn't find in the object model. Much appreciated...Happy new year!