I have created a book I intend to publish using Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. I am embedding hundreds of different PowerPoint slides and Excel tables/charts into the book using the Word/Edit... Paste Special... command. This is a multi-document book, which is going through revisions all the time. As each chapter/document is revised (0.2 to version 0.3, etc.), it is copied into a new folder so that the revisions can be managed properly. The same is true of PowerPoint and Excel documents. However, this is a real nightmare from a link perspective. The links keep getting broken and there seems to be a very limited means to update links.
In fact, the Word/Edit.../Links... support is almost non-existent and the links edit window is so squeezed, you cannot see the links clearly or properly. In fact, you cannot seem to resize the window or change column widths in the window to make the task any easier.
How can I overcome these major limitations in Word and the linkage feature?? I am desperate because I spend countless hours ungrouping captions, re-pasting new copies of the objects, and then reformatting everything just to get things back to where they were. Are there ways around these limitations?
In addition, when I link tables from Excel into Word, Word will not show Special characters properly. For instance, Symbols (e.g. code 2190 (left arrow)) show properly in Excel but show up as big question marks in the Edit/Paste Special... object that appears in Word. No matter what I try to do, I cannot get these symbols to appear properly in Word. How do I overcome this limitation in Word/Excel linkage? Does Word not recognize Unicode? I cannot see any way around this and the symbols in Word/Insert.../Symbols... appear to be the same as in Excel.
Please help me out of this long-term mess.
Thanks
Problem Area: Other
Frequency of problem: Always Happens
Operating system / version: Microsoft Windows XP Professional - 5.1.2600
Computer manufacturer and model: Dell Computer Corporation, Inspiron 7500
Thank you for using Microsoft Online Support. My name is Genevieve and I will be working with you to resolve this issue.
In your message you've indicated that you are having problems with linked files in a word document. If I have misstated the issue, please let me know.
The issue of the links not being updated because you are saving them in different folders is by design. As soon as you change the location of the linked file, Word will not be able to find it. Word needs to have a file name and path to be able to update it. One trick you can use to make sure you are selecting the right link in Edit link for the image you want is to first select the image, then go to Edit/Links. The link that is highlighted will be the link to the selected image.
As for the symbols, I was able to reproduce and also reproduce from a Word file to another Word file. I have submitted a bug report and the developers will be looking at the report to see if it will be fixed in upcoming versions of Word.
Please let me know if you have additional questions concerning this issue.
Regards,
Genevieve,
Microsoft Canada
Product Support Services
Customer Satisfaction is our top priority.
We welcome your comments and suggestions on how we can improve the support we provide to you.
Please e-mail us your suggestions at welis...@microsoft.com
You can also contact our Customer Advocate at 1-877-568-2495 ext 82769.
I appreciate that the links are broken and, I guess, I can see why they are broken "by design" since it means that things have been moved. However, as all things in life get reorganized in organizations including hard drives and server files, this requirement to redirect the association of two or more files and their related links is extremely important to make this feature usable. Therefore, there has to be a "Macro" or "Global" change capability to make administration feasible. This is not a "nice to have" but a "must have" feature to make links manageable.
In addition, the Links window that can be opened for editing cannot be resized, the columns cannot be resized, there is no scrolling function or anything to make administration of the existing links even possible without extreme problems.
These are the more serious aspects of this issue and the problems I face. I do not think the Links feature is at all well defined or laid out for use. It appears to be more of an after-thought.
Are there macros or global commands to view, edit, re-direct or recompile all existing links in a word document as it is move around on drives, servers, organizational ownerships, etc?
I look forward to hearing about any solutions for right now and in future upgrades to the links area.
Unfortunately, there are no utilities that can give you this ability. I have also consulted our developers to see if I should recommend you open a professional case to get a sample macro but there are too many variables to consider this for a VBA sample macro and our Word VBA programmers have run into many issues with trying to code around this. One thing that is recommended is to have the same naming convention of the server and directory structure that you originally had.
There is a 3rd-Party product you might want to consider but as it is not our product, we do not support it: Crystal Software has created a tool called WordPipe that can be used to find and replace existing UNC link paths.
Note: The third-party contact information included in this response is provided to help you find the technical support you need. This contact information is subject to change without notice. Microsoft in no way guarantees the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
On the other hand, I believe enhancing the Edit/Link window to make the columns resizable and adding a better scrolling function is a good idea. I have submitted these suggestions internally to improve the future version of Word. I encourage you to do the same by filling in the following form:
Let me know if this helps and if you have additional questions.
Regards,
Genevieve
-----------------------------------------------
Hi Genevieve,
I reviewed the product suggestion and there is no clear indication that the product actually handles the link editing that is needed. I will try the demo but the product is too pricey ($250US) for something that I would expect to be part of the Word functionality.
I have sent off our discussion notes to the suggestion site you identified. However, I am extremely disappointed that a major functionality that is part of the Microsoft focus for enterprise support and Office 2002 object sharing is not going to be fixed right now. I really don't see why this should be left to some future product.
In any case, there does not seem to be much you or I can do and I am pretty well stuck. However, I thank you for your efforts.
I will be posting the details of this case to the Word newsgroups to let others know about the situation and that a possible solution is somewhere in the future.
If your pictures or other objects are in-line (not floating), then Alt-F9 will expose the field codes, including the path. You can then search and replace the paths. Alt-F9 to hide the field codes. Then, ctrl-a and F9 to update all the fields.
If, however, the pictures or other objects are floating, then you would have to un-float them first.
> I have created a book I intend to publish using Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. > I am embedding hundreds of different PowerPoint slides and Excel > tables/charts into the book using the Word/Edit... Paste Special... command. > This is a multi-document book, which is going through revisions all the > time. As each chapter/document is revised (0.2 to version 0.3, etc.), it is > copied into a new folder so that the revisions can be managed properly. The > same is true of PowerPoint and Excel documents. However, this is a real > nightmare from a link perspective. The links keep getting broken and there > seems to be a very limited means to update links.
> In fact, the Word/Edit.../Links... support is almost non-existent and the > links edit window is so squeezed, you cannot see the links clearly or > properly. In fact, you cannot seem to resize the window or change column > widths in the window to make the task any easier.
> How can I overcome these major limitations in Word and the linkage feature?? > I am desperate because I spend countless hours ungrouping captions, > re-pasting new copies of the objects, and then reformatting everything just > to get things back to where they were. Are there ways around these > limitations?
> In addition, when I link tables from Excel into Word, Word will not show > Special characters properly. For instance, Symbols (e.g. code 2190 (left > arrow)) show properly in Excel but show up as big question marks in the > Edit/Paste Special... object that appears in Word. No matter what I try to > do, I cannot get these symbols to appear properly in Word. How do I > overcome this limitation in Word/Excel linkage? Does Word not recognize > Unicode? I cannot see any way around this and the symbols in > Word/Insert.../Symbols... appear to be the same as in Excel.
> Please help me out of this long-term mess.
> Thanks
> Problem Area: Other
> Frequency of problem: Always Happens
> Operating system / version: Microsoft Windows XP Professional - 5.1.2600
> Computer manufacturer and model: Dell Computer Corporation, Inspiron 7500
> Thank you for using Microsoft Online Support. My name is Genevieve and I > will be working with you to resolve this issue.
> In your message you've indicated that you are having problems with linked > files in a word document. If I have misstated the issue, please let me know.
> The issue of the links not being updated because you are saving them in > different folders is by design. As soon as you change the location of the > linked file, Word will not be able to find it. Word needs to have a file > name and path to be able to update it. One trick you can use to make sure > you are selecting the right link in Edit link for the image you want is to > first select the image, then go to Edit/Links. The link that is highlighted > will be the link to the selected image.
> As for the symbols, I was able to reproduce and also reproduce from a Word > file to another Word file. I have submitted a bug report and the developers > will be looking at the report to see if it will be fixed in upcoming > versions of Word.
> Please let me know if you have additional questions concerning this issue.
> Regards,
> Genevieve,
> Microsoft Canada
> Product Support Services
> Customer Satisfaction is our top priority.
> We welcome your comments and suggestions on how we can improve the support > we provide to you.
> Please e-mail us your suggestions at welis...@microsoft.com
> You can also contact our Customer Advocate at 1-877-568-2495 ext 82769.
> I appreciate that the links are broken and, I guess, I can see why they are > broken "by design" since it means that things have been moved. However, as > all things in life get reorganized in organizations including hard drives > and server files, this requirement to redirect the association of two or > more files and their related links is extremely important to make this > feature usable. Therefore, there has to be a "Macro" or "Global" change > capability to make administration feasible. This is not a "nice to have" but > a "must have" feature to make links manageable.
> In addition, the Links window that can be opened for editing cannot be > resized, the columns cannot be resized, there is no scrolling function or > anything to make administration of the existing links even possible without > extreme problems.
> These are the more serious aspects of this issue and the problems I face. I > do not think the Links feature is at all well defined or laid out for use. > It appears to be more of an after-thought.
> Are there macros or global commands to view, edit, re-direct or recompile > all existing links in a word document as it is move around on drives, > servers, organizational ownerships, etc?
> I look forward to hearing about any solutions for right now and in future > upgrades to the links area.
> Unfortunately, there are no utilities that can give you this ability. I > have also consulted our developers to see if I should recommend you open a > professional case to get a sample macro but there are too many variables to > consider this for a VBA sample macro and our Word VBA programmers have run > into many issues with trying to code around this. One thing that is > recommended is to have the same naming convention of the server and > directory structure that you originally had.
> There is a 3rd-Party product you might want to consider but as it is not our > product, we do not support it: Crystal Software has created a tool called > WordPipe that can be used to find and replace existing UNC link paths.
> Note: The third-party contact information included in this response is > provided to help you find the technical support you need. This contact > information is subject to change without notice. Microsoft in no way > guarantees the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
> On the other hand, I believe enhancing the Edit/Link window to make the > columns resizable and adding a better scrolling function is a good idea. I > have submitted these suggestions internally to improve the future version of > Word. I encourage you to do the same by filling in the following form:
> Let me know if this helps and if you have additional questions.
> Regards,
> Genevieve
> -----------------------------------------------
> Hi Genevieve,
> I reviewed the product suggestion and there is no clear indication that the > product actually handles the link editing that is needed. I will try the > demo but the product is too pricey ($250US) for something that I would > expect to be part of the Word functionality.
> I have sent off our discussion notes to the suggestion site you identified. > However, I am extremely disappointed that a major functionality that is part > of the Microsoft focus for enterprise support and Office 2002 object sharing > is not going to be fixed right now. I really don't see why this should be > left to some future product.
> In any case, there does not seem to be much you or I can do and I am pretty > well stuck. However, I thank you for your efforts.
> I will be posting the details of this case to the Word newsgroups to let > others know about the situation and that a possible solution is somewhere in > the future.
To overcome Word's limitations in this area, I coded my own Field Link Updater. It's a Word document containing a link updating macro, and you can download a copy from: http://www.wopr.com/cgi-bin/w3t/showthreaded.pl? Number=261488
As for the Excel problem, have you tried using an embedded Excel workbook? That would allow you to use Excel's normal formula-based approach for linking to your source, and should overcome the character problem.
Cheers PS: Remove NO.SPAM from the above before replying.
>-----Original Message----- >Problem Description:
>I have created a book I intend to publish using Word,
PowerPoint, and Excel.
>I am embedding hundreds of different PowerPoint slides and Excel >tables/charts into the book using the Word/Edit... Paste Special... command. >This is a multi-document book, which is going through revisions all the >time. As each chapter/document is revised (0.2 to version 0.3, etc.), it is >copied into a new folder so that the revisions can be
>same is true of PowerPoint and Excel documents. However, this is a real >nightmare from a link perspective. The links keep getting broken and there >seems to be a very limited means to update links.
>In fact, the Word/Edit.../Links... support is almost non- existent and the >links edit window is so squeezed, you cannot see the links clearly or >properly. In fact, you cannot seem to resize the window or change column >widths in the window to make the task any easier.
>How can I overcome these major limitations in Word and
the linkage feature??
>I am desperate because I spend countless hours ungrouping captions, >re-pasting new copies of the objects, and then
reformatting everything just
>to get things back to where they were. Are there ways around these >limitations?
>In addition, when I link tables from Excel into Word, Word will not show >Special characters properly. For instance, Symbols (e.g. code 2190 (left >arrow)) show properly in Excel but show up as big
question marks in the
>Edit/Paste Special... object that appears in Word. No
>do, I cannot get these symbols to appear properly in Word. How do I >overcome this limitation in Word/Excel linkage? Does Word not recognize >Unicode? I cannot see any way around this and the symbols in >Word/Insert.../Symbols... appear to be the same as in Excel.
>Thank you for using Microsoft Online Support. My name is Genevieve and I >will be working with you to resolve this issue.
>In your message you've indicated that you are having
problems with linked
>files in a word document. If I have misstated the issue, please let me know.
>The issue of the links not being updated because you are saving them in >different folders is by design. As soon as you change the location of the >linked file, Word will not be able to find it. Word
needs to have a file
>name and path to be able to update it. One trick you can use to make sure >you are selecting the right link in Edit link for the
image you want is to
>first select the image, then go to Edit/Links. The link that is highlighted >will be the link to the selected image.
>As for the symbols, I was able to reproduce and also
reproduce from a Word
>file to another Word file. I have submitted a bug report and the developers >will be looking at the report to see if it will be fixed in upcoming >versions of Word.
>Please let me know if you have additional questions
>I appreciate that the links are broken and, I guess, I
can see why they are
>broken "by design" since it means that things have been moved. However, as >all things in life get reorganized in organizations
including hard drives
>and server files, this requirement to redirect the
association of two or
>more files and their related links is extremely important to make this >feature usable. Therefore, there has to be a "Macro" or "Global" change >capability to make administration feasible. This is not
a "nice to have" but
>a "must have" feature to make links manageable.
>In addition, the Links window that can be opened for editing cannot be >resized, the columns cannot be resized, there is no
scrolling function or
>anything to make administration of the existing links
>These are the more serious aspects of this issue and the problems I face. I >do not think the Links feature is at all well defined or laid out for use. >It appears to be more of an after-thought.
>Are there macros or global commands to view, edit, re- direct or recompile >all existing links in a word document as it is move around on drives, >servers, organizational ownerships, etc?
>I look forward to hearing about any solutions for right now and in future >upgrades to the links area.
>Unfortunately, there are no utilities that can give you this ability. I >have also consulted our developers to see if I should
recommend you open a
>professional case to get a sample macro but there are too many variables to >consider this for a VBA sample macro and our Word VBA
programmers have run
>into many issues with trying to code around this. One thing that is >recommended is to have the same naming convention of the server and >directory structure that you originally had.
>There is a 3rd-Party product you might want to consider
but as it is not our
>product, we do not support it: Crystal Software has
>Note: The third-party contact information included in this response is >provided to help you find the technical support you need. This contact >information is subject to change without notice. Microsoft in no way >guarantees the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
>On the other hand, I believe enhancing the Edit/Link window to make the >columns resizable and adding a better scrolling function is a good idea. I >have submitted these suggestions internally to improve
>of the Microsoft focus for enterprise support and Office 2002 object sharing >is not going to be fixed right now. I really don't see why this should be >left to some future product.
>In any case, there does not seem to be much you or I can do and I am pretty >well stuck. However, I thank you for your efforts.
>I will be posting the details of this case to the Word newsgroups to let >others know about the situation and that a possible
Thnks for the tip Shauna. However, this tip does not work or work easily for multiple linked objects from multiple documents. Certainly, it shows the Ref numbers but does not show the link paths to other drivers and servers.
Also, I have found that pressing Alt F9 twice tends to change the object page location left on the page, for some reason. To correct this you have to go to each object and realign them.
Too many wied things to handle.
Take care,
Mickey
"Shauna Kelly" <ShaunaKe...@ShaunaKelly.com> wrote in message
> > I have created a book I intend to publish using Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. > > I am embedding hundreds of different PowerPoint slides and Excel > > tables/charts into the book using the Word/Edit... Paste Special... command. > > This is a multi-document book, which is going through revisions all the > > time. As each chapter/document is revised (0.2 to version 0.3, etc.), it is > > copied into a new folder so that the revisions can be managed properly. The > > same is true of PowerPoint and Excel documents. However, this is a real > > nightmare from a link perspective. The links keep getting broken and there > > seems to be a very limited means to update links.
> > In fact, the Word/Edit.../Links... support is almost non-existent and the > > links edit window is so squeezed, you cannot see the links clearly or > > properly. In fact, you cannot seem to resize the window or change column > > widths in the window to make the task any easier.
> > How can I overcome these major limitations in Word and the linkage feature?? > > I am desperate because I spend countless hours ungrouping captions, > > re-pasting new copies of the objects, and then reformatting everything just > > to get things back to where they were. Are there ways around these > > limitations?
> > In addition, when I link tables from Excel into Word, Word will not show > > Special characters properly. For instance, Symbols (e.g. code 2190 (left > > arrow)) show properly in Excel but show up as big question marks in the > > Edit/Paste Special... object that appears in Word. No matter what I try to > > do, I cannot get these symbols to appear properly in Word. How do I > > overcome this limitation in Word/Excel linkage? Does Word not recognize > > Unicode? I cannot see any way around this and the symbols in > > Word/Insert.../Symbols... appear to be the same as in Excel.
> > Please help me out of this long-term mess.
> > Thanks
> > Problem Area: Other
> > Frequency of problem: Always Happens
> > Operating system / version: Microsoft Windows XP Professional - 5.1.2600
> > Thank you for using Microsoft Online Support. My name is Genevieve and I > > will be working with you to resolve this issue.
> > In your message you've indicated that you are having problems with linked > > files in a word document. If I have misstated the issue, please let me know.
> > The issue of the links not being updated because you are saving them in > > different folders is by design. As soon as you change the location of the > > linked file, Word will not be able to find it. Word needs to have a file > > name and path to be able to update it. One trick you can use to make sure > > you are selecting the right link in Edit link for the image you want is to > > first select the image, then go to Edit/Links. The link that is highlighted > > will be the link to the selected image.
> > As for the symbols, I was able to reproduce and also reproduce from a Word > > file to another Word file. I have submitted a bug report and the developers > > will be looking at the report to see if it will be fixed in upcoming > > versions of Word.
> > Please let me know if you have additional questions concerning this issue.
> > Regards,
> > Genevieve,
> > Microsoft Canada
> > Product Support Services
> > Customer Satisfaction is our top priority.
> > We welcome your comments and suggestions on how we can improve the support > > we provide to you.
> > Please e-mail us your suggestions at welis...@microsoft.com
> > You can also contact our Customer Advocate at 1-877-568-2495 ext 82769.
> > I appreciate that the links are broken and, I guess, I can see why they are > > broken "by design" since it means that things have been moved. However, as > > all things in life get reorganized in organizations including hard drives > > and server files, this requirement to redirect the association of two or > > more files and their related links is extremely important to make this > > feature usable. Therefore, there has to be a "Macro" or "Global" change > > capability to make administration feasible. This is not a "nice to have" but > > a "must have" feature to make links manageable.
> > In addition, the Links window that can be opened for editing cannot be > > resized, the columns cannot be resized, there is no scrolling function or > > anything to make administration of the existing links even possible without > > extreme problems.
> > These are the more serious aspects of this issue and the problems I face. I > > do not think the Links feature is at all well defined or laid out for use. > > It appears to be more of an after-thought.
> > Are there macros or global commands to view, edit, re-direct or recompile > > all existing links in a word document as it is move around on drives, > > servers, organizational ownerships, etc?
> > I look forward to hearing about any solutions for right now and in future > > upgrades to the links area.
> > Unfortunately, there are no utilities that can give you this ability. I > > have also consulted our developers to see if I should recommend you open a > > professional case to get a sample macro but there are too many variables to > > consider this for a VBA sample macro and our Word VBA programmers have run > > into many issues with trying to code around this. One thing that is > > recommended is to have the same naming convention of the server and > > directory structure that you originally had.
> > There is a 3rd-Party product you might want to consider but as it is not our > > product, we do not support it: Crystal Software has created a tool called > > WordPipe that can be used to find and replace existing UNC link paths.
> > Note: The third-party contact information included in this response is > > provided to help you find the technical support you need. This contact > > information is subject to change without notice. Microsoft in no way > > guarantees the accuracy of this third-party contact information.
> > On the other hand, I believe enhancing the Edit/Link window to make the > > columns resizable and adding a better scrolling function is a good idea. I > > have submitted these suggestions internally to improve the future version of > > Word. I encourage you to do the same by filling in the following form:
> > I reviewed the product suggestion and there is no clear indication that the > > product actually handles the link editing that is needed. I will try the > > demo but the product is too pricey ($250US) for something that I would > > expect to be part of the Word functionality.
> > I have sent off our discussion notes to the suggestion site you identified. > > However, I am extremely disappointed that a major functionality that is part > > of the Microsoft focus for enterprise support and Office 2002 object sharing > > is not going to be fixed right now. I really don't see why this should be > > left to some future product.
> > In any case, there does not seem to be much you or I can do and I am pretty > > well stuck. However, I thank you for your efforts.
> > I will be posting the details of this case to the Word newsgroups to let > > others know about the situation and that a possible solution is somewhere in > > the future.
> Thnks for the tip Shauna. However, this tip does not work or work easily > for multiple linked objects from multiple documents. Certainly, it shows > the Ref numbers but does not show the link paths to other drivers and > servers.
You shouldn't be seeing any "REF numbers" on things linked in from other apps. LINK, IncludeText or IncludePicture fields, yes. If you're seeing REF numbers, can you explain EXACTLY how you created these links? Have you tried embedding an object in your document, then copy/paste linking from within that object?
> Also, I have found that pressing Alt F9 twice tends to change the object > page location left on the page, for some reason. To correct this you have > to go to each object and realign them.
Can't say I've ever seen anything like this. Unless, perhaps, you've tried inserting a picture in a text box, then applied text wrapping to the picture? (Which you shouldn't)
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