Chapter 3. Text Entry and Editing


MASTER DOCUMENTS

Avoid Master Documents if Possible

The Annoyance:

When documents become too big and unwieldy to email around, we turn to using master documents and subdocuments so that team members can work simultaneously on the various parts , which can then be exchanged easily. However, it's our experience that Word master documents and subdocuments are easily subject to corruption. We often find that we have to revert to an older version, or even just start over.

The Fix:

You've hit the nail on the head. Master documents are unreliable, because they're so complex. Let's take a minute to see why.


Tip: A master document is a document that contains two or more subdocuments , or component documents. You can edit the master document as a whole or edit its subdocuments separately. The advantage of master documents is that several people can work on different subdocuments at the same time, instead of only one person being able to open the same copy of the document at a time.

These are the essentials of how a document is put together:

  • Each Word document contains many objects, from characters , words, and paragraphs to tables, graphics, equations, and more esoteric objects. Each object has properties (attributes) that control its appearance and behavior.

  • In a document, Word stores each object's properties separately from the object itself and uses pointers (references) to indicate which properties apply to which objects.

  • Word stores the properties for a section invisibly in its section break. (The section break appears at the end of the section.) If the document has only one section, Word stores the properties in the default section break , which is the final paragraph mark in the document. (This is the paragraph mark that you'll see if you start a new document and press Ctrl+Shift+8. Normally, Word won't allow you to delete the default section break, because doing so removes the formatting from the document.)

  • The properties in a single Word document are complex enough. In a master document, the complexity is greatly increased by having a default section break for each subdocument and a default section break for the master document. Word has to merge the properties for each subdocument into the master document. When this process breaks down, corruption results.

  • The master document is just a container for the subdocuments. It doesn't actually contain the text of the subdocuments.

The easiest way to escape the annoyances (or worse ) of master documents is to avoid them altogether. If you decide you must use master documents, the next Annoyance, "Enable Multiple People to Edit a Document at the Same Time," explains how to do so. See also the sidebar "Working Safely with Master Documents."


Tip: For an alternative to using master documents, see "Enable Several People to Edit a Document Simultaneously," later in this chapter. Chapter 5 discusses other alternatives: comments, revision marks, and comparing and merging documents.

Enable Multiple People to Edit a Document at the Same Time

The Annoyance:

I understand that master documents can get corrupted, but we need to use them to get our manual finished on time. Where's the command to create a master documentor a subdocument, for that matter?

The Fix:

So you've been warned , but you want to go ahead. Okay. The commands for creating and working with master documents and subdocuments lurk at the west end of the Outlining toolbar (see Figure 2-16). Click the Master Document View button if the other buttons aren't displayed.

You can create a master document either by dividing an existing document into subdocuments or by adding existing documents into a new master document.

Figure 2-16. You'll find the commands for master documents on the Outlining toolbar.

To create a master document:

  1. Set up a folder for your master document and subdocuments. If your colleagues will need to access the documents (which is the usual reason for using a master document), create the folder on a shared drive.

  2. Open the existing document that will become the master document, or create a new document and save it in the folder you set up on the shared drive.

  3. Choose View Outline to switch to Outline view.

  4. To create a subdocument from part of the existing document, collapse Outline view so that you can easily select the relevant part, select that part, and click the Create Subdocument button on the Outlining toolbar. Word creates the subdocument. When you save the master document, Word automatically saves the subdocument under a name based on the heading that introduces the subdocument.


    Tip: You can create multiple subdocuments at the same time by selecting more than one heading of the same level and then clicking the Create Subdocument button on the Outlining toolbar. For example, if you select three Heading 2 sections, Word creates three subdocuments.
  5. To insert an existing document as a subdocument, position the insertion point in the appropriate place, click the Insert Subdocument button on the Outlining toolbar, select the document, and click the Open button.

So far, so good. You can also merge two subdocuments (select them and click the Merge Subdocument button on the Outlining toolbar), split a subdocument into two (place the insertion point, and then click the Split Subdocument button on the Outlining toolbar), or remove a subdocument (click in it, and then click the Remove Subdocument button on the Outlining toolbar). Removing a subdocument leaves its content in the master document. To prevent anyone from changing a subdocument, select it and click the Lock Document button on the Outlining toolbar.

WORKING SAFELY WITH MASTER DOCUMENTS

There's no failsafe way to work with master documents, because any master document cansome Word experts say will become corrupted eventually. So your goal becomes prolonging the time before corruption occurs so that you can finish your project with the document still working. Follow these suggestions:

  • Keep the number of subdocuments to a minimum. Aim to have no more than 15 or 20 subdocuments at most. The more subdocuments, the greater the chance of the master document getting corrupted.

  • Make sure your computer has plenty of RAM and that enough of that RAM is available to Word. (How much is enough? It depends on the version of Word and the complexity and length of the document. Figure at least 128 MB free to be safe. More is better.)

  • On the Save tab of the Options dialog box (Tools Options), make sure that the "Allow fast saves box is unchecked and the "Always create backup copy" box is checked.

  • Save your work frequently as usual, but also save a new copy of the master document frequently, under a different name. Keep the old copies for when disaster strikes.

  • Store your master document and all its subdocuments in the same folder. Back up this folder frequently, and keep the backups in case you need to recover text from an older version of the master document.

  • If you notice Word exhibiting any strange behavior, save your work and exit Word immediately. Strange behavior may include displaying phantom insertion points skittering about the screen as Word tries to work out what appears where and how it should be formatted; the Word titlebar not displaying the correct name of the active document; the screen not refreshing fully; or Word paralyzing your computer by consuming all available processor cycles. (To find out if Word is the culprit, right-click in the notification area and choose Task Manager, click the Processes tab, and click the CPU column heading once or twice, as needed, to produce a descending sort by the percentage of CPU time used.)


Enable Several People to Edit a Document Simultaneously

The Annoyance:

Master documents sound like overkill. What I need is something like master documents, but on a more humble scale. I need to edit a document on our intranet with two of my colleagues who work in remote offices.

The Fix:

You can do this, provided your network administrator lets you use the Application Sharing features of either Windows Messenger or NetMeeting. The administrator might prevent you from doing so because Application Sharing poses security threats beyond those normally posed by Windows Messenger and NetMeeting. The quickest way to find out is to try running Windows Messenger (choose Start All Programs Windows Messenger) or NetMeeting (double-click an existing shortcut, or choose Start Run, type conf , and then press Enter).

Establish a connection via Windows Messenger (double-click a contact) or NetMeeting (choose Call New Call). Then:

  • In NetMeeting, choose Tools Sharing to display the Sharing dialog box (see Figure 2-17).

  • In Messenger, click the Start Application Sharing link in the "I Want To" list in the Conversation window. If the other person accepts the invitation , Messenger displays the Sharing Session toolbar (see Figure 2-18). Click the App Sharing button to display the Sharing dialog box.

Select the Microsoft Word item and click the Share button. Your Word window will appear to the other people in the meeting. Click the Allow Control button if you want them to be able to request control of the document (usually a good idea for collaborative editing). Check the "Automatically accept requests for control" box if you want your collaborator-s to be able to take control of the application automatically, rather than your having to approve each request for control.

Figure 2-17. You can share Word (or another application) via NetMeeting.

Figure 2-18. Windows Messenger uses the Sharing Session toolbar to control application sharing.

Make sure that the Word window isn't obscured by the Sharing window, the NetMeeting window, the Messenger window, or the Sharing Session toolbar. These windows will appear as blank patches to the people you're sharing with, unless you've chosen to share your entire desktop (which you shouldn't do: it's a severe security threat to your computer).

Once you've shared the Word window (see Figure 2-19), you and your collaborators can work together. Only one person can have control of Word at any given moment. To request control, the person double-clicks in the application. If you chose not to automatically accept requests for control, you'll be prompted to grant control each time.

Figure 2-19. Working on a shared application tends to be uncomfortably slow, but two or more people can make changes to the same document in turn.

To stop sharing, choose Tools Sharing (from NetMeeting), or click the Application Sharing button on the Sharing Session toolbar (from Windows Messenger), select the shared application, and click the Unshare button.

Recover a Corrupted Master Document

The Annoyance:

My master document has become corrupted. I can still see most of the text, but the formatting looks as though a truck hit it. And there are groups of weird charactersthings like (Is Word trying to learn Finnish?), Euro symbols, and empty-box characters.

The Fix:

Word doesn't save AutoRecover information for master documents, so if Humpy Dumpty falls , restoring him to a semblance of togetherness tends to be a job for all the king's horses and all the king's men. Assemble a bucketful of patience, allow yourself plenty of time, and work calmly and methodicallyeasier said than done if you're looking at the wreck of several weeks of work.

When you're faced with a corrupted master document, don't immediately save it . Consider your options. There are three main strategies for recovering a corrupted master document, discussed in detail in the following sections:

  • Revert to Word's backup document.

  • Revert to your last uncorrupted backup.

  • Repair the corrupted version. This is the most difficult option. It involves a considerable amount of detailed work and is usually only worth the effort if neither of the previous two strategies is viablefor example, because the master document contains many changes that the backup does not, or because you have neither a Word backup copy nor a manual backup of the master document.

Revert to Word's backup document of the master document

If you've been saving your master document frequently, reverting to Word's backup document is the easiest recovery path . This backup document will exist if you checked the "Always create backup copy" box on the Save tab of the Options dialog box (Tools Options) in Word. The backup document (which will have a name such as Backup of My Master Document.wbk and will be located in the same folder as the master document) contains the document as it was the next-to-last time you saved it.

If the corrupted master document is still open and contains unsaved changes, the backup document is two generations back: it's not the document created the last time you saved the master document, but the document created at the save before that. Here's how to revert to Word's backup document:

  1. Open a Windows Explorer window to the folder containing the master document. Verify that the backup document exists, that its date and time correspond to the next-to-last time you saved the master document, and that its size is approximately the same as that of the master document.

  2. Close the master document without saving changes and exit Word.

  3. Restart Word and open the backup document. The document is likely about to corrupt (just as the master document did), so remove the subdocuments, choose File Save As, and save it to a "normal Word document using a different filename.

  4. Choose File Save As again and save the document as a Web Page document, again using another filename. Using the Web Page format ensures that you have the text and formatting written out to a text-based format.

Revert to a manual backup of the master document

If you've been making backups frequently, and the corrupted master document (and the Word backup document) contains only a few changes that the uncorrupted backup doesn't, this is a quick and effective strategy. Follow the steps in the previous list to check that the backup exists and that it's recent enough for your needs. Remove the subdocuments and save the backup document to a "normal" Word document, and then save it again as a Web Page document. Open the "normal" Word document and check it carefully .

Recover a corrupted master document manually

No good on the previous two approaches? Fear not! All hope is not lostyet.

To recover as much of a corrupted master document as possible, follow these steps:

  1. If the corrupted document is open, choose File Save As, choose Web Page in the "Save as type drop-down list, specify a different filename, and click the Save button. Exit Word (choose File Exit).

  2. Open a Windows Explorer window to your user templates folder. (If you don't know where this is, open Word, choose Tools Options, click the File Locations tab, and look at the "User templates readout. If you can't see the full path, double-click it and then examine the "Look in" drop-down list in the Modify Location dialog box.) Rename Normal.dot to another name of your choosing (in case corruption in Normal.dot has caused the problem with the master document), and then rename the template used for the master documentyou'll create a new version of this too, in case the original caused the problem.

  3. Restart Word and then exit it. This causes Word to create a new Normal.dot .

  4. Restart Word again. Choose File New On My Computer (in Word 2003) or File New General Templates (in Word XP) to display the Templates dialog box. In Word 2000, choose File New to display the New dialog box. Select the Blank Document item on the General tab, select the Template option, and then click the OK button to create a new template based on Normal.dot .

  5. Choose File Page Setup to display the Page Setup dialog box, and choose settings for the margins, paper size and orientation, and layout (for example, headers and footers) for your recovery document. Click the OK button.

  6. Save to display the Save As dialog box, and save the new template under a name of your choice.
  7. Macro Macros to display the Macros dialog box. Click the Organizer button, and then click the Styles tab. One of the "Styles available in drop-down lists will list the new template, while the other will show Normal.dot .
  8. Click the Close File button on the side that lists Normal.dot , click the resulting Open File button, and use the Open dialog box to "open" the longest of the subdocuments. The document doesn't actually open, but its styles appear in the Organizer dialog box.

  9. Select all the styles in the chapter except the styles named "Heading" ("Heading 1," "Heading 2," and so on). The easiest way to do this is to click the first style, scroll down to the bottom of the list, and Shift-click the last style; then hold down Ctrl while you click each of the "Heading" styles. Click the Copy button to copy the styles to your new template. If Word prompts you to decide whether to overwrite existing styles in the new template, click the Yes To All button. Click the Close button to close the Organizer dialog box.

  10. Choose Format Bullets and Numbering to display the Bullets and Numbering dialog box. On each tab, click each of the list types in turn; if the Reset button is available for that list template, click it and then click the Yes button in the confirmation dialog box. When youve finished, click the Close button.

  11. Choose File Save to save the template, and File Exit to exit Word. Restarting forces Word to write the details of the list templates to the Registry (thats where it stores them).

  12. Restart Word. Choose File New On My Computer (in Word 2003) or File New General Templates (in Word XP) to display the Templates dialog box. In Word 2000, choose File New to display the New dialog box. Click your new template, then click the OK button to create a new document based on that template. Choose File Save to display the Save As dialog box, and save the document in a new folder on a drive that has plenty of space.

  13. Open and open the first subdocument for the master document. Click the Show/Hide button on the Standard toolbar to display the formatting marks in the document.
  14. Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document, press Ctrl+Q to reapply styles (removing any customizations made to the styles), and press Ctrl+Spacebar to remove any direct character formatting.

  15. With the whole document still selected, hold down the Shift key and press once to deselect the last paragraph mark in the document. (This is the "default section break that contains the master table of the document's formatting.) Copy the text (press Ctrl+C), switch to your new document, and paste it in (press Ctrl+V). Save the new document (press Ctrl+S).

  16. Repeat steps 1417 for all the other subdocuments that were in the master document.

  17. Insert any necessary section breaks manually. Don't replace the section breaks that were used only for the master document.

  18. Use Outline view (see "Expand and Collapse Outline View Quickly" in Chapter 3) to check that the heading levels of your document are suitable.

  19. Save the document and keep a truly paranoid number of backups.



Word Annoyances
Word Annoyances: How to Fix the Most ANNOYING Things about Your Favorite Word Processor
ISBN: 0596009542
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 91

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net