Master Documents


Very long documents, such as books, can be cumbersome to create. Creating the entire document in one document file can result in a monster file that slows performance when editing or scrolling text. But creating a separate file for each chapter makes it difficult to ensure consistent formatting and review the document as a whole. What's the solution?

Word's master document feature offers the best of both approaches. A master document is a Word document that includes a group of related documents called subdocuments. Master documents are commonly used to divide a long document into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Master documents normally start as outlines created in Word's Outline view. You can then use the master document feature to set up headings and their subheadings as subdocuments. For example, take the original outline for the first nine chapters of this book, part of which is shown in Figure 48. Chapter names are Heading 1 level headings that can be designated as subdocuments. The result is that each chapter becomes a separate document.

Figure 48. Some of the Heading 1 and Heading 2 heads for the first two chapters of this book.


Although using outlines may be the best way to create a master document from scratch, you can also turn an existing document into a master document or add existing documents to a master document to make them subdocuments.

In this part of the chapter, I explain how to create and work with master documents.

Tips

  • A master document can also be used to manage a large document accessible by multiple users over a network. Users can work on different subdocuments at the same time.

  • One of the benefits of using master documents to organize components of a lengthy document is that the template of the master document is automatically used by each subdocument. This ensures consistency in formatting and in other elements such as headers and footers.


To convert an outline into a master document

1.

Click the Master Document View button on the Outlining toolbar to switch to Master Document view and display the Master Document toolbar (Figure 49).

Figure 49. The Master Document toolbar.


2.

In the document window, click an outline symbol to select the heading and associated subheadings that you want to turn into a subdocument (Figure 50).

Figure 50. Click an outline symbol to select a heading and all of its subheadings and body text.


3.

Click the Create Subdocument button on the Master Document toolbar.

A subdocument icon appears near the heading and a gray box appears around the heading and its subheadings (Figure 51).

Figure 51. A box appears around each subdocument.


4.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each heading you want to turn into a subdocument.

5.

Save the document. Word automatically creates a separate document file for each subdocument (Figure 52).

Figure 52. When you save a master document, each of its subdocuments is saved as a separate document file. This example shows the master document's icon ("Word 2004 VQS Outline") and the icons for subdocuments created for the first three chapters in the outline.


Tips

  • Remember, you can point to a toolbar button to learn its name.

  • Word inserts section breaks between each subdocument in a master document. I tell you more about section breaks in Chapter 5.

  • To convert part of a document into a subdocument, the part of the document you want to convert must begin with a heading style.


To insert a subdocument into a master document

1.

Position the insertion point where you want to insert the subdocument.

2.

Click the Insert Subdocument button on the Master Document toolbar.

3.

In the Insert Subdocument dialog that appears (Figure 53), locate and select the document you want to insert as a subdocument and click Open.

Figure 53. The Insert Subdocument dialog enables you to insert a Word document as a subdocument in a master document.


The document is inserted as a subdocument, with a subdocument icon near its heading and a gray box around its contents.

To remove a subdocument

1.

In the document window, click the sub-document icon near the first heading for the subdocument to select the entire subdocument (Figure 54).

Figure 54. Click the subdocument icon for a subdocument to select it.


2.

Click the Remove Subdocument button on the Master Document toolbar.

The subdocument icon and gray box around the subdocument disappear. The document becomes part of the master document (Figure 55).

Figure 55. As shown here, removing a subdocument doesn't remove any text. Only the subdocument icon and the box around the text disappear.


Tip

  • Clicking the Remove Subdocument button doesn't remove any text from your document. Instead, it converts the subdocument to part of the master document. If the master document had been saved before you removed the subdocument, the subdocument's contents still exist as a separate document file (Figure 52).


To merge two or more subdocuments

1.

Click the subdocument icon for one of the subdocuments to select the entire subdocument.

2.

Hold down and click the subdocument icon for a subdocument you want to merge with the first subdocument. The subdocument is added to the selection (Figure 56).

Figure 56. Select the subdocuments you want to merge by holding down and clicking on their subdocument icons.


3.

Repeat step 2 for each subdocument you want to include in the merge.

4.

Click the Merge Subdocument button on the Master Document toolbar.

The subdocuments are merged into one (Figure 57).

Figure 57. The two subdocuments selected in Figure 56 after merging them into a single subdocument.


To split a subdocument into two subdocuments

1.

Position the insertion point where you want the split to occur (Figure 58).

Figure 58. Position the insertion point where you want to split the document.


2.

Click the Split Subdocument button on the Master Document toolbar.

A new subdocument is created at the insertion point (Figure 59).

Figure 59. The subdocument is split into two subdocuments.


To collapse subdocuments

Click the Collapse Subdocuments button on the Master Document toolbar.

The subdocuments are replaced with hyperlinks to their respective files (Figure 60).

Figure 60. A master document with the subdocuments collapsed.


Tips

  • When you open a master document, it usually appears in a collapsed view (Figure 60).

  • Collapsing a master document makes it easy to see a list of all of its subdocuments.


To expand subdocuments

Click the Expand Subdocuments button on the Master Document toolbar.

The subdocuments' hyperlinks are replaced with the contents of their files (Figure 61).

Figure 61. The master document from Figure 60 with subdocuments expanded.


To edit a subdocument in its own document window

Double-click the subdocument icon for the subdocument you want to open. Its file opens in its own document window (Figure 62).

Figure 62. Double-clicking a subdocument icon opens the subdocument in its own document window.


Tips

  • It doesn't matter whether subdocuments are expanded (Figure 61) or collapsed (Figure 60) when you double-click a subdocument icon. Either way, the document opens.

  • Saving changes to a subdocument automatically saves changes to that document in the master document.


To prevent a subdocument from being edited

1.

Position the insertion point anywhere in the subdocument you want to lock to prevent editing of its contents.

2.

Click the Lock Document button on the Master Document toolbar. A padlock icon appears beneath the subdocument icon (Figure 63). The document can no longer be edited.

Figure 63. A padlock icon beneath the subdocument icon indicates that the subdocument cannot be edited.


Tips

  • To allow editing of a locked subdocument, position the insertion point in the subdocument and click the Lock Document button on the Master Document toolbar. The document is unlocked.

  • To prevent an unauthorized user from editing a document, you can use Word's document protection features to protect it with a password. I tell you how in Chapter 16.




MIcrosoft Word 2004 for Mac OSX. Visual QuickStart Guide
MIcrosoft Word 2004 for Mac OSX. Visual QuickStart Guide
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 199

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