[TedMi]

In project proposals, I need to embed a spreadsheet giving the details of the
cost estimate - no problem. But the Exec Summary of the proposal need to
contain a summary spreadsheet of the major cost categories. So how to make
this summary refer to the detail, so that changes made to detail are
automatically reflected on the summary? I know I could embed links to an
external spreadsheet, but I want to avoid the possibility of the spreadsheet
becoming separated from the doc. The binder concept of previous versions was
ideal for this, but it went away.

Any help appreciated.
--
Ted

[Cindy M.]

Hi ?B?VGVkTWk=?=,

In project proposals, I need to embed a spreadsheet giving the details of the
cost estimate - no problem. But the Exec Summary of the proposal need to
contain a summary spreadsheet of the major cost categories. So how to make
this summary refer to the detail, so that changes made to detail are
automatically reflected on the summary? I know I could embed links to an
external spreadsheet, but I want to avoid the possibility of the spreadsheet
becoming separated from the doc. The binder concept of previous versions was
ideal for this, but it went away.

You could install and continue to use it - it still works.

There is no way to link one Excel object embedded in a document to another
embedded Excel object. In most newer versions of Word it will work for the
duration of a session. But once the document has been closed and re-opened, the
link is almost always lost.

Best you could probably do would be a macro to recreate the "Summary" object's
contents. The macro would need to be programmed, and would be "non-trivial"
(= requires programming knowledge and not something that can be done with the
macro recorder).

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-)

[TedMi]

Cindy: Thanks, I am finding the same thing. I know how to program a macro to
compute the summary, but clients tend to freak out when a proposal asks them
about enabling macros.
Actually, if you get the magic incantations just right, using Paste Link you
CAN save a persistent reference to an embedded object - but the link refers
to the full path of the containing doc. Not useful if you have to send that
doc to a client. Again, you can write a macro to reset the reference to the
current doc location, but see the "freak out" comment above.
--
Ted

[Cindy M.]

Hi Ted,

Cindy: Thanks, I am finding the same thing. I know how to program a macro to
compute the summary, but clients tend to freak out when a proposal asks them
about enabling macros.
Actually, if you get the magic incantations just right, using Paste Link you
CAN save a persistent reference to an embedded object - but the link refers
to the full path of the containing doc. Not useful if you have to send that
doc to a client. Again, you can write a macro to reset the reference to the
current doc location, but see the "freak out" comment above.

Well, you could digitally sign the code. The client (or even better, his IT)
trust you as the publisher, and no messages...

Another approach to consider would be a COM Add-in. Once it's installed it
shouldn't trigger any messages.

And, as long as I'm on a roll :-) you could also take a look at providing a VSTO
solution (= .NET / managed code) that works outside the entire macro security
interface.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :-)