I fixed my own problem. The solution is to update a field immediately after
inserting it, by clicking in the field and then pressing F9. After I did this
to each of the fields that wasn't working before, they all worked. That is,
clicking in a field and pressing SHIFT+F9 toggled between the field codes and
the inserted text.

Of course, each time you change the source text or the path to it, you'll
need to update the destination fields again.

What's more, I discovered that the way you create an IncludeText field is
irrelevant, as long as the result is a proper field (with the correct syntax
and path). Whether I started a field by pressing CTRL+F9 (to create a blank
field with brackets) and then typing in the rest, or inserted an IncludeText
field from the Insert menu, or typed or copied the path between the field
brackets { }, the resulting field always worked, as long as I updated it
right after creating it.

Again, thanks. Now I really think this will work.

Rob


"robfer" wrote:

I think you've helped me get on the right track. But apparently only by
accident have I succeeded once in using an IncludeText field to include text
in one document from a source document. All other attempts have failed.
Here's what I've done:

1. In a source document, I typed some text, selected the entire text, and
then created a bookmark of the text, calling it textA.
2. In another document, on the Insert menu, I clicked Field, clicked
IncludeText, and then clicked OK, which inserted the following field:
{ INCLUDETEXT \* MERGEFORMAT }.
3. Inside the brackets, I deleted everything after the first space after
INCLUDETEXT, typed the path to the bookmark in the source file, and ended up
with:
{ INCLUDETEXT "pathname" textA }.

I've inserted several IncludeText fields in a destination document, but only
one instance of the field has worked, even though the others are
character-for-character and space-for-space identical, gray shading and all.

In only the one working instance does the field switch between field codes
and the resulting text, textA, when I press SHIFT+F9. In the other instances,
the field codes are replaced either by Error! Filename not specified., or
absolutely nothing, a blank.

I'm flummoxed. I don't know why the one instance works and why the others
don't. I don't know why I get different results for the nonworking instances.
I don't know what I've done right or wrong.

What's the right way to do all this? Details would help, because, with all
my printouts of field topics from Word Help, I still don't have all the steps
I need to use the IncludeText field properly in this situation.

Thanks,
Rob

"Daiya Mitchell" wrote:

What you should use are IncludeText fields. Check them out in Help, post
back if necessary. You insert the text that may change as an IncludeText
field in multiple documents, then keep the base document updated. You will
need to Update Fields in the documents that use these, to see the changes.
There is supposedly a setting to "update fields on opening" but I've found
it is not always reliable in my version (MacWord 2004).

AutoText has nothing to do with "one file only" but will only help you
insert static text, not help you update changing text.


On 4/18/05 3:35 PM, "robfer" wrote:

In a document that consists of about 20 chapter files, a number of pieces of
text--such as common procedures and lines of code--each appear in more than
one file. What I'd like to do is:

o Put all the pieces of text that appear in multiple locations in one
repository (such as in their own file, or whatever).
o Automatically insert each piece of text into all the locations where it
belongs, in various files.
o Update a piece of text once, in the central repository, and have the
updated version transmitted automatically to each of its locations throughout
the document.
o Quickly check to see that all instantiations and modifications have been
made.

I realize that I can use autotext to do part of this, but autotext seems to
be limited to inserting and updating instances of a text that reside in one
file only.

Any suggestions on how I can achieve my goals?

Thanks,
Rob

--
Daiya Mitchell, MVP Mac/Word
Word FAQ: http://www.word.mvps.org/
MacWord Tips: http://www.word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/
What's an MVP? A volunteer! Read the FAQ: http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/