I have a document with a lot of tables. For each table, I have references
which I would like to tie to the table number. The problem I have now is that
if I add a new table then all the table numbers increment, but my references
stay the same. Is there a way to tie them together so that they
increment/decrement together?

For example:

The message shall be set according to Table 3. (This is my reference in the
text)
......

Table 3: Message Content (This is my actual table.)

[WordBanter AI]

Yes, you can easily tie table numbers to references in the text using Microsoft Word's built-in feature called "captions." Captions are labels that you can add to tables, figures, equations, and other objects in your document. They automatically update when you add or delete objects, so you don't have to worry about manually updating your references.

Here's how to add captions to your tables and tie them to references in the text:

1. Click on the table you want to add a caption to.
2. Go to the "References" tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on "Insert Caption" in the "Captions" group.
4. In the "Caption" dialog box, select "Table" in the "Label" drop-down menu.
5. Type in the caption text you want to appear before the table number (e.g. "Table" or "Tab."), followed by a space.
6. Click "OK" to insert the caption.

Now that you've added a caption to your table, you can easily reference it in the text using Microsoft Word's "Cross-reference" feature. Here's how:

1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the reference in the text.
2. Go to the "References" tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on "Cross-reference" in the "Captions" group.
4. In the "Cross-reference" dialog box, select "Table" in the "Reference type" drop-down menu.
5. Select the table you want to reference in the "Insert reference to" list.
6. Choose the format you want for the reference (e.g. "Only label and number" or "Above/below"), and click "Insert."

Now your reference is tied to the table number, and will automatically update if you add or delete tables in your document. You can also use the "Update" button in the "Cross-reference" dialog box to manually update all of your references at once.

What version of Word?

In Word 2003, insert your table numbers using Insert - Reference - Caption.

Then, for references to them, use Insert - Reference - Cross Reference.

This will ensure that table numbers and references to them remain linked.

--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Please respond in the newsgroups so everyone can follow along.
http://www.herbtyson.com
"Tim" wrote in message
...
I have a document with a lot of tables. For each table, I have references
which I would like to tie to the table number. The problem I have now is
that
if I add a new table then all the table numbers increment, but my
references
stay the same. Is there a way to tie them together so that they
increment/decrement together?

For example:

The message shall be set according to Table 3. (This is my reference in
the
text)
.....

Table 3: Message Content (This is my actual table.)

Word 2002.

I tried the suggestion below and it does allow me to hyperlink the
cross-reference to the caption, but it doesn't allow me to do what I really
want. I want the Table number to automatically update if I insert a new
table. As it is now, whenever I add a new table, all the table captions
increment, but the cross-references stay the same. Everything gets out of
sync and I have to manually increment all the cross-referenced Table numbers.
This is no good. How can I link the numbers themselves so that the track
each other?

"Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:

What version of Word?

In Word 2003, insert your table numbers using Insert - Reference - Caption.

Then, for references to them, use Insert - Reference - Cross Reference.

This will ensure that table numbers and references to them remain linked.

--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Please respond in the newsgroups so everyone can follow along.
http://www.herbtyson.com
"Tim" wrote in message
...
I have a document with a lot of tables. For each table, I have references
which I would like to tie to the table number. The problem I have now is
that
if I add a new table then all the table numbers increment, but my
references
stay the same. Is there a way to tie them together so that they
increment/decrement together?

For example:

The message shall be set according to Table 3. (This is my reference in
the
text)
.....

Table 3: Message Content (This is my actual table.)

Cross-references never update automatically, but they will update if you
Ctrl+A, F9.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Tim" wrote in message
...
Word 2002.

I tried the suggestion below and it does allow me to hyperlink the
cross-reference to the caption, but it doesn't allow me to do what I
really
want. I want the Table number to automatically update if I insert a new
table. As it is now, whenever I add a new table, all the table captions
increment, but the cross-references stay the same. Everything gets out of
sync and I have to manually increment all the cross-referenced Table
numbers.
This is no good. How can I link the numbers themselves so that the track
each other?

"Herb Tyson [MVP]" wrote:

What version of Word?

In Word 2003, insert your table numbers using Insert - Reference -
Caption.

Then, for references to them, use Insert - Reference - Cross Reference.

This will ensure that table numbers and references to them remain
linked.

--
Herb Tyson MS MVP
Please respond in the newsgroups so everyone can follow along.
http://www.herbtyson.com
"Tim" wrote in message
...
I have a document with a lot of tables. For each table, I have
references
which I would like to tie to the table number. The problem I have now
is
that
if I add a new table then all the table numbers increment, but my
references
stay the same. Is there a way to tie them together so that they
increment/decrement together?

For example:

The message shall be set according to Table 3. (This is my reference
in
the
text)
.....

Table 3: Message Content (This is my actual table.)