Word SEQ field question

[John Lilly <jlilly -at- IDCOMM -dot- COM>]

A question for the Word gurus out there...

Can someone please explain how to get a SEQ field code that:
1. is alphanumeric,
2. is hidden, and
3. can be referenced successfully from another SEQ field?

I am trying to add a hidden SEQ field to the start of my Appendix
chapters, and I am having difficulty with the switches.

The code I used for my chapter SEQ fields works fine:

{SEQ chap \h \r 1} which results in a hidden "1".  I can reference this
field value using the code {SEQ chap \c}.

I tried a similar thing for the Appendix:

{SEQ app \h \r A} which results in a hidden "A".

However, if I try to reference this field in the chapter like this:

{SEQ app \c}  I get a zero, not an "A".

I went into the Fields dialog Box and constructed a SEQ field using the
switch options. I found a switch that indicates you want to use an
alphanumeric numbering system. The resulting field looked like this:

{SEQ app \h \* ALPHABETIC \* MERGEFORMAT}

This produces an "A" but it is not hidden, despite the \h switch. I
have tried numerous variations on this field code (for example,
moving the \h switch or removing the MERGEFORMAT) with no luck.

Thanks.
-john