TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: cross-referencing details between 2 documents From:Richard Yanowitz <ryanowit -at- NYCT -dot- NET> Date:Mon, 4 May 1998 11:04:37 -0400
At 09:39 AM 5/4/98 +0000, Jody R. Lorig wrote:
>Richard wrote:
>
>>Client may want to make sure that 2 hasn't left anything out that is
>>in 1. So I'd like to have the client able to look at doc 1 and at
>>every point see a cross-ref to doc 2.
>
>The easiest method I have used that benefitted both the writer and
>the checker is by the use of a table. In column one, list the topic.
>In column two, list the topic location from document 1. In column
>three, list the location of the topic from document 2.
I have a much finer breakdown than topic headings, even to the extent that
2 points in a single paragraph in the original might now be in separate
places in the new document.
Since I anyway put most text in tables, I've inserted a narrow left-hand
column in the table; this column numbers the row. I've played around with
formatting so this looks attractive.
So crudely, here's an ex.
Old doc, p 133: "doohickey parameter 1 is x"
Old doc, p 239: "doohickey parameter 2 is x1"
Crudely again, the equivalent in the new document, starting with row
number, might become:
COMPONENT PARAMETER
22 doohickey x1
23 x
Now my problem is: in the old doc, can I insert automatic cross-references
so that, say, if I move this doohickey information to rows 143-144, the
cross-ref will get updated?
I've toyed with attaching a style to the row numbers such as some unused
heading.
But I need to reference the row number indirectly: the cross-ref has to
find _row content_, and the row content must then somehow link to the row
number.
In the above ex., let's say I need the old doc to cross-ref parameter x so
that right now it reads "23" and when moved it will read "144."
I know I can embed a bookmark next to "x," but I don't know how to make
Word cross-reference the current row number where the bookmark is embedded.
I imagine this can be done with a macro, but I depend on recording macros
(with maybe a little intuitive editing), not writing them.
Does anyone know a straightforward method?
Richard Yanowitz, NYC
ryanowitz -at- bigfoot -dot- com
Freelance writers (including tech writers): join the National Writers Union
Web site: http://www.nwu.org/nwu/
E-mail: nwu -at- nwu -dot- org