Can't delete Word Anchor

[wisgro]

Inherited a so called report template which is actually a copy of a document. Have to insert photos, excel tables, excel charts and type text changes. About 95% finished with a 16 pager. While inserting the final excel tables and charts starting about page 3 I suddenly see an anchor and can't position my tables. I deleted the anchor and the newly inserted tables and charts disappeared. All photos, tables and charts are compressed and formatted as each is inserted. Layout is tight, move object with text and lock anchor are unchecked. Already inserted about half a dozen photos and 4 tables before this happened. Of course the layout from the anchor point to the end of the doc has been jumbled up too. Any clues would be greatly appreciated.

 

[fumei]

Please describe precisely how you did this.

"I deleted the anchor "

faq219-2884

Gerry
My paintings and sculpture

 

[macropod]

Hi wisgro,

Are you sure the 'problem' tables aren't sitting in text boxes on the page? That would explain the presence of the anchors and why deleting them also deleted the tables etc. Your description of the text wrapping is also consistent with this - tables don't have 'tight', 'move object with text' and 'lock anchor' properties, but text boxes and other shapes do.

Cheers

[MS MVP - Word]

 

[wisgro]

Thanks for responding folks. Here are the steps I followed: Selected a table in excel, right clicked and selected Copy. Returned to my open word doc, clicked to place the cursor where I wanted the table inserted into the word document. Clicked Edit on the menu then Paste Special. The table was inserted into the word document. Placed the cursor over the table, right clicked the table and selected Format Object. Clicked Picture tab. Clicked the Compress button then checked Web screen. Clicked the Layout tab, selected Tight and Center for large tables, Tight and Other for small tables when I want to move it to see where it fits best. Clicked the Advanced button on the lower right. Unchecked Move Object with Text. Made sure Lock Anchor was unchecked. Resized tables as necessary using the resize handles at the corners and sides of the table. Sometimes I insert 2 small tables side by side. Inserted a text box next to 2 small tables. Follow the same procedure when inserting photos. Did macropod mean that the anchor accompanies text boxes? Please be more specific.

 

[cheerio]

An anchor simply shows which Word paragraph an object such as a picture or textbox is attached to. The only way to get rid of the anchor is to get rid of the object or to stop the object from floating by making it in-line.

 

[macropod]

Hi wisgro,

So you pasted something from Excel into Word, using Edit|Paste Special. What paste format did you use?

Cheers

[MS MVP - Word]

 

[Markus4]

The only thought in my mind is that you might have inserted an object like an Excel table into a Word text field which you - for a reason which I cannot explain - might not have recognized, and that after that inserting suddenly the anchor of the text field might have shown up.
When deleting this anchor all your objects would disappear. I do not know much about the higher versions. What happens if you repeat the procedure in Word97 which does not have all these compressing and thight-formatting features?

 

[fumei]

So....ummm, you did not answer. Again, how did you delete the anchor? Thanks for telling us what you did to get the stuff there in the first place, it helps, but I want to know exactly what you did to delete the anchor.

"Did macropod mean that the anchor accompanies text boxes? "

No, he meant that textboxes accompany anchors. Which is why I am asking how you think you deleted the anchor.

AFAIK, you CAN'T just delete an anchor. You can delete the object that is anchored...which of course deletes the anchor. You can change an anchored floating Shape into an unanchored InlineShape...which deletes the anchor.

But I know of no way to just "delete" an anchor. So I am curious to know how you (apparently - "I deleted the anchor ") did.

faq219-2884

Gerry
My paintings and sculpture

 

[wisgro]

I apologize Fumei. I should have said “get rid of” in my query title instead of delete. I had in fact deleted the anchor but with undesirable consequences. It appears that I actually deleted an object and the object’s anchor disappeared with it but I thought the reverse had happened. When I placed the cursor over the anchor and clicked I thought the anchor had been selected. In fact, the object was selected. I pressed delete and the object and its anchor disappeared. I moved another object and the anchor appeared again. According to the replies an anchor automatically attaches to each text box or object inserted into a new document. If you open a new document, click the show all key, (large backward P to show markup language; paragraph marks, tab and space marks), then insert a text box. You will see an anchor on the left margin. The only way to get rid of the anchor is to delete the text box. If the document contains multiple objects the anchor will appear next to the one you select. It is like a ghost hiding until an object is selected. It remains as a permanent part of the document until all objects have been deleted. I read a bit about Word anchors since posting the query. It appears that an anchor is a permanent place marker for objects inserted automatically into a document. hth, Walt

 

[fumei]

an anchor is a permanent place marker for objects inserted automatically into a document."

Well, I do not know what you mean by "automatically", but this is not quite correct.

If you insert an InlineShape object, there is no anchor at all. It does not have one because it is Inline.

Shapes are anchored.

From Help (Anchor Property):
Returns a Range object that represents the anchoring range for the specified shape or shape range. Read-only.

All Shape objects are anchored to a range of text


My bolding. Read-only. In other words, it is NOT a property that can be set, which in turn means it can not be deleted. If you have a Shape object, you have an anchor.

"The only way to get rid of the anchor is to delete the text box. "

What I would like to know is WHY you want to delete the anchor (supposing you could delete the anchor and keep the object...which you can not)? What, exactly, were you trying to do? Perhaps if we knew that we could offer some suggestions.

Or is this pretty much a done thread? Is there something you still wish to do, or know? For example, is it possible that your purpose (unknown at this time) could be served by changing the Shape to an InlineShape (with no anchor) and positioned to the same location.

I use a Style (ImageHolder) to place an image as an InlineShape (as I try and avoid Shapes if I can) at precisely the location I want by using the properties (format) of the Style. Could this possibly be what you wish to do?

faq219-2884

Gerry
My paintings and sculpture

 

[wisgro]

I inherited a copy of a multi-page report. The copy is to be used as a "template." The report requires that narrative text, text boxes, photos, Excel tables and charts be inserted. I find the process is a nightmare: photos and tables jump all over the document. A friend gave me some tips but I never created a document like this with more than one object inserted. For example when I open the document copy to make a new report I start by deleting the photo on page one then inserting the new photo. Same with tables, graphs and text boxes. Sometimes when I insert the new object on page one it bounces down to page 10 or 15 or pages in between. Dragging it back up is like weight lifting. Word resists, I push. I don't know about inserting in-line. I would be grateful for instructions to make this more friendly. As you requested from me in your first note: Please describe precisely.

 

[fumei]

Your whole problem lies with this:

"The copy is to be used as a "template." "

AND:

"For example when I open the document copy to make a new report"

This is utterly and completely contrary to how to use Word properly, or well.

I guarantee that unless you are very very very good with Word, you WILL have problems.

Word can handle many objects inserted with little problems. That is not the issue. That is not what you are doing. You are editing and juggling existing objects. You will have problems.

This is a design issue. Unless you want to be fighting this every time, start fresh. Build a properly designed template. Figure out your requirements, and your logic, and build it. If you are constantly doing things like:

"I start by deleting the photo on page one then inserting the new photo."

your problems will never go away. I am very good with Word, but I would not take that on. It is, as you put it, a "nightmare". Unless you start fresh you will never wake up.

faq219-2884

Gerry
My paintings and sculpture

 

[wisgro]

Thanks Fumei. I am not an expert but I did suspect something was going on. I do know there is a big difference between a copy and a template but have had no experience creating templates.

The second multi page report copy I have to use has an added challenge: it needs name, address, etc fields on page 1 and a block of check boxes at the beginning of each succeeding page. Each check box block is followed by free narrative text descriptions and the same objects inserted as the first report: photos, tables, graphs, text boxes.

When I received a report copy I had to lock the "form" to check a box then unlock to insert text and photos. I attempted to create a multi page template form patterned after the copy and ran into a wall immediately.

I didn't make the connection between template and the report I spoke of on this forum until you just mentioned it. I was not aware that one could create a template to insert objects. The report I spoke of in this forum could use a couple of name fields plus the objects mentioned. I usually consult Help first but so far the help for creating templates has left me shaking my head in wonder.

 

[fumei]

Using templates, along with the HUGE concepts behind templates (like Styles), is the basic paradigm of Word. To use Word well it is absolutely essential that templates be understood...at least the basics.

ALL documents are based on a template. All of them. It is not possible to have a document that does not have an attached template. Again, this is the core paradigm of Word.

Most people do not realize this and make manual formats for different documents (letters, reports, sales pitches...whatever), to make them look different.

This is an error.

If you think about it, IF all documents are based on a template, does it not make sense - and it did to Microsoft - to use an explicit template for different documents?

Letters are based on a letter template.
Reports are based on a report template.

Etc. Etc.

And so it is.

Look, I can see you are seriously trying here. If you can (and you wish to) dumb down a sample file - removing anything you do not want anyone to see - and send it to me and I will take a look at it. I may be able to suggest something.

myhandle at telus dot net

I am not a Help Desk, nor am I getting paid for this kind of stuff here, but I heartily approve of someone trying to actually learn how Word works. I know and appreciate the fact that it is sometimes frustrating and hair-pulling. Some things are just weird, or even flat-out stupid.

From your perspective, to develop a solid template you must spec out your requirements. Clearly, explicitly. There is no percentage in avoiding this. It is most commonly a lack of understanding of concepts, rather than functionality that messes people up. Word does what it does, not what people think it does. Further, it has strengths and weaknesses. Use its strengths. Do not use its weaknesses. It is very common for people to try and use Word as if it is a spreadsheet. It is not....use Excel. Or think that Word is a graphics application...it is not a graphics application. Or my particular bugbear, use Word as a HTML editor. Sure, Microsoft tried to have Word function as a HTML editor, but the fact is...it is a very crappy HTML editor and should, IMO, never be used as one.

Anyway, it seems that this thread is finished. "Can't delete Word anchor" is answered. You can't...at least not just the anchor.

faq219-2884

Gerry
My paintings and sculpture