Word 2007: setting up a "constant" value string. 1

[EdwardMartinIII]

I am producing a template for a series of reports. The reports are somewhat large, between 50 and 100 pages each, and usually a report's produced once a week.

The report contains a number of places where the author of that report can "free write" whatever they need into their report (for instance, think of a house inspector. Their reports list specifications, and what things are SUPPOSED to look like, but the inspector has to write in what they actually found).

There are several places in the report, however, where the Client's name might appear. The name appears the same wherever, and this is just a bit of customization I want to offer to the report writers.

My dum-dum take is to insert a string, such as "##Client##" and to tell them when they start writing their report, to do a bulk search-and-replace.

However, it seems to me that this ought to be something that can be automated or a field or something, such that they go to a spot in the doc, make the proper change, and then that different string appears throughout the document.

In a programmatic way of thinking, it is establishing a constant in the beginning of the code, and then in the rest of the code, any pointer to that constant produces the text value in the report.

Am I on the right track here? Is there a way to do this? Or would I be better off simly with my dum-dum idea above?

Thanks!


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door

 

[Lilliabeth]

Personally, I like simple fill-in fields.

The first place you want the Client name to appear, Insert tab, Document Parts, Field, Fill-in. Make the prompt be something like 'What is the Client's Name?' You will be immediately prompted. Answer with something generic like Client Name Here.

Select that generic text that was inserted and Insert tab, Bookmark. Give the bookmark a name then click Add.

Now go to each of the remaining places that you want the client name to appear. References tab, Cross-reference, Bookmark, Bookmark Text.

Save as a template.

--Lilliabeth

 

[fumei]

Or....use a text formfield with Calculate on exit checked. then where ever you want the contents of the text input into the formfield, reference it with a field. Say the text formfield is named "Client"...

Where ever you want (as many times as you want)

1. presss Ctrl-F9
2. type "Client" - no quotation marks
3. move your cursor out of the field.


Done. You type the text into the Client formfield, move out it, and all other fields that reference to it are updated.

Gerry

 

[EdwardMartinIII]

Thank you, Lilliabeth -- that works great for all the applications I had planned for this.

I noticed it had a bit of a character limit, though, looks like 255 characters, including spaces and special characters.

If I wanted to have sections of a document where my Client would drop in a couple PARAGRAPHS of text via a prompt, would there be a better way than this?

Right now, though, it's all looking pretty neat: they SELECT-ALL and click UPDATE FIELD and the whole document populates from a bunch of external links and for all the short things, they're prompted.

So, if there's no easy way to do a lot of text, I'm STILL grateful for this piece!


Edward

"Cut a hole in the door. Hang a flap. Criminy, why didn't I think of this earlier?!" -- inventor of the cat door