Recipe CD w Table of Contents

[Guest]

I have scanned a collection of recipes that I want to place on CD and
distribute to family members.

I will be using Office 2003/Word 2003

I have never used the Table of Contents function and wonder how this all
works.

The recipes have been scanned as separate files and are in .pdf format. The
recipe titles are part of the scan.

Is it best to "insert" each of the recipe files into one large document and
then create the TOC page? It is my understanding that Master Documents
corrupt rather easily so I prefer not to use the Master Document choice.

If I choose instead to link the main document to each recipe file doc then
when I copy to CD would not the links be broken?

Also once I create and link everything can it all be copied to CD at that
point.

Thank you,
AJ
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[Graham Mayor]

Word will not create a table of contents from a collection of PDF files. You
should have scanned them through OCR software and converted them to editable
text. Now, unless you have some good OCR software, you have a major task to
convert the PDFs to editable text.

Word cannot import multi-page PDF files, but you could place them one page
at a time as objects - but they will not be editable and unless you insert a
text header on each page, you will not be able to create a TOC.

If you have Acrobat (the full version not the reader) you could combine the
PDFs there to make one PDF.

Which ever way you approach the job it is going to be a nightmare.

One possibility - and nothing to do with Word, is to convert all the PDFs to
JPGs. If you have Acrobat again that will do it (or you could insert each
page individually as Word objects and use the trial version of SnagIt to
create the jpgs). With all the pages as separate jpgs, you can create a
slide show on a CVD, using any one of a number of applications that will do
so. You may have something suitable supplied with your CD writer.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

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[Daiya Mitchell]

I have to say, I just would not use Word at all. I would create a folder
structure that serves as a table of contents for the PDFs (eg Soups,
Entrees, Desserts), which should have expressive titles, and copy that
to the CD. And make sure the CD can be searched.

So your family will insert the CD, look at the recipe files on it, and
that will act as a Table of Contents as they browse the files.

Failing that, an HTML file that opened up in a browser and linked
directly to the files should work okay--or several HTML files, one by
type of meal, one by ingredients, etc.

Since Graham said Word will be a nightmare either way, manually creating
the TOCs should not be any more work.

 

[Guest]

Thank you both for your input. Excellent ideas. I may start the process
over to complete in a more efficient way with regard to your suggestions.

AJ