Auto Referencing in Word Documnets

[Guest]

Like everyone, in all my official correspondence I use unique reference
numbers. For example BD/IAD/2006/XXXX. Where BD=Organization abbreviation,
IAD=department abbreviation, 2006=year XXXX=serial number. I save them in a
folder structure in which the above reference would form as the path. ie.
C:\BD\IAD\2006\XXXX.doc. (BD main folder, IAD sub folder and 2006 sub sub
folder)

Challenge
Suppose if I prepare all my documents using a single TEMPLATE, is there a
way I could automatically insert, based on the path, the reference number
including the serial number (unique to each final subfolder in the path) in
my documents?

Eg.
Our Ref : BD/IAD/2006/00023
Our Ref : BD/COD/COLLECTIONS/2006/0100111

Thanks & Regards

Preman
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Jezebel]

Like everyone, in all my official correspondence I use unique reference
numbers.

'Like everyone' ? -- hardly. Most people have grown out of this sort of
technique, for the simple reason that it doesn't work unless you have a
database somewhere to allocate and interpret your ID numbers. For most
people, recipient and date is sufficient to identify the document.


For example BD/IAD/2006/XXXX. Where BD=Organization abbreviation,

IAD=department abbreviation, 2006=year XXXX=serial number.

If you are going to create code numbers, this is the worst possible way to
do it. ID numbers should have no meaning other than as unique identifiers.
If Organisation and Department are relevant attribute, treat them as such
(eg as document properties), not as cryptic sub-codes. Do a Google on 'best
practice coding standards' or some such for guidelines.



I save them in a

folder structure in which the above reference would form as the path. ie.
C:\BD\IAD\2006\XXXX.doc. (BD main folder, IAD sub folder and 2006 sub sub
folder)

If all this info is already in the code number, why duplicate it in your
directory structure? Your IT people should have your guts for garters.

Challenge
Suppose if I prepare all my documents using a single TEMPLATE, is there a
way I could automatically insert, based on the path, the reference number
including the serial number (unique to each final subfolder in the path)
in
my documents?

Eg.
Our Ref : BD/IAD/2006/00023
Our Ref : BD/COD/COLLECTIONS/2006/0100111

Yes, there is a way you could do that. But it's such a silly waste of time,
it doesn't bear thinking about. Are you a public servant, by any chance, and
if so, what are taxpayers actually paying you to do? -- not this,
presumably.

 

[Guest]

Thank you very much for your prompt response.

Sadly, I believe, you did not get my question ! I asked for a solution for a
prolem certainly not your opinion. It also shows your ignorance and
incompetance. You shouldn't have, worst of all, wasted your time and my time.
I am certainly not a public servant and I hope you are paying your taxes
promptly. If you did not know the answar the best thing you could have done
is ignore the post or at least refrained from making unwarrented remarks.

Have a good day.

 

[Jezebel]

Sorry you've taken it amiss. I've spent enough time cleaning up this sort of
mess that I do indeed know the answer. It is: don't do it. The coding system
you're talking about it is a carry-over from the days of hard-copy filing,
when the reference number identified the physical file. It is a nonsense to
use such a system on a computer, and *most* organisations have long since
stopped doing it.

A little research on your part would confirm this very quickly.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your concern and I am sorry too if I have offended you..

I absolutely agree with you. *Many* organizations have long since
stopped doing it, but not all -especially in the developed world. But there
are still a large number of organizations using the hard-copy based system in
the rest of the world. Though things are rapidly chaing due to certain
constraints it will take some time before the hard-copy based filing becomes
a thing of the past. Also with cross boarder dealings based on the
conterparty's technological advancement we may still require paper based
documents.

In fact even if what I have written above is incorrect, don't you think
learning something new would be beneficial? Don't you think it may be useful
in some other instance with a different challenge? I believe that the logic
behind the coding may help me to think differently in an entirely different
situation.

Have a wonderful day.

 

[Jezebel]

Have a look at alternatives first. Yahoo's 'desktop search' is not the best,
but it's simple and free: rather than trying to categorize your documents by
building electronic filing cabinets, you save however you like (eg
chronologically) then search the index,built automatically from keywords and
content. It has the advantage that everything on the computer can be
included -- correspondence, emails, diary notes, etc.

I've seen systems set up with no file structure at all: just a single
automatic index and a search function. You never have to think about where
to put a file, or where you DID put it... There's no question that it's
*much* faster than browsing a folder structure.

As for learning something new, of course that's beneficial in principle. In
this case, document management is surprisingly hard to get right, not only
in relation to paths and folders, but also so you don't disrupt your users'
normal Word usage. It needs a lot more specification that you currently
have.

 

[Vana Tuletorn]

The simple answer is: no way. Word (or any word processor) is not designed
to do this. You might look into fields. They provide options for automation.

You were told that incremental document identifiers may be done with
databases, but it will be complicated at best. Nobody will do this as a free
service.

There are commercial document management systems available, maybe they'll do
what you want.

Your first posting was not sufficiently informative. Is BD abbreviation for
your organization or that of the recipient? etc.

..Note that the suggestion for starting to change your reference system was
reasonable. At some point in future you'll have to do this, independent of
how many documents are archived as hard copies.

Eero

 

[Guest]

Thanks a lot both of you for your posts and for enlightening me.